# Is this the start of a trend...



## sleeri (Oct 9, 2006)

Last year my dad and I headed to ND for some grade A field hunting. We had a blast and plan on returning this year, but we were disturbed by something we saw last year... twice.

After a late lunch on our second day of hunting, we took off from town and went to set up for the evening shoot in a field we had scouted out earlier in the morning (the farmer had been gracious enough to let on his land-couldn't stand all the geese!). On our way there, we noticed a truck slam to a hualt about a half mile or so a head of us. Out jumped two hunters. We slowed down to watch (I know, this is how traffic jams start - sorry about that). Did they go after a rooster in the ditch? No, they were jumping a few mallards sitting on a small pothole. We couldn't believe it. Seemed just a bit like cheating to me. A couple of days later we saw the same thing happen all over again and I'm positive these weren't the same guys.

Is this a new and disturbing trend in the state or is it pretty common?


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## H2OfowlND (Feb 10, 2003)

It's common practice...it's called jumping sloughs/ducks. There is nothing wrong with it, perfectly legal. Drive by a slough, park, sneek back and jump them. We call them "drive by's". Just that with the added pressure in the past few years, it doesn't happen as much where we are at.

H2OfowlND


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## goosehunternd (Mar 10, 2006)

I dont know if it is cheating but there is definetly more fun ways to shoot mallards in my opinion. It bothered you that much you are thinking about not returning? I know I see it all the time when im out but what are you gunna do about it, it's not illegal, your post made it seem like you saw somthing out of a horror movie, its called duck hunting and there is more than one way to get em.


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## taddy1340 (Dec 10, 2004)

My answer/advice to you is that this happens in every state. You may just see it more in the Prairie Pothole Region because of the access...the water is right next to the road. Road hunters (resident and non) exist.

I personally don't agree with it, but it's not illegal as long as they are not trespassing/loaded guns in the truck/etc.

It happens, but no matter the state of the license plate on the vehicle, don't let it allow you to paint everyone with a broad bush.

Good luck on your return hunt!


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## sleeri (Oct 9, 2006)

Great posts! All good points. Not saying it's illegal, it just surprised us a bit. Anyway, I certainly don't intend to let it ruin my experience. We had too much fun last year.


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## averyghg (Oct 16, 2006)

yeah ive seen it more often than not, id rather have people do that in the middle of the day than go and try to shoot all their birds at one spot right away in the morning(shooting the roost)


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## TANATA (Oct 31, 2003)

That's how I started when I was 16. I'm sure most people on here started like that too. Or you're old and too poor/lazy to buy decoys and scout so you shoot 2 in 12 hours doing it that way.


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## USAlx50 (Nov 30, 2004)

Very common... I did it before I had a clue.

One thing not all people may realize is the different gun laws in diff states. In the nanny state (MN) guns must be cased and magazines must be empty in cars, where as in the dakotas guns can be uncased with full magazines. This makes a big difference in jumping out of the truck and shooting. I dont like seeing it very much either but I used to do it before I knew my head from my @ss.


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## Goon (Apr 3, 2005)

goosehunternd said:


> I dont know if it is cheating but there is definetly more fun ways to shoot mallards in my opinion. It bothered you that much you are thinking about not returning? I know I see it all the time when im out but what are you gunna do about it, it's not illegal, your post made it seem like you saw somthing out of a horror movie, its called duck hunting and there is more than one way to get em.


There have been days me and my buddies filed up jumping sloughs...


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## R y a n (Apr 4, 2005)

USAlx50 said:


> Very common... I did it before I had a clue.
> 
> One thing not all people may realize is the different gun laws in diff states. In the nanny state (MN) guns must be cased and magazines must be empty in cars, where as in the dakotas guns can be uncased with full magazines. This makes a big difference in jumping out of the truck and shooting. I dont like seeing it very much either but I used to do it before I knew my head from my @ss.


I'd offer that as others have mentioned, it is a legal method in ND of taking ducks. I'll admit that I occasionally have done this in my past. I don't frown on guys doing it, because I used to live in that glass house. We only jump out to finish out a limit if the bird sitting there is a big greenhead, or a full plume pinnie, or maybe a canvasback bull.

I just like the fact that I have the option in my toolbox of choices if the occasion arises. It's fun to be able to have so many different ways to pursue game. I'd hate if they amended the law to become more restricted. It isn't so much about getting a limit, but rather having lots of options...

