Got my first today!

[Jimbo]

Good going on the first duck !! The more species of ducks you knock down, the more you will recognize in the future.

[Dirty]

- There is an 8/day limit on DUCKS.
- There is no *requirement* to learn about identifying ducks other than those with special regulations.

This is another ignorant comment. You need to identify your target before pulling the trigger, simple as that. How the hell are you going to know which ones you can and can't shoot if you can't identify any of them? How long does it take to sit down and familiarize yourself with the regulations and species of ducks, not long. This guy even admits to not being able to identify the ducks when they are flying by. Seriously, get your act together, I have no sympathy for people that remain ignorant because they are too lazy or too stupid to read the regulations before they go hunting. This is something that plagues fishing and hunting, and it needs to stop.

Would you guys be as tolerant if he posted a dead grizzly bear and said he shot his first cinnamon black bear? It is not f'in different.

Message and point --> Read the regulations before going hunting and learn to identify what you can and can't shoot.

[PGK]

You must have taken your CORE many moons ago as the Migratory Birds section has been mandatory for at least 25 yrs or so!

11yrs ago. Migratory was all supplemental.

[PGK]

This is another ignorant comment. You need to identify your target before pulling the trigger, simple as that. How the hell are you going to know which ones you can and can't shoot if you can't identify any of them? How long does it take to sit down and familiarize yourself with the regulations and species of ducks, not long. This guy even admits to not being able to identify the ducks when they are flying by. Seriously, get your act together, I have no sympathy for people that remain ignorant because they are too lazy or too stupid to read the regulations before they go hunting. This is something that plagues fishing and hunting, and it needs to stop.

Would you guys be as tolerant if he posted a dead grizzly bear and said he shot his first cinnamon black bear? It is not f'in different.

Message and point --> Read the regulations before going hunting and learn to identify what you can and can't shoot.

So if I took you duck hunting tomorrow, you would be able to tell the difference between a drake bufflehead in eclipse plumage and a drake goldeneye in the same at 40y?

Nobody is perfect. We have a limit of 8 ducks. If and when I shoot the limit for a restricted species, I'll likely stop hunting or shoot only at single birds I can distinguish perfectly, which is next to impossible on a fast flying duck in eclipse plumage at 40y. Get over yourself

[Dirty]

So if I took you duck hunting tomorrow, you would be able to tell the difference between a drake bufflehead in eclipse plumage and a drake goldeneye in the same at 40y?

Nobody is perfect. We have a limit of 8 ducks. If and when I shoot the limit for a restricted species, I'll likely stop hunting or shoot only at single birds I can distinguish perfectly, which is next to impossible on a fast flying duck in eclipse plumage at 40y. Get over yourself

Oh PGK, you should know that is impossible. However, can you tell the difference between a Mallard, Widgeon, Wood Duck, Gadwall, Pintail, Teal, and etc.? It is pretty darn easy. Get a set of dekes and call them in. If you can't tell the difference, you'd better call Bubbles and tell him to bring you a set of shades.

[PGK]

You do realize that for half the year all the species of duck you listed are pretty much brown and grey, right? They aren't all nice happy pictures of full plumage birds. Get over yourself man.

And if you figure it's impossible, you shouldn't ever hunt waterfowl

[bullmagnum]

WTF. Seriously, Dirty, Your argument just sucks. If this fella was posting a pic of his 3rd or 5th ducks of the day...then your comments would be justified. However, this was his first and only duck of the day (to our knowledge)...Therefore, as long as all ducks are open, then shooting at the first one you see is perfectly acceptable; is it not? I thought so. Chill out and let a guy enjoy his duck!

[Dano]

Firtst off, congratulations James. That's a nice pintail drake!

Secondly, if you guys want to talk about bird ID and how easy or difficult it is, that's fine. If you want to comment "I have no sympathy for people that remain ignorant because they are too lazy or too stupid to read the regulations before they go hunting", don't bother to post. You don't know what the circumstances were or when a guy ID's a duck. Like was mentioned, they are hard to ID as they are in various stages of plumage. Very few species are closed, but you need to know what is closed and what a grebe, loon, and other protected species are and where they are found.

A simple post like this would have got the point across without being condecending:
" Nice going James. It's a Pintail drake. You are allowed 4 pintail a day in B.C.. When in flight, they have a long slender neck compared to most ducks, easy to ID when you have seen a lot of birds.
You will have to brush up on your migratory bird ID if you want to stay out of trouble with limits and species not open to hunting. Get out to the refuge and parks in the off season and watch how species look when in flight and how they fly. Keep your shots to what you can positively ID as a legal species even if you can't tell if it's a widgeon, pintail, or mallard (they fly and look basically the same until you differentiate size, neck and color as they get close). Take the time to study the species and you will be fine."
Dan
P.S. I'll leave your previous posts up but I'll delete them all and any new ones of a negitive nature if more are posted. Use PM's to trade barbs with each other if you need to do so.

[shotgunjohn]

Nice bird. It took me about ten years to get my first pintail in full colors. As for birds on the wing yes I think I can pretty much tell what they are at 40 yards but I've had 35 years of experience duck hunting. I think the important thing is that you care enough to find out what each bird is and actually try to learn there characteristics in flight. I had a new hunter out a few weeks ago and she shot a wood duck hen. She felt bad when I told her what it was and then wanted to now how I knew before the dog retreived the bird. I explained to her, first of all, no shame for shooting what was a legal bird, and secondly how I knew what it was. Fact is she made a heck of a shot and learned a lot about duck I.D. all at the same time.

[Dirty]

Okay enough banter going on here. I am going to do something productive. Here is something that all duck hunters could use to brush up on identification skills. My case and point is that we as hunters have a responsibility to know the regulations and know how to distinguish the species that are involved with these regulations. It is part of being a responsible hunter. Ignorance is not an excuse and is not acceptable.

http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/b...x.htm#contents