This is just unbelievable

[DelDuck]

186 ducks and geese were found dumped in delaware. How anyone could ever shoot that damn many birds in one day is increadible but to waste them like this?? Here is a link to the news papers site.

LINK (http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060221/NEWS/602210331/1006)

[TreeDoc]

That's been floating on another waterfowl site and I have been following it a bit. That's pretty sick. :mad:

On the otherhand, Del....did you check 'em for Jewelry? :D :p

[DelDuck]

Wellllllllllll. I will tell you a little secret, so don't tell anyone, but I was scared I was making too much noise with all that jewelry in my pocket.




Seriously thou. I just can't see how any serious waterfowler or sportsman could do anything like that. I just wounder if that was all they shot or if they kept some? I hope they catch them. If they do I think I would take off work to go to there trial.

[fabsroman]

Don't get me started on this. I know guys that kill 30 canada geese and then dump them in a dumpster. They also killed 96 ducks in a single day. What they did with them, I have no idea. I don't hunt with them anymore because we are just too different.

Once me and my hunting party have our limit, I leave a field and I take everything home to be used, except for crows, groundhogs, and foxes. That doesn't mean I haven't thrown a couple of geese and ducks in the trash can, but if it amounts to a total of 10 during my entire waterfowling career, I would be surprised.

At the end of the day, people like this are the reason why it is so hard for hunters. People like this think of themselves as killers and get great satisfaction out of being able to kill a lot of birds. Exactly why somebody would do something like this, I have no idea. Even if they are ego maniacs that like to brag about stuff like this, they cannot even take pictures because they would be incriminating. If you want to shoot a lot, go to the clays range.

Hopefully, somebody will get caught bragging about it.

On another sore subject, Maryland is proposing a new resident goose season and new regs wherein the season will start August 1, 2006, the limit will be 15 birds a person, and guns can be unplugged. If I got a single limit, I wouldn't know where to put all the goose breasts. What do they think "hunters" will do with all those goose breasts?

This brings me to another story regarding a buddy from law school. He and 3 other guys were able to ambush a bunch of snow geese that were on a pond against a 10 foot embankment seeking shelter from the wind. My buddy and his 3 friends came over the embankment on over 1,000 snow geese, each toting a 10 ga. and they were able to unload and reload the guns 3 times before all the snow geese could get up and move to another spot on the pond. They killed over 100 birds that day; however, justice was served because the game warden showed up and they each received a citation. This was over 10 years ago when the snow goose limit was well below 15 birds a day. What would they do with so many birds?

So, exactly when it such a thing a crime. If a group of 4 hunters killed 60 snow geese in a single day, would it be a crime to throw them in a dumpster? They are considered nuisance birds. How about 60 Maryland resident canada geese during the August season? Would it be okay to dump them in a dumpster? I just cannot imagine how long it would take my dad and me to breast out 30 geese if we both got our limit in a single day. After spending the day hunting and being tired, we would have to spend the rest of the day cleaning birds.

[M.T. Pockets]

Waterfowl hunting has changed a lot over the last 20 years or so. It is all about killing, and killing a lot.

Take a look at calls, decoys, gun accessories and such. You'll see names like "Meat Grinder, Straight Meat, Whackmaster" and such. Watch any video on duck or goose calling and they'll show the birds taking a full pattern and falling hard.

To a lot of today's "hunters" it's all about higher limits and how many birds can we shoot today.

In Minnesota the duck limit went from 6 ducks per day (up to 4 can be mallards) to 4 ducks per day. Up to 4 can still be mallards. This got a lot of people up in arms that we can only shoot 4 ducks per day. Then I've heard these same people call ducks other than Mallards "Trash Ducks". So tell me, if they're "Trash Ducks" what does it matter what the limit is ?

Speaking of trash. In the last 5 years or so I've noticed hunters actually trash talking in the sloughs. It used to be we all got along, or even hunted together. Now it has become a competition and it's not good natured ribbing either.

[fabsroman]

M.T.,

I completely agree with you and it makes me sick. The majority of the time, I don't get my limit while duck hunting or goose hunting. Spent many days afield hunting deer without killing or seeing anything other than birds, squirrels, etc.

At the end of the day, I think our hunting culture is being way too influenced by the marketing of these manufacturers. They need to give us a reason to spend $150 on a foiles call and $300 on a layout blind, and several thousands of dollars on new decoys, and God knows I should trade my SBE in on the SBE II.

