Is water swatting ethical?

[MickThompson]

Best bet is to go in the early woodie season or opening weekend of the regular season, lots of them around then. I didn't see a single one from christmas on this season

None of them plumed out worth mounting though. Even the mature males are still full of pin feathers.

 

[WaterSwatter]

None of them plumed out worth mounting though. Even the mature males are still full of pin feathers.

Yea, I didn't think about that

 

[tn clyde]

We buy the most realistic decoys, some spend hundreds on calls and spend hours changing the decoy spread to make them want to land in our hole. When they do land we feel like we won.

 

[backyardtndeer]

That said I always thought it was frowned upon to shoot one in the water.

I am not into waterfowling at all, but those I have been around who are into it, I always had the same impression. Didn't think it was even legal.

 

[younggun308]

I like water swatting. Super clean kills; lots of crossing shots result in having to swat them anyway.

 

[Chaneylake]

7 teal in a water swat is some peoples personal record when considering only 1 shot fired

 

[megalomaniac]

Im thinking next year im on a meat hunt...

When I ate mallard back in the 90s, they were good, but holy crap, wood duck med rare aged 7d before cooking is some of the best game I've ever had.

Imma grocery shop next season.

 

[MickThompson]

Im thinking next year im on a meat hunt...

When I ate mallard back in the 90s, they were good, but holy crap, wood duck med rare aged 7d before cooking is some of the best game I've ever had.

Imma grocery shop next season.

Green wing teal is where it's at

 

[megalomaniac]

Green wing teal is where it's at

Really?

In that case, i will start taking my shotgun with me on my fishing trips in the bayous next season... there are always quite a few in the marshes I flush up coming around corners while sightfishing skinny water reds.

Last Saturday I got within shotgun range of 4 or 5 while fishing (not sure if they were green wing, blue wing, or cinnamon... just tiny ducks that went into panic mode as I rounded bends on the trolling motor).

 

[MickThompson]

Really?

In that case, i will start taking my shotgun with me on my fishing trips in the bayous next season... there are always quite a few in the marshes I flush up coming around corners while sightfishing skinny water reds.

Last Saturday I got within shotgun range of 4 or 5 while fishing (not sure if they were green wing, blue wing, or cinnamon... just tiny ducks that went into panic mode as I rounded bends on the trolling motor).

Can't shoot until all forward motion from power has stopped

 

[tickweed]

Can't shoot until all forward motion from power has stopped

Yes. Untill the duck stops swimming. Then, proceed.

 

[JRC1]

Yes. Untill the duck stops swimming. Then, proceed.

I'm confused. So, once the duck lifts off the water you can shoot?

 

[megalomaniac]

Can't shoot until all forward motion from power has stopped

Push pole is fine, right?

 

[tickweed]

I'm confused. So, once the duck lifts off the water you can shoot?

Yes, you may shoot as he jumps. However, its best to line up several sitting on the water, make sure they all are still when you shoot, to not waste ammo. lol

 

[MickThompson]

Push pole is fine, right?

Push pole or paddle power are legal. Anything besides you as a power source isn't.

 

[scn]

That is where the term East Tn limit comes from. If you got your one flight of the day into your decoys, you try to line up two green heads, and shoot. Then you try to finish out your limit with your next two shots as they leave.

 

[Iglow]

They are dead either way so it's not a moral thing imo but there are some things I go by in hunting, ducks are hard to kill on the water in my experience, I've seen cripples shot with 12 ga loads multiple times by multiple shooters and still get away. Sometimes that happens and sometimes 1 shot will do, but I don't water swat dux cause I just don't.
Things I go by are no water swatting dux, no shooting squirrels the dogs haven't treed and no shooting turkeys unless they have been called up plus I don't kill anything on the last day of any season when I go on the last day, not that it makes any difference but I figure if a duck, squirrel or whatever has run the gauntlet of hunting season, weather, natural predators and sickness and has made it that far I tip my hat to them and wish them well in reproducing in the spring.

 

[Chaneylake]

That is where the term East Tn limit comes from. If you got your one flight of the day into your decoys, you try to line up two green heads, and shoot. Then you try to finish out your limit with your next two shots as they leave.

in our blind it would be 5 shots of nickel plated 1 7/8 oz of lead

 

[kevin mays]

Waterswatting is like killing a turkey at 10 yards instead of 40 . If you got that kinda game waterswat on brother!

 

[chimneyman]

When I used to duck hunt there wasn't a long time before the shoo and the shoot

 

[Tweeter]

I may piss everyone off but I'll skillet shoot waterfowl and if my GSP trees a quail I'll shoot it in a tree. I'm there to shoot birds. I will not shoot quail or pheasant on the ground. That's just me

 

[kevin mays]

I ain't judging any man who hunts legally! And I ain't worrying myself w anybody
Got plenty of my own worries

 

[Westtnduckhtr]

Crips on the water yes. Decoying birds that land, we jump them up. I am not hunting for food, even though we love to eat them, but it is the wing shooting sport aspect of the hunt I love. If they get away, so be it, I am not going to starve.

 

[kevin mays]