Claiming Birds

This forum seems to be getting heated, so on a lighter note. I was just wondering how many of you guys get in friendly arguments with your hunting partners on who "actually killed that duck"?

To me this is one of the things I like about duck hunting the most is the little arguments in the blind between good friends about who gets the rightful claim to a killed duck. Normally everybody knows who really killed the duck but some of my favorite statements are:

"That duck was dead long before you ever shot"

"Well you haven't been able to hit anything all morning so we all know you couldn't possibly of hit it"

"I hit him last so I technically killed him"

And the duck no one wants to claim:

"Since you have been such a good shot all morning and killed that spoon bill you go pick him up"

And the guy that shoots at a group that has one pass left hears about it for at least two more weeks no matter if they didn't really have one more pass left.

I am sure some internet GW will come on here stating you are suppose to keep track of your own birds, and kill your own limit, blah, blah, blah. We know the law and never break it.

Well now if it is my brother then I always claim I killed the greenhead, whether I shoot or not. I just like pissin him off. If it is anyone else I hope they claim it as I will be shooting another right behind it. The more they claim the more I get to shoot.

There is a simple way to stop all that. first birds in you shoot second birds in I shoot third you shoot fourth I shoot. You better be shooting straight because your going to get a ribbin if you whiff the shot in front of everyone.

We normally hunt with 3-4 people so we go in order if the hunting is good enough. One person shoots first and then if he misses it goes down the line and alternate who shoots first. If your first you better hit or your all the talk until the next group.

I don't argue with them. If you claim it...it's yours. More shooting for me.

definitely have those arguments all the time, but only with one group of guys i go with. everyone else i hunt with is pretty good about it. it ALWAYS ends in us saying "okay, next time you shoot first. then i'll take my turn..." and no one ever follows the rules. we all shoot and then it's off to the races with the 'who's bird is it' talk. but it normally ends up with a little wager here and there and that makes it all that much more fun

Most of the cats I hunt with can't hit chit. Most of the time their getting a ribbing rather then arguing who killed it.

I love it when a bird is floating over the decoys and somebody misses. I never peed my waders but I come close a few times. Then again I have missed them over the deeks as well. Better be able to take it like you can give it

We always give each other a hard time. When we don't bring the dog and I'm always picking up birds I say " since I picked it up I get to keep the band right?" but we all work equally hard setting up, tearing down, and cleaning birds so we try to split everything as fairly as possible. It works for me and my crew.

I thought this only happened with my friends. Perfect example of this was a couple weeks ago when 6 of us were huntin a pretty large private lake. Ok there were 4 of us on the east end and 2 on the west. I was the only one with a dog so naturally the ducks all get piled up by me. at the close of the hunt I walk down to talk to my buddies on the other end and he tells me by his count they shot 21 between the two of them and then asks how many did yall get? Well we only had 22 birds on the strap so I was like I guess we only shot 1 ( which we all know is BS) All I could do was laugh and walk back to my blind. When we met up to clean birds, between the 4 of us hunting together we cleaned our 1 bird and then laughed as he cried about having to clean all the birds. Guess he should only claim what he wants to clean. (Doubt it)

we used to do that, but now it's kinda becoming a group effort. Last week we had birds coming in from everywhere. We were all shooting, nobody cared who got what. When we get done we split the birds up evenly. We all got out there, put dekes out, called, worked the jerk string, sent the dog, so IMO they're everybody's birds. (This could be because all we've been shooting lately are grey ducks..... )

TexasQuack

A couple of years ago I was hunting with a buddy of mine and he killed a banded mallard. I did not even shoot at the bird but I started claiming it just to fire him up! He was so mad, but I kept saying (in my most soothing voice), "Look it is okay if you want to say that you killed that bird, but I am telling you I am pretty sure that I am the one that shot it..."

It drove him crazy and I was cracking up (when he wasn't looking) - I think that I could call him right now and say it again and he would freak out!!

...hmmmm...I have a phone call to make...

If I pull up on a duck and it hits the water I shot it. End of story. Sometimes they go down without me even pulling the trigger...

this sounds familiar.

Every time I pull the trigger... Something dies!!! Just kidding. BUt I know when I do hit something...

I claim every bird, even when I dont shoot

At times I don't even raise my gun up just to watch someone in our group shoot. Most of the time a verbal lashing follows.

I usually just hunt with my brother. And we have a system that I will shoot(miss) the leading duck in a flock and he'll shoot(miss) the trailing duck.

Unless it's a solo... Then we both get to miss. Lol.

I only make it a point to claim bands!

Garrett made a heck of a triple this year during early teal! It was amazing! Not only that he was shooting an over/under that day!

We could hunt together,...I don't think I have ever killed a duck.

My favorite some one told me once after they missed three shots and I dropped him about 5 seconds later. " man it took a long time for me pellets to get to that bird"

If you claimed to drop it then put it on your strap. When you reach the limit you're done.

We play dodge ball with the ringers so that might be a problem with the strap.

I take Chuck Norris with me, nuff said......

I never have to claim it. Any time I actually down a bird everyone else is passed out from shock.

when ducks start tasting like lobster thats when i will claim all of them

Chuck Norris doesn't have to hunt ducks. Ducks gratefully give their lives to his Excellence...

Oh lord not another Chuck attack!

practicality never wins here, I'm just sayin'

My situation for at least the past 14 seasons is the reverse of most of you fellas. That's when wifey person took up duck hunting with me and the following year our Lab pup, Cappy, joined the family.

Carol is a 1st class skillet shooter and rarely misses on an opportunity ... if the dawg is in the blind with her. However, I had to try to break her of the habit because of more than one dawg hunting with us at times and the dangers associated with that. Can get discouraging for a gal to miss on most in-range in-flight chances so I began playing "back-up" shooter for her. I'd swing on the birds she was on and touch off the instant I heard her shot. Suddenly her shooting improved dramatically and her hitting went from under 25% to well over 66%.

As she became more and more experienced, she began to realize that something wasn't right. She was being congratulated for hits that she was sure she missed on. Here I was debating with her that SHE shot that bird, not ME. This is the only time I can recall her saying ... "I got it, Yep, it was definitely MY shot, MY BIRD!"

^^^^thanks awesome!

-Matt

You mean your supposed to hit the duck.. I thought you were supposed to just scare them into your buddy's shot..

All I know is that I shot the banded one.

Cut the leg and run forest...run