I'm also very appreciative being able to have guns on the seat. I think we as sportsmen in ND take that right for granted alot.

Ryan


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## Goon (Apr 3, 2005)

R y a n said:


> USAlx50 said:
> 
> 
> > Very common... I did it before I had a clue.
> ...


Actually if you go to SD there is a good chance you will see someone shoot a rooster without ever gettting out of the vehicle. Most of the ditchs are fair game as far as road hunting goes.

I personally see nothing wrong if your out hunting see some ducks in a slough and go out and jump them as long as your legal. I do hate the fact that there are people that jump slough and leave dead or crippled birds on the water.


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## hammertime (Oct 6, 2005)

this is maybe something not all of us are proud of, but on some of those tough days of hunting, you have to pull it out of the bag of tricks. It is really no different than the several people each year slamming on the brakes to get a shot at a deer or a couple of pheasents, but it sure is more pleasent when people at least park their vehicle off the road and try to semi sneak a slough!! instad of the old jump out and blast off the road which ive seen way too many times (usually thieir license plates have more blue than normal)??


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## scottjes000 (Jan 26, 2007)

jump shooting is actually Quite difficult and I think its more fun to sneak up on ducks than to wait for them to come to you.when I jump shoot I usually end up walking across a few fields, not car hunting as I call it. 
putting that aside I hunt over decoys about 90% of the time

I'm pretty sure the point of duck hunting is to shoot ducks whats wrong with different ways of doing it as long as there legal and offer the game a fair chance.its not like we're shooting ducks on the water

:huh: :2cents:


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## recker (Oct 12, 2003)

I did it when I was younger in South Dakota. It was quite fun for me being from Minnesota and jumping out of the car with a loaded gun. I am past that now and only decoy birds. I am sure alot of people still do it though. I really do not see anything wrong with it as long as you are not shooting at 100 birds size flocks. One of two birds is ok but just do not flock shoot a whole group and educate them.


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## diver_sniper (Sep 6, 2004)

I don't like it. Will I do it? Maybe, if there is someone seriously in need of some meat and the morning hunt didn't go well, I might help.

I didn't read the posts between the top and the bottom, so this may have already been said. But you gotta remember that only a fraction of us waterfowlers like to decoy. There are plenty of people that think we are off our rockers for setting up thousands of dollars worth of equipment in the fields. It may seem weird to find people that like to jump ditches here on this site, but that's only because we are the people serious enough about it to take time out of our days to converse about hunting over the internet. Again, we are only a fraction.

There are lots of people who treat duck hunting like pheasant hunting. Find where they are, walk to them, kick em up, shoot em. Why buy decoys and get up early when you can shoot a limit of ducks pretty easily this way? Well, at least that's what they think.


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## glaciallakeslds (Nov 2, 2005)

Since you mentioned it, I've got a pretty good story from last week. I was out scouting one evening and happened to drive by a big open water WPA and there was a van parked there wit ha couple of guys in waders standing around and being I was alone i figured I'd stop and shoot the $hit. Turns out they were some real hillbilly boys. I asked how they wer doin and they said they had shot two. (and this pond is packed with coot. Im like 90% sure they had to have shot coot...i didnt see the birds though). But heres the real kicker the one guy was wearing hip boots and was wet up to his chest. Man those things must taste good!...haha.

But on a side note I gotta give the guy credit for actually retrieving the birds. I think most people would leave em to stay dry. Which is the biggest reason I dont jump shoot. Gotta have a dog if you;re going to do that. or stick to tiny ponds.

There is nothing better than decoying birds. In the past my old man has always giving me hell for spending money on decoys, trailer, etc...He's more a pheasant guy so he doesnt do much waterfowling. Finally last year i got him into the blind. Had one flock of geese right in our face and I could instantly see the light come on..."oh yeah..now i know why you're addicted to this sport!" lol

I think for the most part once a guy goes to decoyin' birds he'll never go back to jumpin' em. JMO.


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## diver_sniper (Sep 6, 2004)

glaciallakeslds said:


> the one guy was wearing hip boots and was wet up to his chest.


 :rollin: :rollin: :rollin: I give that boy props. I just hope he wasn't plucking leaches off of his unmentionables when he got home.


