# "man limit"



## BPturkeys (Sep 13, 2007)

I am seeing everywhere duck and goose hunters referring to the "man limit"..."we shot a "two man limit", or "ten man limit"", etc. Does this mean what it sounds like...that you guys keep shooting as a group until you have killed enough birds that it equals a daily limited for each hunter? Or is it a simple expression explaining that each hunter shot his "own" limit of birds that day and laid his gun down when he had shot his total daily limit?

I'll be honest with you here, in the old days nobody stopped shootin until the pile equaled a limit for everybody in the group...yous guys wouldn't be doing that same old thing and justifying it by calling it a "man limit" would you?...or has the law changed?


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## Clarq (Jul 21, 2011)

I don't think calling it an "#-man limit" implies anything about how many birds each hunter shot. Some groups keep careful track of their own birds, and others party hunt. Either of those types can bring home an "#-man limit", though. At least, that's how I understand it.


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## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

If there are more than 2 people hunting, it gets tough to figure out who shot what every time, unless you take turns on every shot. So technically, yes it is party hunting, but not going over on limits. Try hunting a goose field where there are 8 or more hunters and huge flocks of birds, **** near impossible to tell who shot what. You just keep track of the number of birds so you don't exceed limits. Also, anyone that group hunts and say's they don't do this is full of $hit or a liar.


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## Clarq (Jul 21, 2011)

Fowlmouth said:


> If there are more than 2 people hunting, it gets tough to figure out who shot what every time, unless you take turns on every shot. So technically, yes it is party hunting, but not going over on limits. Try hunting a goose field where there are 8 or more hunters and huge flocks of birds, **** near impossible to tell who shot what. You just keep track of the number of birds so you don't exceed limits. Also, anyone that group hunts and say's they don't do this is full of $hit or a liar.


It's impossible to do it perfectly, but the rule we follow to keep ourselves safe is that each bird gets claimed when shot (we'll flip a coin or whatever if there's a question as to who shot it) and put in a person's pile. When a person's pile has a limit, that person has to stop shooting. I think that's generally what law enforcement wants to see. When we got checked on the opener, the officer wanted to know who shot what. Having our birds already piled and in separate bags made it easy.

If you have a group of 5 goose hunters and the group has 18 geese, for example, three hunters have limits and only two should be shooting when the next flock comes in. If all 5 still shoot, that's deliberate party hunting. But yeah... I won't pretend I can tell who shot what in all instances.


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## CPAjeff (Dec 20, 2014)

This is why you ALWAYS go hunting with people who aren't as good of a shot as you, then you get to shoot some of their birds as well! ;-)

I usually hunt solo, so this isn't an issue. However, every time I go to Canada it's more of a group type deal - we have x amount of birds to get for a limit and everyone shoots until that limit is reached.


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

CPAjeff said:


> This is why you ALWAYS go hunting with people who aren't as good of a shot as you, then you get to shoot some of their birds as well! ;-)


I have known shooters like that. A bird can be 200 yard off from him and if he shoots he usually claims the bird.

Same with elk and deer. I have never known him to miss anything with the first shot.//dog// _O\\


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## BPturkeys (Sep 13, 2007)

Is it legal then to party hunt waterfowl, and more importantly, is it ethical to party hunt?

I agree that sometimes it is hard to know for sure if you or your partner or both shot a particular bird, but it is very very simple to agree upon who claims it as part of their daily limit. So, when you have claimed your seven(or what ever the limit is) birds, lay down your gun and stop shooting. Am I wrong here?

PS...I really like the way Clarq's group has worked it out, sounds about as legal and ethical as possible


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## paddler (Jul 17, 2009)

BPturkeys said:


> Is it legal then to party hunt waterfowl, and more importantly, is it ethical to party hunt?
> 
> I agree that sometimes it is hard to know for sure if you or your partner or both shot a particular bird, but it is very very simple to agree upon who claims it as part of their daily limit. So, when you have claimed your seven(or what ever the limit is) birds, lay down your gun and stop shooting. Am I wrong here?
> 
> PS...I really like the way Clarq's group has worked it out, sounds about as legal and ethical as possible


It's neither legal or ethical to party hunt. So yes, each bird must be claimed by the shooter at the time it's shot. When you finish your limit, unload your gun and pick up your camera. X-man limits don't exist, individual limits exist. Real men shoot their own birds. Period.


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## dubob (Sep 8, 2007)

*Possession*

I don't shoot other peoples birds and I do not allow them to shoot mine. When I hunt with a group - usually 4 or 5 hunters - every bird is claimed by one individual and added to that persons bag for the day. If more than one shooter claims to have shot at a particular bird, then the shooters come to an agreement on who killed the bird and then that person adds it to their limit. When any shooter reaches their limit in my groups, then they unload their shotgun and are done shooting for the day.

