Found extra ducks

[mastercaster]

On Christmas Eve day I went out for a mid morning duck hunt with a couple of buddies. Saw other guys where we wanted to be who were likely there at first light (Dang it) so we drove around for the next hour or so checking out other options. When we came back they had packed up so we decided to go with our original plan and set up there.

While we were setting up the dogs were wandering around in the high grass and brought back three birds (a teal, a widgeon, and a mallard) that the earlier group couldn't find. Maybe they didn't have a dog??

We placed them beside the blind. There were a good number of birds flying and decoying well so we really felt we were going to get our birds. So legally and ethically, what are our options? Can we shoot our legal limits? Or if we didn't want to see these other found birds go to waste, which we didn't, would they count towards our limit? Are we obligated to take these other birds out?

[igojuone]

I don’t think your legally obligated to take the birds but if they were edible I think your morally obligated and I’m sure a CO has heard wilder stories as to why someone has more then their limit so I wouldn’t go over the allowances.

[PressurePoint]

If you so made a decision to take the birds would be considered and counted as your own possession limit.

[fearnodeer]

It is Birds in your possession for sure.

[tigrr]

The only way to shoot your limit is call the CO and give them the found birds. If not those birds are part of your limit.

[Wild one]

The only way to shoot your limit is call the CO and give them the found birds. If not those birds are part of your limit.

this is correct ^^

That is why it’s called a possession limit not shooting limit. Unfortunately dishonest people who poach make it so you have to consider your legal position with everything. Either turn them into a CO and see if they sign them over to you or take them as part of your possession limit

Just think of the amount of dishonest people who would take beyond their limit if it was as simple as say”we found these left by the other guys”. Sucks when you are trying to be honest and ethical but you have to put yourself in a COs boots

[silveragent]

that sucks that they just left them. Here I am agonizing about losing birds and they just leave them! what a waste.

[wideopenthrottle]

i've seen a news story on guys that go out with good dogs and routinely get their limit without ever firing a shot...ill look for a link

[mastercaster]

that sucks that they just left them. Here I am agonizing about losing birds and they just leave them! what a waste.

Pretty sure these guys did not leave them on purpose,,,,well, maybe the teal because that one seemed pretty much in the shorter grass and easy for the dogs to find. The other two were in some of the thickest crap imaginable so I could see how they couldn't find them, especially if they didn't have a good dog.

[Dutch]

i've seen a news story on guys that go out with good dogs and routinely get their limit without ever firing a shot...ill look for a link Used to do that routinely back in the day in Ladner Marsh on opening weekend.Not only 1 limit either several so always were 2 of us.Having a good dog definitely has its plus and minus ,but I would rather take a cripple than leave it to suffer.And even the best dogs and hunters don't get them all.:)

[ACB]

Waterfowl hunting without a good dog is tough, I have seen it so many times where we've wounded a duck that we could of never found without a dog. If you know the general area where the bird has gone down, and you can get to it quickly and get your dog down wind you stand a pretty good chance of finding it. But Dutch is right, sometimes you just don't find them, it's too bad but thats just the way it is. I had an old black female lab, that was unreal at marking birds, she settled an argument between me and a hunting buddy one day. We were jump shooting a creek in the Fraser valley, we jumped a bunch of mallards and I knocked down one one the other side of the creek, and I exclaimed to my friend I got one, he said I got one too and that it on the other side of the creek, I said pardon me that's the bird that I shot. Well, a mild disagreement ensued, as we walked up to where there was a bridge across the creek (about 75 yds. down stream) the dog retrieved the bird that I knock down and the discussion continued. Not noticing her going further up stream and from the tall grass she came out with my buddies bird. Water fowling is tough without a good dog.

[IslandWanderer]

i've seen a news story on guys that go out with good dogs and routinely get their limit without ever firing a shot...ill look for a link

Hopefully the birds haven't been decaying there for a few days.

[wideopenthrottle]

Hopefully the birds haven't been decaying there for a few days.
you can tell pretty easy by looking at the eyes

[IslandWanderer]

you can tell pretty easy by looking at the eyes

Good to know. Do they cloud up or sink in?

[wideopenthrottle]

Good to know. Do they cloud up or sink in?
yes both and in that order...you could try it by keeping some leftover heads to get a feel without too much effort if you are really keen on it

[mastercaster]

Hopefully the birds haven't been decaying there for a few days.

As long as its cold out that probably wouldn't be too much of an issue. Sometimes I don't get the breasts off my ducks until 5 days later when I'm being lazy and they're just fine. Don't think I'd want to gut them, though, that many days later.

[Foxton Gundogs]

Your bag limit is 8 regardless if you kill them or simply recover someone's lost birds. I have put your question to a couple of different COs and they all say if you are over your bag limit you are over your bag limit no matter how you got them. I have taken a limit of pheasants without firing a shot on wet days my Spaniels have "trapped" more birds than I have shot. They still fall in your bag limit

[mastercaster]

Your bag limit is 8 regardless if you kill them or simply recover someone's lost birds. I have put your question to a couple of different COs and they all say if you are over your bag limit you are over your bag limit no matter how you got them. I have taken a limit of pheasants without firing a shot on wet days my Spaniels have "trapped" more birds than I have shot. They still fall in your bag limit

Well, that's exactly what we figured so as soon as we had 24 birds we packed up. Didn't like the fact that a couple were birds we likely wouldn't have ever shot at since there a good number of green heads flying into the decoys but you hate to see any animal/bird's life go to waste.

[Foxton Gundogs]

They say if you didn't shoot them leave them where they lay.

[silveragent]

yea that's what I understood. I didn't want to "claim" the swan and the cormorant that I found out in the swamp this month either. I just left them and mentioned it to the last wildlife officer who checked me.