# Do you shoot Mallard hens?



## JIMC_ND

OK, I'm fuming :******:

I was just on another waterfowl site and some of the Crackers there were bragging about shooting hens.

I can't see any reason in the world why you would intentionally pull the trigger on a hen mallard. Sure, they are legal to harvest but why kill them if you don't have to? Anyone ever see excess Mallard hens on the breeding grounds? It's really simple: More hens + better habitat = more Mallard ducks.

:soapbox: I'll get off now.


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## duckbuster808

I don't see anything wrong with shooting hens as long as you don't shoot more then what you are allowed to take a day. don't get me wrong...i see where you are coming from but it doesn't hurt to tak a couple here and there.


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## 4CurlRedleg

No hens allowed!! :******:

Besides they make for a shi**y picture! :roll:


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## Tony Vandemore

:eyeroll:


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## Gunner

It'd be like shooting a hen pheasant.


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## J.D.

I shoot a few each year but only by accident........when decoying bigger flocks theres a few that catch stray pellets. And this last weekend I shot one a few minutes after shooting time that I could have sworn was a drake.


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## DJRooster

To shoot a hen is not a "sin" but to brag about shooting a hen is a "sin!"


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## mallard

I never intentionally shoot hen mallards.I believe in volluntary restraint and go for the drakes.


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## Wood Duck

It is definatly better for the resource to let the hens pass. Most hunters get past the kill kill kill stage and are happy to accept the challenge to kill only drakes. Some dont I guess. Nothing better than a bag of all drakes in the photo as already mentioned.


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## mallardhunter

I try not to, but sometimes I can't tell the difference when they are flying, but I do most of the time.


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## Ryan_Todd

like most have said. never intentinally but a few by accident.


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## BIG BEN

Only by accident will i kill a hen mallard i shot two this year . For every hen i kill i donate 20 bucks to du. It's the rule on my pond.


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## purepower

i try hard not to but theres that ocasion that happens or you find a drake and shoot it and a hen happens to fall too. but its retarted to try and shoot hens :******: ....those people are close to making me sick uke:


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## diver_sniper

opening weekend usually produces some hen killing around here. at more than 10 yards everything looks the same. all the mature ducks that would be in good color are smart enough to stay out of minnesota. if i can help it i try not too. i shot a hen pintail this year, i felt really bad about that. i thought it was a gadwal when i shot.


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## cgreeny

Just like BB said, we have a rule as well. For every hen it is a buck to the hen jar. We did pretty well until our friends from across the river show up. I think just seeing so many ducks at once threw them off, there were enough hens in the bag. We say one is an accident and two is a round for the whole gang at the bar. All the money is going to Delta.


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## Field Hunter

cgreeny,
That's a great idea. I think our group could do the $1.00 or $5.00 per hen in a jar and then to Delta at the end of the year. Maybe $5.00 per duck over the 5 per day for some of those guys who never let the older guys get a shot. Bob....better bring lots of $$$ next year. LOL


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## djleye

Rons business would go belly up if he put all his seed money in the pot for every hen!!!!


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## Canada_Hunter

I do shoot hens mallard...The fields i have acces to are goose magnets but your lucky to see a couple ducks per day...So i shoot the one i can.


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## Anas Strepera

I try not to shoot hens generally. It's tough as hell to not pull the trigger on that lone suzie after a slow morning in the dekes but I'm getting better. When I hunt ND I never shoot mallard hens because there's no reason too. You know you'll have a chance at a drake later so why do it. When I hunt MN sometimes it gets pretty slow and you view the hen as an oppurtunity that is tough to pass. When all you're trying to do is get something in the bag, not shoot a limit, it makes voluntary restraint more difficult.

:run:


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## Decoyer

> cgreeny,
> That's a great idea. I think our group could do the $1.00 or $5.00 per hen in a jar and then to Delta at the end of the year. Maybe $5.00 per duck over the 5 per day for some of those guys who never let the older guys get a shot. Bob....better bring lots of $$$ next year. LOL


Maybe we should have a jar for colorful language  [/quote]


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## cgreeny

Decoyer I think if everybody who has a hunting farm or shack did that, we could really pour the money into Delta. :beer:


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## Storm

Shooting hens is a bad idea. I live in Nebraska and they allow 2 hens a day to be killed. I can see one for those accidental shooting but two....I think that just promotes killing hens. So I called the head of Waterfowl at the Nebraksa Game and Parks and asked him why they allow for two hens a day to be killed. His statement was very interesting... He said "Killing hens doesn't hurt the population one bit." A certain percentage of hens are going to die every year and hunting has little impact on that number." He then went on to say, "most hunters will only shoot drakes anyway."

I told him that I mainly hunt public land and have yet to see a hunter or group of hunters restrain from killing a hen mallard, or hen anything for that matter. The average Joe Blow hunter is going to kill what ever comes into his decoys. That's a hen mallard, pintail, bluebill, etc.

I then went on to tell him what Delta Waterfowl promotes, voluntary restraint. And that I had talked to Lloyd Jones and he told me that hunting takes a huge toll on the mallard population, many hen mallards are killed a year by hunters that would make it back to the breeding grounds. I then said it would be nice to have a one hen mallard limit in Nebraska. He didn't say much and seemed annoyed by me. Well we still have a 2 hen mallard limit in Nebraska, but I never intentionally try to kill a hen mallard. I even wait until there is enough light to tell even if that means passing on a few ducks early on.