When I'm group hunting for waterfowl, it is almost on an outfitter, paid for hunt and I will not pay $300 to $500 a day to let somebody else shoot my birds. When I take a guest to my duck club or hunting from my boat, my rule is that we will take turns shooting (hit or miss) and that way there is never a question as to who shot how many birds.

Party/group hunting is illegal and unethical and should not be tolerated under any conditions IMHO. Shooting a limit of birds is always nice, but for me, it is never a requirement for having a great day in the marshes.
:O||:


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## Packout (Nov 20, 2007)

I like taking guys who claim the birds. They can limit out first..... 

We always had a person claim each bird and every person was done shooting when they had their limit. Is it really that hard?


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## Tall Tines (Apr 16, 2017)

paddler said:


> It's neither legal or ethical to party hunt. So yes, each bird must be claimed by the shooter at the time it's shot. When you finish your limit, unload your gun and pick up your camera. X-man limits don't exist, individual limits exist. Real men shoot their own birds. Period.


Do real men also use a canoe to get to their duck spots? Motor boats are for girls, right?


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## BPturkeys (Sep 13, 2007)

I am happy to hear the responses from you guys. It seems that finally most of you have adopted methods to follow the rules of ethical hunting and follow the exact law...congrats, you are doing better than we did in the old days. No more piles of ducks!

As for the use of the term "man limit" I still think it implies a party hunt mentality and I would stop using the expression to avoid any implication of party hunting. Just sayin.


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## Cazador (Sep 4, 2014)

paddler said:


> It's neither legal or ethical to party hunt. So yes, each bird must be claimed by the shooter at the time it's shot. When you finish your limit, unload your gun and pick up your camera. X-man limits don't exist, individual limits exist. Real men shoot their own birds. Period.


You say that party hunting isn't legal, so I'm curious where in the waterfowl proclamation does it say that you can't party hunt? I know that in the Big game proclamation it specifically calls out that party hunting is not allowed, but I could not find anything in the waterfowl proclamation about it, so in my mind it is not a prohibited behavior for waterfowl hunting. The same way that it specifically calls out in the waterfowl proclamation that baiting isn't allowed, but in the big game proclamation baiting isn't mentioned at all, and therefore is an acceptable way to hunt big game.


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## Tall Tines (Apr 16, 2017)

BPturkeys said:


> I am happy to hear the responses from you guys. It seems that finally most of you have adopted methods to follow the rules of ethical hunting and follow the exact law...congrats, you are doing better than we did in the old days. No more piles of ducks!
> 
> As for the use of the term "man limit" I still think how about it implies a party hunt mentality and I would stop using the expression to avoid any implication of party hunting. Just sayin.


How about just worrying about yourself and your own hunting ethics and group expectations and not try to tell other people what to do, how to hunt or how to phrase things. As long as there aren't too many birds at the end of the day and everyone in the group is on the same page as to what's going on, there isn't a problem. Stop trying to tell others how your opinion and ethics are the only way to go.

As for us, we shot a 3 man limit on Saturday and a 3 man limit on Sunday. Everyone shot at ducks as they came in. We didn't take turns, we all shot at the flocks at the same time and had a great time doing it. Until you can point out where it says party hunting DUCKS and GEESE is illegal in the Utah proclamation, shut up. I'm getting real tired of hearing how only the way you do things is the best way.


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## fish-n-fool (May 26, 2009)

I'm happy to set my gun down after shooting a limit of big ducks.( I'm Picky) If I know I have my limit I'm done.

I will keep using the term Man Limit because I always have. I am not going to change it because you feel it is a bad thing. All it is to me is the three guys I hunted with for the day all shot there limits or a couple didn't shoot so well and we were a little shy of a three man limit. 

Good hunting to all you guys and have a party while you hunt it's always fun to share the experience with others. 

fnf


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## BPturkeys (Sep 13, 2007)

Sorry there Tines, didn't mean to upset you. But, my opinions are as welcome or unwelcome here as anyone's...so...no, I won't "shut up" just 'cause you don't like what I say or my opinions.

I do know that the law does prescribe how many birds a hunter can take a day, it doesn't say anything about how many birds your "group" can take per day, which is exactly what the phrase "daily man limit" implies. 

You can get as mad at me as you wish, or try and get around the law about party hunting on some semantics bases, but when push comes to shove, for an individual to shoot more birds than his daily limit is both illegal and unethical.