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## mallardrocker (Nov 29, 2006)

if its legal, go for it, most ppl dont have 409820428230498 dollars to spend on decoys and blah blah what ever else there is,

Congrats on the red neck,

giver **** boys


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## uglyduckling (Oct 12, 2007)

Yep, does sound like the ******* thing to do


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## dakotashooter2 (Oct 31, 2003)

Was it a true drive by or did they park up the road and sneak back. I personally get no pleasure or sense of fair chase jumping out of the truck and blasting a few birds as they get off the water. I prefer to park and then sneak back on them.

Drivebys generally cause the birds to become leary of vehicles and can back up traffic or cause accidents. When you drive past a slough and all the ducks get up it's usually case somebody has been doing drivebys. They seem to be about filling the bag and not necessarily about hunting.

I spent a lot of hours tromping through sloughs jumps shooting duck in my youth before it was common to field hunt them. Much of that shooting was absoulutly fabulous but also a lot of work. Heavily pressured birds will often hold as tight as phesants if the cover is right. After the main body of 30 birds took off it was not unusual to walk up a dozen more one or two at a time. FWIW 30 years ago shooting ducks in the field was a bonus not a primary target.


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## GW (May 31, 2007)

It doesn't seem particularly sporting to jump out of a vehicle and blast them from the road, but that's just me.
Not that I agree with shooting a roost, I don't, but technically that's legal, too. It seems odd that many would give the ok to jumping out of a vehicle to swat a couple of ducks but turn around a bash everyone on shooting decoying ducks over water. I kind of thought duck hunting, and hunting in general, was about the experience of doing it, not just filling a legal limit. I think decoying ducks and shooting them with their feet down is a much greater exerience than a drive by.
GW


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## fylling35 (Jun 15, 2007)

Lets keep in mind a 2 basic things before talking about this.

These are not roosts.

Shooting from the road and sneaking ducks are two totaly different things.

When off the road - Sneaking ducks is like any other types of a "Spot and Stalk" hunting. Its not a piece of cake either. Trying to sneak into any wild animal's house and get close enough to identify and shot him has merit to me.


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## GW (May 31, 2007)

I understand the distinction between roosts and road hunting, my point is both are legal and both are dumb, yet seemingly anyone who road hunts is given a free pass on this website.
Also, I understand the distinction between spot and stalk and jumping out of the vehicle to blast something off the road. I don't look down on spot and stalk; its difficult, but its just not my cup of tea. 
Again, *to me*, waterfowl hunting should be about more than just shooting ducks. Its about the exerience. To just finish your limit out by road hunting to me is not worthwhile. Waterfowl hunting is about more than limiting out. 
GW


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## sameyer (Aug 22, 2007)

Is there really ducks there that during hunting season will give you time to stop on the road and get out and shoot them? That just doesn't seem possible but if that is true I can't imagine it being very rewarding. 
But spot and stalk becomes a way of the dcuk hunters life when you are in an area that doesn't have an abundance of ducks and those that are there are so decoy shy you may as well forget it. 
A couple of weeks agao I spotted and stalked (by crawling 400 yards across semi vegitated mud flats) three spoonbills and managed to get one. It was a great experience and its ethical, rewarding and available to any young hunter who is willing to work hard.

As someone said, not everyone has the money to get all the equipment for decoying and to discourage any potential hunters by telling them this is somehow not really duck hunting is wrong. SOme of the most memorable hunting experiences of my life were with my dad when I was a kid and we would spend half a morning crawling up on a flock of geese or ducks in a field (we didn't have decoys or blinds or any of that stuff).

So yeah, just jumping out and shooting them from the truck would draw disfavor from anyone who understands the experience of hunting and should be looked down on and discouraged even if it is legal. On the other hand, spotting a small group of ducks and stalking them is pure hunting and should be talked about in a manner that shows the right way to do it so that individuals just starting can have some opportunity for success even if they don't have all the great hunting toys that many have.


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## malspeck (Nov 21, 2005)

I'll have to look it up but there's no law saying someone has to be X amount of feet or yards off a road to shoot a firearm. And is it true people do this with deer also.


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## Quacker Wacker (Oct 12, 2006)

perfectly legal in my opininon and if i am having a bad day with decoys i might jump one or two but not often. Getting 10 ducks in your bag one way legally is the same as getting 10 ducks in your bag another way legally. Although one way might be more fun.


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