I have been trying to find some good people to hunt with, other than my dad, and while I know a bunch of good guys from Southern Maryland, I haven't been able to hook up with them to hunt yet. Done plenty of clays shooting with them though and even cleaned up at a tournament with them. Luckily, during the last week of this goose season, I ran into two father son groups on a single hunt and they both seemed to be great people. It was a great hunt even though we/I only killed two geese. There were 3 dads and 3 sons in the field together that day, with the youngest kid being 10. The guys were extremely understanding when my dog broke out of the blind and scared off the only group of geese we saw that morning. They understood that we were hunting and stuff happens. The 18 year old kid called me every day of that remaining week to ask if I was going to hunt in the afternoon with them. I also promised to take him out crow hunting because he has never done it (i.e., this is his first season of waterfowling).

[Ruddyduck]

I've been away for quite some time and it's ashame to come back and have to read something as sad and disturbing as this thread.
I'm no saint and I'm one who would look the other way when someone is in a tuff situation and needs to put food and the table for thier family. That being said a person or persons that would do such a thing as posted here should be fined as heavily as possible , and loose all hunting & gun rights for the rest of thier lives.
I cannot condone waste. I was raised if you shoot it, you eat it with very few if any exceptions.

[tjwatty]

I have been sitting here thinking about this for quite some time and I am perplexed.
I have a hard time believing that a true waterfowler would do such a thing, I do on the other hand don't believe in conspirisy theories, but wouldn't this make a nice show for the tree huggers? I bet PETA was thrilled that they could show how the "hunters" were ruining the waterfowl.
We all know they exsist, all we can do is turn them in when we see them. As fabs will tell us, and the CPO has told me, the CPO has to catch the perpetrator in the act.
As far as "trash" ducks are concerned, I'm guilty. I make it plain from the start I don't want scaup, I will shoot them if someone wants them, hell, I enjoy shooting them but I don't take them home and I don't shoot them if no one wants them.
My big legal problem is with possession limits. I save all my duck and goose breasts and have summer sausage made out of it at the end of the season. I will also have one or two other hunters ducks in my freezer, I should have their names on them but then they would be breaking the law also. I now have 35 pkgs of sausage in my freezer and am waiting on everyone to pick theirs up. CPO would have a field day.

I know for a fact if I get a chance to shoot nuisance geese they'll be in the freezer until the end of the regular season. Along with my mallards,canvasbacks,pintail,widgeon,woodducks and teal. No bills tho!!!!

[fabsroman]

I don't know if the possession limit applies once they are reduced to your freezer. I think it has more to do with the number that you can carry home from an extended hunting trip. If I am wrong, somebody please let me know the exact definition of "possesion" as it applies to waterfowl that you have.

[M.T. Pockets]

Fabs, in Minnesota possession limit applies to any bird wherever you possess it. This includes the birds on you plus cleaned birds in your freezer, or someone else's freezer. This also includes any birds that have been processed into sausage or jerky. This came straight from the Conservation Officer that works our district. He said you can give them away, or eat them to reduce your possession limit before harvesting any more. There are some strings involved in giving game away too, such as a written note.

It doesn't happen often, but I have heard instances where Officers do freezer checks. In Minnesota this can be done without a warrent. I've never heard of it being abused, the only times that I've heard about it happening the Officer's "hunch" was right and they found excessive game in possession.

Personally, it doesn't bother me if someone should creep over the possession limit if they use the meat over the course of the year. What bothers me is guys who fill their freezers and throw it out next summer so they can make room for the next year's harvest.

[fabsroman]

I was reading through Maryland law on waterfowl hunting, and I mean to tell you that there are some really stupid laws out there.

First dumb law:

(d)(1) A person may not hunt wild waterfowl from a boat that is propelled by a motor or under sail. (This one I understand).


(2) A person may shoot and immediately retrieve lawfully wounded or killed wild waterfowl while in a boat if all forward progress of the boat has ceased and the motor has been shut off. (Why does all foward progress of the boat have to cease and why does the motor need to be turned off? Why can't a person just use a net to scoop the bird up?).

I read Maryland DNR's Hunting regs and it appears that you guys are right. Here is what they say:

Field Possession Limit
You may possess no more than one daily bag limit while in the field or returning from the field to your vehicle, hunting camp, or home.

Possession Limit
The maximum number of migratory game birds of a single species or combination of species permitted to be possessed by any one person.

Now, here is why this makes absolutely no sense. Based upon the proposed regs for 2006-2007, a person can kill 15 resident canada geese per day from August 1 to September 25 with a possession limit of 30. However, the limit will decrease in November to 8 per person and a 16 bird per day limit. How about the guy who might come here on a 2 day resident bird hunt in November and he is bringing 16 birds back to his home somewhere else that only has a 10 bird possession limit. How about the guy that comes to western Maryland from Maryland's Eastern Shore where the per day limit is 2 geese a day during the migratory season, yet it is 8 birds a day in western Maryland during the migratory season. If that person kills his 8 birds in western Maryland, he has to eat 4 of them before he crosses the county line to get back home. Otherwise, he is breaking the law.