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## caddis8 (Sep 10, 2007)

Tall Tines said:


> How about just worrying about yourself and your own hunting ethics and group expectations and not try to tell other people what to do, how to hunt or how to phrase things. As long as there aren't too many birds at the end of the day and everyone in the group is on the same page as to what's going on, there isn't a problem. Stop trying to tell others how your opinion and ethics are the only way to go.
> 
> As for us, we shot a 3 man limit on Saturday and a 3 man limit on Sunday. Everyone shot at ducks as they came in. We didn't take turns, we all shot at the flocks at the same time and had a great time doing it. Until you can point out where it says party hunting DUCKS and GEESE is illegal in the Utah proclamation, shut up. I'm getting real tired of hearing how only the way you do things is the best way.


Healthy debate here. I didn't see it as an attack at you. He has an opinion, so do you, and that's ok. I don't think both are wrong.

So if you're hunting with your kid and there's just the two of you, and you have your limit, do you keep shooting and knock your kids limit down just to get the limit? Do you let him miss and miss and miss? I can see that one both ways. Want to keep the kid confident and having fun and feel successful so they keep coming back. But a lot of beginners aren't great shots. I know I've killed several birds that my kid has shot at and he said he got it and I said abosolutely you did. I haven't ever limited out with him around (because its about the time and experience not the number) so we haven't had to worry about it.


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## robiland (Jan 20, 2008)

Its been explained a few times here clearly. And I agree with what Fowlmouth has said.

However, 2 or 3 years ago we were hunting some private fields in Idaho when we had 3 legal hunters. IN the afternoon we were at 11 of 12 birds. Just then a huge flock of geese came by and we they were working us when a a DWR officer pulls up and walks out to the middle of the field where we were and stopped us. Then he said OOOPS, sorry, didnt see the geese working you guys. Like Hell, we had about 30-40 birds working us. How can he not see or hear them. Any ways, he came over and asked to out guns, shells, licences, stamps, signatures, and our birds. When he saw that we had 11, he asked who is the only one shooting and which birds belonged to who. We explained that there were a few that were tag teamed and he said he didnt care, someone claim the bird and 2 of 3 guns must be unloaded. After a small discussion with the officer, he went back out to truck and watched us. So finally we just packed up. He had his truck parked about 100 yards away from us. We had our truck about 150-200 yards away. The geese quit coming to that spot since he was too close.


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## Clarq (Jul 21, 2011)

Tall Tines said:


> Until you can point out where it says party hunting DUCKS and GEESE is illegal in the Utah proclamation, shut up. I'm getting real tired of hearing how only the way you do things is the best way.


How about a deal?

I will point out exactly where the proclamation says it's illegal to party hunt ducks and geese IF you promise before God and the UWN general membership that you will hunt in accordance to the law (a.k.a. stop party hunting).

Sound good?


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## pdogger (Nov 12, 2008)

Here is the way I see it. Seems pretty straight forward to me.

From the Waterfowl "Guide book"

This guidebook summarizes Utah’s waterfowl hunting laws and rules. Although it is a convenient quick-reference document for Utah’s waterfowl regulations, it is not an all-encompassing resource. For an in-depth look at the state’s waterfowl hunting laws and rules, visit wildlife.utah.gov/rules.
You can use the references in the guide - book—such as Utah Code § 23-20-3 and Utah Admin. Rule R657-9-6—to search the Division’s website for the detailed statute or rule that underpins the guidebook summary.

Then from Utah Administrative Code R657-9-2. Definitions

(d) "Daily Bag Limit" means the maximum number of migratory game birds of a single species or combination (aggregate) of species permitted to be taken by one person in any one day during the open season in any one specified geographic area for which a daily bag limit is prescribed.

Seems pretty clear if any one person shoots more then their daily limit they are breaking the Law


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## Springville Shooter (Oct 15, 2010)

The guys I hunt with will give you endless crap for shooting a hen, so maybe a five man limit just means that they shot a bunch of drakes? I shot a hen once and got called a 'girl killer'------SS


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## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

I guess I am trying to figure out what else you would call a "man limit"? Maybe something like individual limit. "We all shot our individual limit while party hunting as a group". "F" that I'm just going to keep calling it a "man limit" Everything else in this world has to be politically correct, I won't bring political correctness into hunting. Oh BTW did you hear the Boy Scouts are now allowing girls to join?:-? All of this political correctness has turned us into a bunch of soft pussies.


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## LostLouisianian (Oct 11, 2010)

^ +1 what he said


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## SCtransplant (Jul 31, 2015)

The best are the groups of 10 who post up shooting a 3 man limit. Kill em Bo!


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## utahbigbull (May 9, 2012)

Fowlmouth said:


> I guess I am trying to figure out what else you would call a "man limit"? Maybe something like individual limit. "We all shot our individual limit while party hunting as a group". "F" that I'm just going to keep calling it a "man limit" Everything else in this world has to be politically correct, I won't bring political correctness into hunting. Oh BTW did you hear the Boy Scouts are now allowing girls to join?:-? All of this political correctness has turned us into a bunch of soft pussies.


