# fines for live decs



## huntnfishn1 (Feb 8, 2009)

*B.S. ?*​
yes2771.05%no1128.95%


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## huntnfishn1 (Feb 8, 2009)

hey does anyone know what the fines is for using live decs. a friend got busted in late jan for having one dead bird he downed on his field. the fine was like 400 bucks. what the **** is that about. 400 bucks for accidentally leaving a bird he shot on the ground

story update
apparently "after further review" the birds heart was actually beating although it wasnt moving. the fine was paid by my friends dad who is a retired surgeon so money wasnt an issue but still....


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## TK33 (Aug 12, 2008)

If the bird is dead how is it a live decoy?


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## barebackjack (Sep 5, 2006)

Ya, what he said.


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## MOB (Mar 10, 2005)

Where did this happen? Who was the warden, and was it a state or a federal warden?
The reason I ask is because it sounds like a ticket our wonderful federal warden Bob Prieksat from Pierre would issue.


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## Phil The Thrill (Oct 21, 2005)

Sounds like a Prieksat move to me, but if the bird was really dead why didn't he fight it? I wouldn't have payed $400 if I knew I had done nothing wrong. There has to be more to the story.


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## hammerhead (Dec 22, 2004)

So what your saying is if you shoot birds you can not lay them in with your decoys.


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## Traxion (Apr 16, 2004)

My guess is Fed warden around Pierre. And, second part of my guess is the guy had a wounded one still alive in the field. I know personally of that happening to a friend. You can lay dead birds in your decoys. When you read the Fed regs it clearly states "live" birds cannot be used for decoys. If ticketed the bird would have had to have been alive still.


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## Chuck Smith (Feb 22, 2005)

Here is my question.........

Lets say you land a small flock because a bigger flock is behind it. Now does this fall into the category of using live decoys?

Does anyone know the ruling on this?


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## USAlx50 (Nov 30, 2004)

Sounds pretty weak to me...


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## blhunter3 (May 5, 2007)

Chuck Smith said:


> Here is my question.........
> 
> Lets say you land a small flock because a bigger flock is behind it. Now does this fall into the category of using live decoys?
> 
> Does anyone know the ruling on this?


I would think it would be legal, because in alot of the hunting DVD's they land birds all the time.


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## fowl_play (Mar 31, 2006)

Chuck Smith said:


> Here is my question.........
> 
> Lets say you land a small flock because a bigger flock is behind it. Now does this fall into the category of using live decoys?
> 
> Does anyone know the ruling on this?


that is a great question, and i have been wondering the same thing.


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## Chuck Smith (Feb 22, 2005)

> I would think it would be legal, because in alot of the hunting DVD's


It has been seen floating a 4th shell in some of the DVD's.....but that is not legal.


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## blhunter3 (May 5, 2007)

Chuck Smith said:


> > I would think it would be legal, because in alot of the hunting DVD's
> 
> 
> It has been seen floating a 4th shell in some of the DVD's.....but that is not legal.


Never caught that I guess, well I would think it would be legal to land live birds, just not use pen raised birds.

Im emailing the ND Game and Fish to get to the bottom of it. I will post up the response when I get it.


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## Ron Gilmore (Jan 7, 2003)

Live bird as decoys are any bird rendered unable to fly away. It is not confusing in the least. My guess is that the warden watched them and saw them purposely leave a wounded bird wandering among the decoys. Most wounded birds would leave the area of activity simply out of self preservation or burrow under something.

Hence a landed flock of birds would not under the rules constitute use of live decoys, be it water or field hunting. We are not getting the entire story here is my guess. I am not assuming anything, but would be willing to bet that something was done to keep that duck in an area otherwise it would have left.


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## Chuck Smith (Feb 22, 2005)

Ron...

I agree.


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## Andrew Bremseth (Aug 1, 2007)

I also agree, I can only assume that they didn't finish off a downed bird that was "cripled" before decoying the next flock.


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## cgreeny (Apr 21, 2004)

Story doesnt add up. I agree with most here, assuming it was a live bird not finished off after it shot. If that was legal hell goose hunting wouldnt be that hard..... :roll: JUst shoot a few and wing them and then wait for the rest to whiffle waffle into the spread.


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## Ron Gilmore (Jan 7, 2003)

Sent a letter off to one of the Fed Wardens I know, I copied the first post so there was no confusion. He used a lot of *Emoticons * :rollin: like this one!

There is no way a live bird wounded walking among the decoys is going to garner a ticket even if the people where aware of it. The live decoy ticket would result only as I said before by containing the bird and not allowing for free movement. That could be by blocking it in, putting a cord around its leg and attaching it to something else not allowing it to fly away or walk away.


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## prins (Sep 11, 2008)

true a wounded bird has all the right to walk away


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## blhunter3 (May 5, 2007)

You may use live geese as decoys, provided that are being constrained from
free movement. In other words, you are allowed to have geese land in your
decoys while waiting for additional geese to come into your spread.

You may use dead geese as decoys. If a goose is crippled, you must kill
the goose immediately before using it for a decoy.

If you need further clarification or have additional questions, feel free
to call me.

RG

_____________________________________________
Rich Grosz, Special Agent
United States Fish and Wildlife Service
3425 Miriam Avenue
Bismarck, ND 58501
O- 701/255-0593, F-701/ 250-4206, C-701/400-8433


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## Andrew Bremseth (Aug 1, 2007)

Thank you for the clarification.....

Like I said earlier, I am assuming it's because they did not finish off the cripple before decoying the next flock... Put them out of their misery.


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## Trapperjack (Feb 25, 2007)

blhunter3 said:


> You may use live geese as decoys, provided that are being constrained from
> free movement. In other words, you are allowed to have geese land in your
> decoys while waiting for additional geese to come into your spread.
> 
> ...


He left out the use of hunting near tame birds, which is a big no no even if they are not constrained in anyway.


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