How do law makers expect people not to break laws when they make them so completely stupid. What really bugs me is that not enough people are sophisticated enough to complain about this sort of stuff.

For instance, I told my brother about the "assault waepons" ban that Maryland is proposing, but I don't think he has the least bit of an idea of how to write his representative, even though he hates the bill. Therefore, Maryland's representatives will never know his position.

If I find time tonight, I am going to write my representatives about this stupid possession law and about the stupid law above requiring that a boat motor be turned off and the boat's progress completely stopped before retrieving a bird. Sheer stupidity in my book.

Now, if anybody can try to help me understand why these laws are not stupid, I would truly appreciate it before I make an idiot out of myself.

[tjwatty]

The forward motion law and the motor is for Joe Dumba-- that thinks he can chase a cripple at 30mph and shoot it.
The only fine I have ever had was for an uncased gun in a boat. I asked the CPO, "Just how am I supposed to shoot a cripple with a cased gun?" His answer, I am supposed to drive my boat to within shooting range, stop the boat, shut off the motor, uncase the gun, load, shoot, unload, recase, chase the bird and start all over again. Honest to God, cost me $50 bucks in1986. The rule has since been changed but I am still to have an unloaded gun, then motor off before shooting. Works better with 2 people.
We have a young firebreathing CPO now and he has written a guy for reckless boat handling, (Ranger bass boat on the trolling motor) illegal transport of a bow. (bow was set on the tailgate while the CPO checked license.) I have a friend who plays in a band with 2 judges who have reported 80% of his cases get tossed, but there is the expense incured by the defendants. I know fabs doesn't work for free and I wouldn't expect him to but really now.
I have never heard of anyone getting arrested for possession laws except as an additional charge, I think after poaching charge then they search. I know in Illinois the CPO's have more authority on the search laws but I think they would have a hard time getting into my house without a warrant. I'm sure they can stop a car, and go onto private land without probable cause, my retired police lieutenant used to have them stop the dirt bags on a game check or FOID check then the cops would get in on the drugs found in the search of vehicles.
fabs,
When you make it to the supreme court work on the baiting laws first will you. They're about as clear as mud.

[fabsroman]

Quite honestly TJ, I think a lot of the hunting laws need work. Now, as far as the motor being off and the cessation of all forward progess before retrieving a bird, I think that is stupid.

How about if the law read: "A person may not propel his boat beyond a reasonable speed to recover crippled or downed waterfowl. Speeds of 5 knots or less shall be prima facie reasonable. Should the retrieval of crippled waterfowl require the discharge of a shotgun, then the motor of the boat shall be cut off and all forward progress of the boat shall be ceased before the shotgun can be fired."

As far as the baiting laws are concerned, I think it should be rather simple. If you are out there spreading the seed around without any intention of growning a crop, you are in trouble. However, if you own the land and are planting or harvesting a crop, then you are fine.

By the way, if I made it to the Supreme Court, which I don't even want, there would be no way for me to change any laws. I could only interpret them. I would have to be in Congress to change laws. Now that I have actually given some thought to. Problem is that where I live the population is extremely liberal and they would never vote for a person like me.

[rubicon]

Just heard the Del DNR has a thousand dollar reward, humane society a twenty five hundred dollar reward, and they have recieved additional private donations so maybe that will get somebody talking.

[DelDuck]

I knew about the $1,000 from Delaware but had not heard anything about the other ones. I have not heard anymore about it, and if I do I will post it here as soon as I can.

On a positive note, a buddy and myself are going for a walk about on a 100 acres that he just picked up to hunt deer next year:D And we may be picking up anouther 30 or so acres for lease to hunt deer and them gobler birds. Looks like I am going to have to get my MD lisc. next year. I would have gotten mine this year but SOMEONE nerver made good on thier offer and called me to come over to Deal Island:rolleyes: ;)

[rubicon]

oops!!!! next season for sure

[TreeDoc]

Sorry, DelDuk but the reward numbers are startin' to look pretty good. I just bought a couple new Avet reels and Seeker rod blanks to give my rod builder and I'm gonna have to "dig deep" so what I'm trying to say is I'm turning you in! :eek: :D

[fabsroman]

Del,

Skeet is probably happy that you are not mentioning names. LOL. At some point, we have to get together again to do some shooting and possibly plan a hunt or two next season.