I feel discriminated against just like all other millennials do, and it's because of your comment Rob... Thanks.....


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## utahbigbull (May 9, 2012)

Like fowl said, you have 5 guys shooting at the huge Utah flocks of two / three geese?? Rarely can you say "I GOT THAT ONE AND THAT ONE, YOU SUCK AND MISSED, HA HA SUCKA!!".. I have taken guys out that we have had to dig out pellets because someone was using blind side and they SWORE they shot it, and had to see if the shot was a ball or hex to prove it. Guess what, it was round! Makes for some good arguments among friends, especially when there is jewelry involved. 

I have a pretty easy solution whether I take just my son or other as well on our goose shoots. "X" amount of guys in the field, watch them work the decs, shoot em in the lips when they come in, spread em equally by each blind after they drop. Keep shooting and have fun! If we ever get close to the x man limit, I let my boy finish the limit off...


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## LostLouisianian (Oct 11, 2010)

Well on Saturday we had two teal come over. My grandson and I shot, I thought my son had shot too but he didn't. We knocked down both teal and my grandson turned to me and said good shooting oldie. Heck I didn't even know I had knocked one down and I asked him how did he know I had killed one. He said it was easy because he was shooting at the other one the whole time. So I guess I got one after all without even realizing I was shooting at it. Go figger.


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## JC HUNTER (May 18, 2015)

I really don't have a dog in this fight as I've never been duck hunting before. Also I don't want to hijack this thread but reading these comments got me thinking. All of the people on here against "party" hunting....do you have the same stance when it comes to fishing? If you are fishing with your son and you can each posses 3 fish, do you put your rod away once you've caught 3 fish and he hasn't caught anything? I understand that you can catch and release, but what if you have a big family and need more than 3 fish to feed the whole family. Do you just go home with 3 because your son couldn't catch anything?


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## BPturkeys (Sep 13, 2007)

Seems my work is about done here. Turned out to be a pretty good discussion. Now maybe we can move on to "distant challenged shots"


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## utahbigbull (May 9, 2012)

JC HUNTER said:


> I really don't have a dog in this fight as I've never been duck hunting before. Also I don't want to hijack this thread but reading these comments got me thinking. All of the people on here against "party" hunting....do you have the same stance when it comes to fishing? If you are fishing with your son and you can each posses 3 fish, do you put your rod away once you've caught 3 fish and he hasn't caught anything? I understand that you can catch and release, but what if you have a big family and need more than 3 fish to feed the whole family. Do you just go home with 3 because your son couldn't catch anything?


Or if you have each caught one fish, and the big daddy trout in the pond swallows BOTH of your lures at the same time, how do you say who really caught it??


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## Shadow Man (Feb 22, 2017)

I think we could debate this topic all day, in the end it all comes down to "ethics" what one person believes is good and right someone else is under the opinion that it's wrong. In my mind, theres no gray area, if you read and understand the laws your done hunting when you've shot your 7, I for one keep pretty close tabs on the birds I shoot but I also know guys who think their limit isn't reached til they have birds in hand


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

JC HUNTER said:


> I really don't have a dog in this fight as I've never been duck hunting before. Also I don't want to hijack this thread but reading these comments got me thinking. All of the people on here against "party" hunting....do you have the same stance when it comes to fishing? If you are fishing with your son and you can each posses 3 fish, do you put your rod away once you've caught 3 fish and he hasn't caught anything? I understand that you can catch and release, but what if you have a big family and need more than 3 fish to feed the whole family. Do you just go home with 3 because your son couldn't catch anything?


Yes


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## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

I think we all agree on not going over the limit. I think we disagree on what we are supposed to call that limit. It's a tricky thing, but like Clarq and others mentioned when group hunting someone has to claim the bird and add it toward their limit. I don't see anything wrong with this when there is no way to know who shot the bird. Also, if you have 5 guys in your group and you need two more birds to finish limits, then 3 guns had better be empty or cased. I think we all agree on that. I'm still going to call it a "X man limit" 

We could take this one step further and ask "Do you claim cripples as part of your limit"? I do, I just add them to my other 7.:mrgreen: J/K!!!! We don't lose too many, but it happens from time to time. I was selected to do the waterfowl survey (waterfowl hunting record) again this year, and I really hope I don't have to mark the box "birds down but lost" with more than a handful. Zero would be better.


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## Springville Shooter (Oct 15, 2010)

BPturkeys said:


> Seems my work is about done here. Turned out to be a pretty good discussion. Now maybe we can move on to "distant challenged shots"


Lets talk about those no good, spoiled, snot-nosed youth hunters......


