The Seven Deadly Sins Blog

Bird Hunting Etiquette

There isn’t anything much more enjoyable than a great bird hunt, whether it is pheasants in the sorghum fields of South Dakota or decoying mallards in Arkansas’ green timber. There is little doubt we are blessed with some of the finest upland and waterfowl hunting opportunities in the world in North America. And one of the best aspects of upland and waterfowl hunting is it is almost always a group activity with your hunting buddies. Usually you get to share a great experience with each other. However, as a group activity, bird hunting by default requires a higher level of paying attention to the etiquette of hunting. Conducting yourself as gentlemen in the field is always the right thing to do. Don’t make these mistakes and make it a great hunt for yourself and everyone around you.

1.Being a Game Hog
Have you ever been on a Pheasant hunt that required blockers and pushers? Is there someone in your group that is always the first to volunteer as a blocker and then remains a blocker throughout the course of the hunt? Don’t be that guy. We all know blockers get a majority of the shooting. Rotate with pushers accordingly and share the wealth. The same goes for the duck blind. Sometimes wind conditions, decoy set-up, and calling all lead to one side of the blind getting more shooting than the other. If you knock down 4 greenheads in a row and your buddies on the left side of the blind haven’t pulled the trigger yet, this is the beginning of a pattern for the day’s hunt. Offer to switch spots or pass on a few birds so everyone can get in on the shooting. Blind morale will be high, which is good for everyone. Same goes for lay out blinds in crop fields. Tell your buddies to slide their lay out blinds to the hot side of the spread if you’re on it and getting a majority of the shooting. Everyone wants to shoot, so do your best to ensure they get to. The close relative of the Game Hog is the “I Got Mine” guy. The “I Got Mine” guy insists on letting everyone in the group know he hit his target(s) when he pulled the trigger, often claiming other’s birds as his own. If you made a great shot, your buddies will let you know about it. Bragging and over-claiming birds is a one way road to not being invited back.

2.Hunting Bad Dogs
This is a sensitive one. A great bird dog is something to behold. Unfortunately very few dogs are great. Most aren’t even close and bad ones can ruin a hunt. And criticizing someone’s hunting dog isn’t very easy to pull off. A good place to start on the topic of bird dogs is whether you should include your dog in the hunt at all. Step one is determining if you are a guest on a hunt. Were you asked to bring your dog? Just because you’ve got a bird dog doesn’t mean it is automatically a part of the hunt. ONLY bring your dog if you are asked to. Period. If it’s your hunt, than you can call the shots. If you aren’t requested to bring your dog and feel the need to ask if you can bring it, the writing may be on the wall about your pooch and what, if any value it adds to the hunt.

This is a list of bird dog red flags we all need to be aware of:

Pre-mature breaking from the blind while ducks or geese are working
Consistently flushing Pheasants or Quail out of range
Won’t retrieve
Won’t honor a point
Fights with other dogs
Acts aggressively towards or bites humans
Non-stop whining in the blind
Doesn’t respond to basic commands
You talk to your dog. Tell your dog a command, and if it doesn’t do what it’s told, make it do it. Period. Talking in sentences confuses dogs. Have your set of simple commands and make sure your dog understands them.
Abusing electricity. Shock collars are a tool and not a crutch – use them accordingly. If you are shocking your dog every 5 minutes during a hunt, that dog needs more proper training and shouldn’t be in the field.

If you or your dog are guilty of any of the red flags above, you both need to make some changes. Easier said than done on a lot of them, but believe me, your hunting buddies will thank you for it and your overall bird hunting experience will improve dramatically.

3. Not Resting Your Spot
Waterfowl and upland game need a refuge. Depending on where and what you are hunting the roost or refuge can be the most important factor in a successful hunt. There is a reason why you can’t hunt Pheasants until noon in South Dakota, and you have to stop Pheasant hunting in Iowa at 4:30 – the birds need a rest during feeding times (generally in the mornings and late afternoon). If you find a piece of water that is black with ducks and geese, you’ve found an active waterfowl roost. When you have the option, hunt fields around the roost, or pockets of water far enough away that when you shoot the first duck or goose the entire roost doesn’t get up in alarm never to be seen again. You may have found the mother load of waterfowl, but chances are someone else knows about them and wants to hunt them too. If you shoot the roost you’ll most likely have a fantastic hunt. But it’s also most likely a one hunt deal. Save it and figure out a way to keep the birds on the roost and you won’t have one great shoot – you’ll have multiple really good ones. Your fellow hunter on your neighboring property will thank you for it, and I’m sure you’d like it if they did it for you. In addition to protecting the roost, the most successful duck clubs and Pheasant hunting operations all share one thing in common – they either hunt in the morning or afternoon, but never both.

4.Being Unsafe
Safety is #1, always. Whether you are hunting Quail in South Georgia, Pheasants in Iowa or waterfowl on the Canadian prairies, the first thing that should always happen is a pre-hunt safety talk. The biggest reason for a pre-hunt safety talk is getting everyone on the same page with what is and isn’t going to happen. Without it, you are asking for trouble. This is a list of topics that should be covered in your pre-hunt safety talk:

Gun safeties only come off as you are raising your gun to your shoulder or when it is shouldered. No exceptions.
Never shoot a bird on the ground.
If you are using an over/under, keep it broken whenever you aren’t actually hunting. This means the gun is broken when you finish hunting a field and are standing around coming up with your next plan.
Never swing your gun across a line of walking hunters. Keep your gun vertical, turn your body, and then raise your shotgun to shoot.
Never load a gun in the car. It goes without saying that you should never shoot a gun out of a car – it’s illegal in almost every state and is unethical.
Don’t shoot “over” people in a blind. At the least, you’ll ring their ears. At the most, it can be deadly.
Always know where blockers or standers are when pushing a field. If there’s any doubt, hold your fire.
Always know where the dogs are. If you don’t you shouldn’t shoot.
Booze and hunting don’t mix. Not even one pre-hunt beer.
When hunting waterfowl out of a blind, one person calls the shot. Only shoot when the shot is called. It’s the safest, and ensures everyone has a chance to shoot.

5.Showing Up Late
I won’t tolerate being late for a bird hunt. As far as I am concerned, if you are going to be late, you might as well not show at all. For waterfowl hunting, the first half hour is often the best part of the shoot. If you are late, you aren’t putting out decoys, brushing-up the blind, and doing all of the other things that have to happen before you load the guns and start the hunt. Joining an upland hunt late means you have to find your hunting partners in the field and you will in one way or another further inconvenience them by your tardiness. Be on time.

6.Bringing Too Many People
No one likes a crowded duck blind, too many lay out blinds on a goose hunt, or too many walkers on a Pheasant hunt. Occasionally “the more the merrier” works with bird hunting. Most often, the experience is better for everyone if you keep numbers down. If you have to, take turns in the blind or in the field- it’s safer and will improve the hunt for everyone.

7.Trespassing
Trespassing is first of all illegal. It’s also unethical. The simple solution is get permission before you hunt private land. I realize more and more land is private and lots of landowners won’t let the public hunt on their land. That doesn’t mean that their neighbor won’t let you hunt. When you trespass, you are giving all of us a bad name, which does nothing for the common good of hunters. Respect landowner’s wishes and don’t trespass on posted property.

Etiquette in the field goes a long way with everyone. One of the most important reasons to conduct yourself properly in the field is to provide the right example for new and young hunters. Hunting is a learned skill and those around you will follow your lead. Make sure you are leading properly.