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## quackaddict35 (Sep 25, 2015)

Cazador said:


> You say that party hunting isn't legal, so I'm curious where in the waterfowl proclamation does it say that you can't party hunt? I know that in the Big game proclamation it specifically calls out that party hunting is not allowed, but I could not find anything in the waterfowl proclamation about it, so in my mind it is not a prohibited behavior for waterfowl hunting. The same way that it specifically calls out in the waterfowl proclamation that baiting isn't allowed, but in the big game proclamation baiting isn't mentioned at all, and therefore is an acceptable way to hunt big game.


It says it pretty simply.

7 ducks; per person, per day

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

JC HUNTER said:


> I really don't have a dog in this fight as I've never been duck hunting before. Also I don't want to hijack this thread but reading these comments got me thinking. All of the people on here against "party" hunting....do you have the same stance when it comes to fishing? If you are fishing with your son and you can each posses 3 fish, do you put your rod away once you've caught 3 fish and he hasn't caught anything? I understand that you can catch and release, but what if you have a big family and need more than 3 fish to feed the whole family. Do you just go home with 3 because your son couldn't catch anything?


IDK about anyone else but I start handing poles with fish on to anyone who hasn't caught a fish yet. Law doesn't specify who owns what pole, only how many fish a person keeps. I want everyone to get at least one fish in a trip.

-DallanC


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

DallanC said:


> IDK about anyone else but I start handing poles with fish on to anyone who hasn't caught a fish yet. Law doesn't specify who owns what pole, only how many fish a person keeps. I want everyone to get at least one fish in a trip.
> 
> -DallanC


I've been known to let all the kids catch the fish even if it is on my pole.

I have even gotten to the point that I'll let the kids shoot the deer and elk before I even think of pulling the trigger.

Then once the kids are done I'll either keep fishing if we need more fish or go hunting for my deer or elk. The same way with ducks and geese.

But I often wonder if we really need to keep shooting just because the law says that our limit is XX. I like fresh meat and prefer not to freeze it and forget it like a lot of people do. But on deer and elk you do need to freeze it but not ducks, geese, and fish. But I have relatives that have freezers full of all of the above and still go hunting for more. They actually throw away more than a lot of people shoot.


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## LostLouisianian (Oct 11, 2010)

Fowlmouth said:


> I think we all agree on not going over the limit. I think we disagree on what we are supposed to call that limit. It's a tricky thing, but like Clarq and others mentioned when group hunting someone has to claim the bird and add it toward their limit. I don't see anything wrong with this when there is no way to know who shot the bird. Also, if you have 5 guys in your group and you need two more birds to finish limits, then 3 guns had better be empty or cased. I think we all agree on that. I'm still going to call it a "X man limit"
> 
> We could take this one step further and ask "Do you claim cripples as part of your limit"? I do, I just add them to my other 7.:mrgreen: J/K!!!! We don't lose too many, but it happens from time to time. I was selected to do the waterfowl survey (waterfowl hunting record) again this year, and I really hope I don't have to mark the box "birds down but lost" with more than a handful. Zero would be better.


Yep we always count a lost cripple as a bird in the bag for our limit. If we lose one then that's a bird less we can take home. Last year on youth day that happened. We couldn't find a cripple despite looking for half an hour. We left out with 1 less than the limit then told the fish cops we had a limit. He counted and said you're one short...my grandson told him we lost a cripple and counted it as a killed bird thus he had his limit. Fish cop acted shocked! Was a little agitated that he didn't tell my grandson that he did the right thing and congratulate him on his hunting ethics.


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## JC HUNTER (May 18, 2015)

Critter said:


> I've been known to let all the kids catch the fish even if it is on my pole.


That's the way it should be. Nothing will get a kid hooked on fishing faster than catching fish. (no pun intended ) 
Like I said, I don't really have an opinion because I don't hunt ducks and I don't keep fish for that matter. I was more curious to see if those that held a stance against "party" hunting also held the same stance when it came to fishing. It's unfortunate, but I think our ethics and morals can change between the animals we are pursuing.


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## paddler (Jul 17, 2009)

Tall Tines said:


> Do real men also use a canoe to get to their duck spots? Motor boats are for girls, right?


Duh.;-) Actually, real men tow their canoe with their bikes for an hour before launching into a motorless pond, or walk in, or bike in. But yeah, motor boats really are for girls. Just like party hunting.


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## Tall Tines (Apr 16, 2017)

paddler said:


> Duh.;-) Actually, real men tow their canoe with their bikes for an hour before launching into a motorless pond, or walk in, or bike in. But yeah, motor boats really are for girls. Just like party hunting.


It would be interesting to know how many dollars were used, from duck boat owners/duck hunters in favor of duck boats, to build this motorless unit you're talking about... I'll bet its quite a bit


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## Dunkem (May 8, 2012)

Tall Tines said:


> How about just worrying about yourself and your own hunting ethics and group expectations and not try to tell other people what to do, how to hunt or how to phrase things. As long as there aren't too many birds at the end of the day and everyone in the group is on the same page as to what's going on, there isn't a problem. Stop trying to tell others how your opinion and ethics are the only way to go.
> 
> As for us, we shot a 3 man limit on Saturday and a 3 man limit on Sunday. Everyone shot at ducks as they came in. We didn't take turns, we all shot at the flocks at the same time and had a great time doing it. Until you can point out where it says party hunting DUCKS and GEESE is illegal in the Utah proclamation, shut up. I'm getting real tired of hearing how only the way you do things is the best way.


So T.T what you are saying is that you guys got your limit-- good thats better than I did. Did you yourself or any one in your party shoot more than 7 ducks? If you did were you breaking the law according to the proclamation?


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## dubob (Sep 8, 2007)

*My last word on this thread - *

Ethics seeks to resolve questions of human morality by defining concepts such as good and evil, right and wrong, virtue and vice, justice and crime. Each individual will define it based on their upbringing, education, and life experiences. What may be unethical for one could be totally ethical for another. We cannot say with certainty what is unethical behavior for anyone but ourselves.

However, we can determine what the law says and with certainty establish for one and all that which is illegal. In the case of waterfowl hunting, it IS illegal for any individual to shoot more than a legal limit of waterfowl. Period!

Hunt with as many others as you deem appropriate. But each bird shot MUST be claimed by only one individual and added to that individuals daily limit. Period!

When any individual reaches his/her legal limit, then their gun should be unloaded and remain so for the duration of that hunt. That is what the law says and every Conservation Officer I know knows that to be the case and will cite you if they catch you violating that law.

As to what you call the result of a day in the field, that is entirely up to you. My statement is usually this: "We shot our limits today (yesterday, last week, etc.)." If you prefer to say, "we shot a 5-man limit", I'm absolutely okay with that. I would not judge you or even think that you were party hunting and some shot more than their limit while others shot less. I would congratulate you on having a very successful hunt.

I said earlier that party hunting was both illegal and unethical. It is unethical for me. You may see it differently. But there is only ONE way to see the legal issue and that would be the fact that it IS illegal.

And to the side question of lost birds, I do in fact count them towards my daily limit and record them in my logs. For ME, it is the ethical thing to do. But I don't judge others as unethical if they don't include lost birds in their limit. That is entirely a personal choice.

I am NOT telling anybody on here that their opinion or ethics are wrong. Each of us is entitled to have our own opinions and ethics. Just because I or you disagree with anothers views isn't justification for calling that person out in a derogatory manner. If you disagree, say so and let it go. There is no reason in the world to grind it into the ground and lose sleep over it. Life is too short and there are way too many birds to pursue - legally of course.

Are we having fun yet? OOO°)OO


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## Longgun (Sep 7, 2007)

paddler said:


> It's neither legal or ethical to party hunt. So yes, each bird must be claimed by the shooter at the time it's shot. When you finish your limit, unload your gun and pick up your camera. X-man limits don't exist, individual limits exist. Real men shoot their *own* birds. Period.


Theoretically speaking then in your world of real men: say if a flock of 27 teal buzz the blocks, two shooters stand and fire, the birds flare erratically going nearly 27 different directions but six are miraculously killed instantly (see real men shoot perfectly, esp given its a three shot variant of shotgun) stone dead but three more drop out a short while later while flying off due to errant bb's doing what they do many times, whom picks up what bird(s)?


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

I have often wondered what would happen if lets say that there are 5 shooters and a flock of geese fly over and with those 5 shooters there are at minimum 3 limits and they all start blasting away at the flock of geese while a DOW officer is watching them. 

Now when the DOW officer comes over to them and asks them what was going on, do they say that they were just working on the "man limit" where they needed a few more geese for all 5 to limit out? 

It isn't like fishing where you can keep fishing after you have your limit while you are releasing the ones that you catch that are over the limit.


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## paddler (Jul 17, 2009)

Longgun said:


> Theoretically speaking then in your world of real men: say if a flock of 27 teal buzz the blocks, two shooters stand and fire, the birds flare erratically going nearly 27 different directions but six are miraculously killed instantly (see real men shoot perfectly, esp given its a three shot variant of shotgun) stone dead but three more drop out a short while later while flying off due to errant bb's doing what they do many times, whom picks up what bird(s)?


That's an easy one. All the birds are reduced to possession, the two shooters decide how many each killed and place them next to themselves in separate piles. If one shooter finishes his limits first, he unloads his gun and the other continues to hunt.

Your question does raise a potential dilemma. however. I needed one more bird to finish my limit out on FB one day when a flock of GWT came by. I shot and killed a drake, but a hen that was quite a ways beyond the drake also fell. So, the question was, do I pick up the hen, thereby exceeding my limit, or leave it and not risk a ticket? A situation where one could say ethics and legality are in conflict. I thought the ethical thing to do was to pick up the hen and risk a ticket, and did so. I didn't report myself.


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## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

Critter said:


> I have often wondered what would happen if lets say that there are 5 shooters and a flock of geese fly over and with those 5 shooters there are at minimum 3 limits and they all start blasting away at the flock of geese while a DOW officer is watching them.
> 
> Now when the DOW officer comes over to them and asks them what was going on, do they say that they were just working on the "man limit" where they needed a few more geese for all 5 to limit out?
> 
> It isn't like fishing where you can keep fishing after you have your limit while you are releasing the ones that you catch that are over the limit.


Let's say a group of 5 needs 3 more birds to finish a 5 man limit, then 2 out of the 5 need to have their guns empty or cased. Only 3 shooters should be hunting at this time. Yes, the CO's will give tickets if all 5 are shooting. At this point it is Party Hunting, not group hunting.


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## paddler (Jul 17, 2009)

Critter said:


> I have often wondered what would happen if lets say that there are 5 shooters and a flock of geese fly over and with those 5 shooters there are at minimum 3 limits and they all start blasting away at the flock of geese while a DOW officer is watching them.
> 
> Now when the DOW officer comes over to them and asks them what was going on, do they say that they were just working on the "man limit" where they needed a few more geese for all 5 to limit out?
> 
> It isn't like fishing where you can keep fishing after you have your limit while you are releasing the ones that you catch that are over the limit.


It's okay for all 5 shooters to shoot so long as none of them have already killed their limit. The officer will likely check each shooters pile of birds to ensure this is so. If any of the hunters fired while having their limit next to them, they would be fined. If all the bird were in one pile, that's also a violation unless each bird was marked by the hunter who killed it.

As an aside, every hunter should have the local LEO's cell number in their phone and call in violations. Every time I've call they're very appreciative and do all in their power to follow up.


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## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

But since the DWR's CO's NEVER leave the comfort of their warm vehicles, nobody has to worry about getting checked. 

I have been checked in a goose field one time.
I have been checked in the parking lots of WMA's multiple times. Now I want to start a new thread about our CO's and how they could write a lot more tickets.


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

Fowlmouth said:


> But since the DWR's CO's NEVER leave the comfort of their warm vehicles, nobody has to worry about getting checked.
> 
> I have been checked in a goose field one time.
> I have been checked in the parking lots of WMA's multiple times. Now I want to start a new thread about our CO's and how they could write a lot more tickets.


A little bit off subject but as a lot of you know I live in Colorado. This last spring I was fishing at Palisade State Park just off of a boat dock. A couple of Utah's finest DOW officers came up and started to move a dock right next to where I was standing. I kind of made it a point that I was a non resident just wondering if either of them would ask for my license. After half a hour I gave up. Neither one of them even hinted that they would like to look at my license.

Now here in Colorado if you even look like you are going to tie a hook on a fishing line inside of a State Park they will check you. You can almost bet money on it.


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

Tall Tines said:


> Do real men also use a canoe to get to their duck spots? Motor boats are for girls, right?


That's right, thank you.

Real men walk, in blue jeans, no dog.

Boy it's hard to get the top of the page today.

.


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## JerryH (Jun 17, 2014)

Would 7 Spoonies be a man limit? Or a junkyard limit?

Sorry I just couldn't help myself lol


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## paddler (Jul 17, 2009)

JerryH said:


> Would 7 Spoonies be a man limit? Or a junkyard limit?
> 
> Sorry I just couldn't help myself lol


It would be a waste of bullets.


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## dubob (Sep 8, 2007)

paddler said:


> It would be a waste of bullets.


And since the only LEGAL weapons for taking waterfowl are any of the following: A shotgun no larger than 10 gauge, A crossbow, or Archery equipment, including a draw lock. Using bullets (usually fired from a rifle or pistol) would be a big no no.

Sorry, I just couldn't let that one slide by.


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## dkhntrdstn (Sep 7, 2007)

lol this some funny stuff.


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## Jedidiah (Oct 10, 2014)

Just my two cents, but I've shot a wounded duck after the guy I'm hunting with wings one. That "I shoot mine, you shoot yours" doesn't really apply in waterfowl hunting because everyone wounds ducks. If you told me you never wound birds and have them get away from you I'm just not going to believe it. In that case the rule is, last guy to shoot the bird gets the bird. By the way the proclamation DOES say one hunter can give another hunter birds as long as they are tagged by the first hunter with their name, address, license number, etc. It does not specify that the birds have to be transferred at a specific location.


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## BPturkeys (Sep 13, 2007)

Jedidiah said:


> Just my two cents, but I've shot a wounded duck after the guy I'm hunting with wings one. That "I shoot mine, you shoot yours" doesn't really apply in waterfowl hunting because everyone wounds ducks. If you told me you never wound birds and have them get away from you I'm just not going to believe it. In that case the rule is, last guy to shoot the bird gets the bird. By the way the proclamation DOES say one hunter can give another hunter birds as long as they are tagged by the first hunter with their name, address, license number, etc. It does not specify that the birds have to be transferred at a specific location.


Your "yours and mine" method works fine as long as you stop shooting when the "mine" pile reaches the daily bag limit.

Yes, you can transfer procession to other people...not sure how that applies to the discussion about daily bag limit.

The State proc and Fed. regs state you can only take one daily bag limit per day. If you transfer your entire limit to another hunter or person doesn't mean you get to start over for the day.


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

I use to hunt the goose pits in southern Illinois with a bunch of crazies, one of which was legally blind. We'll call him Larry.

Larry couldn't tell a Canadian Goose from a Blue Heron but he'd shoot at both of them if they come into our spread. He could see silhouettes and his hearing was fine, that was about it.

Larry claimed each and every dead goose and duck until he had his limit. Sometimes he'd just keep on shooting so we would throw dirt clods or empty shell boxes with dirt clods in them up in the air and he would shoot at them while we all tooted on our duck and goose calls. The shell boxes made a cool "plop" sound when they hit the water. We'd even send a more than willing Black Lab out to "retrieve" them.

It was great fun. Larry didn't hit many of the dirt clods either but by the end of the day Larry claimed he shot most of the "birds" we harvested. There was always a lively debate over the total number of harvested birds we had. To Larry it just didn't add up; we should have been over the limit by his count.

.


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## shaner (Nov 30, 2007)

I wish manufacturers could add color to their pellets. Each shooter would buy a different color and then 'CSI' any bird that was questionably claimed. Think of the arguing that could be stopped when a banded bird is brought to hand.
The only other band that causes as much arguing is a wedding band.


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

shaner said:


> I wish manufacturers could add color to their pellets. Each shooter would buy a different color and then 'CSI' any bird that was questionably claimed. Think of the arguing that could be stopped when a banded bird is brought to hand.
> The only other band that causes as much arguing is a wedding band.


Micro chip the pellets.


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## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

shaner said:


> I wish manufacturers could add color to their pellets. Each shooter would buy a different color and then 'CSI' any bird that was questionably claimed. Think of the arguing that could be stopped when a banded bird is brought to hand.
> The only other band that causes as much arguing is a wedding band.


Well here you go.

https://www.spectrashot.com/


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## Clarq (Jul 21, 2011)

shaner said:


> I wish manufacturers could add color to their pellets. Each shooter would buy a different color and then 'CSI' any bird that was questionably claimed. Think of the arguing that could be stopped when a banded bird is brought to hand.
> The only other band that causes as much arguing is a wedding band.


Ever heard of Spectra Shot?

https://www.spectrashot.com/product-p/waterfowl.htm

I've never tried it. But then again, I've never argued over a band either.


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## Clarq (Jul 21, 2011)

Looks like someone beat me to it. You know what they say about great minds...


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## shaner (Nov 30, 2007)

Cool, I did not know about Spectra.
I hunt mostly on my own but may try this just for fun.


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## Longgun (Sep 7, 2007)

paddler said:


> Duh.;-) Actually, real men tow their canoe with their bikes for an hour before launching into a motorless pond, or walk in, or bike in. But yeah, motor boats really are for girls. Just like party hunting.


The ones you requested have boat ramps built on right? -/O_-


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## dubob (Sep 8, 2007)

shaner said:


> I wish manufacturers could add color to their pellets.


That product already exists. It's called 'Spectra Shot.' Oops, I see the link to it has already been noted above.


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## dubob (Sep 8, 2007)

Jedidiah said:


> That "I shoot mine, you shoot yours" doesn't really apply in waterfowl hunting because everyone wounds ducks.


When you get beyond the attitude that taking home less than a full limit of birds is sacrilege, then the answer to wounded birds is simple. Include each and every wounded bird in your daily bag limit. Even when 3 or more shooters blaze away at wounded ducks, SOME of them are going to be lost. Life's a female dog, and then you die.

I ALWAYS include wounded and killed but lost birds in my daily bag limit. Do you? If you don't, I make no judgement of you. And to the best of my limited knowledge, I don't think you would receive a citation for an over limit if you don't. But for me, it is the right thing to do.


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