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## mallard

I also wait until there is enough light to tell hens from drakes.I have also been skunked in the past when I could have shot hen mallards but let them go.


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## Chris-ND

Just a point of reference for you guys that don't shoot hens. I find that when both are served with their little feet sticking up out of the gravy, it's real hard to tell the difference. :lol: Chris-ND


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## PJ

I'll stay away from hen mallards. But I'll shoot other duck species hens except pintails and canvasbacks.


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## ARMallardSlayer

Hi.....I'm new to the forum.....

I refrain from shooting mallard hens but the rest of my hunting party doesn't.........they are legal to shoot but maybe if I let the hens go, it will help out in the long run.


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## Storm

Your right, it will help out in the long run, and tell the rest of your friends that!


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## RWHONKER

When me and my buddies hunted for three days in October we ended up with 72 mallards. 65 were greenheads. The only time any of us shot a hen was by accident, usually right at shooting time. I agree, it will definitely help out in the long run to try to shoot only drakes.


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## Coon Dog

Here in my state we are allowed two mallard hens and i usually shoot at them until i get my two. When it comes to filling my bag limit of 7 i am usually not too picky.


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## gaddyshooter

Nothing against you personally Honker, but I think that not being able to shoot "72 mallards" in three days worth of hunting would do a lot more for the future populations, than just a few people here and there practicing voluntary restraint. Unfortunately our public waterfowling areas down here are swarming with idiots. Hens get no special treatment whatsoever. Whatever duck that comes below about 80 yards or so gets blasted at, hen or not. It is so bad I have almost completely given up on duck hunting.


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## clacy

lobby your state game and fish to drop the hen limit to one. arkansas hunters did it. however it is difficult in the early seasons up north to tell the difference sometimes. that's why you get one freebie.


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## duck991

all of you hunters that say, "no hens" can pucker up and kiss my bass.Everyone who hunts ducks will shoot a hen at some point in the year.If you hunt in september or early oct, its almost impossible to tell a drake from a hen. :eyeroll:


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## Draker16

not purposely but accidentally, yeah it happens and your a liar if you say it doesn't.


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## Field Hunter

Only when our friend from Illinios comes with......then we can blame them on him. :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:


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## Quackkills9

yeah i shoot hen mallards, i have no problem shooting a few of them each year. Greenheads are a bonus for me because there are not alot of ducks where i hunt so. Good luck everyone this fall


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## Takem7

Yeah I shoot hens on purpose but Im not like others that go out every day Im lucky if I go Out 2 times a month with school and partnts but yeah I shot 1 this year but with atotal of 20 or more ducks in a year going out 10 times I take anything I can get Ill change once I get My own car yes I love to go duck hunting but around here we quite a few ducks but there are to many people out at our local wetlands and most people are stuck up. like a month ago I seen a field with 1000 plus canadians and I kindly asked they said we dont allow hunting


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## dlip

My state has a 2 hen limit for mallards, and if two lone mallard hens come into my spread, I'm dropping the hammer. If a flock comes in, of course, I go for the green. If I have a choice of a drake or a hen, I take the drake. If hunting with a group of people and I'm asked not to shoot hens, I don't, but on my personal hunting grounds, unless I know that the drakes will be plentiful, I will take a hen. Never kill many mallards anyway, I kill more gadwalls, wigeons and teal. Ban the robos before you want to ban the killing of hens. People say we need hens, but where are hens without the drakes? Robos contribute to the massive losses of juvenile mallards.


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## Shu

dlip said:


> People say we need hens, but where are hens without the drakes?


Drakes will breed with multiple hens so it's much more important to have hens than drakes. Thus the difference in limits.


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## dlip

Got me on that one.


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## SwampHunter

Yep, I shoot hens.


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## Brett B

Here's what i don't get....first off let me say that i try not to shoot hens either...sometimes it happens. Knowing that the mallard has the highest number of species, why do people not refrain from shooting hen teal, widgeon, pintail, gadwall, etc. People are always complaining about shooting hen mallards even though the mallard is the most plentiful of all ducks. The only reason people point to the mallard is because it is the most sought after duck. Who cares about them small little teal hens anyways right? If you are one who accuses people of shooting hen mallards then i hope your shooting no hens what so ever. Just something to think about. :roll:


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## wtrfwlr

Well the way i figure it, is if shooting hens was so bad for the population then they wouldn't have a hen limit at all. I think we should stop fighting over shooting hens and worry about the guys that don't hunt legally to begin with. As long as your legal what's the big deal, it's the guys that skybust and wound birds, or take 2 times their bag limits that we should be worried about. For the guys that do shoot hens, don't feel bad posting it or make excuses just as long as everybody is legal what's the big deal?


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## gandergrinder

I think it depends on what group of guys you hunt with. Non of the guys I hunt with shoot them intentionally but it does happen and when it happens you get ribbed pretty hard. I guess it depends on the age and experience of the hunter. I would never say a word to a youth or a hunter who is new to duck hunting.

I think, at least I hope, that most people change as they get a little older and see that passing on a hen is a sign of respect for the game and take pride in the fact that they fooled a hen but had the restraint to let it go.


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## take EM' close

I usually kill about 1 hen each time out. Here in Wyoming....you're lucky to get that many ducks in so you need to get what you can take. It probably isn't good but if we take too many drakes....there will be no BREEDING! It does take a guy to breed with a girl....if anyone knew that!! :wink: :wink: I think its good to take a couple hens here and there....makes the hen to drake ratio balance out.


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## Field Hunter

Interesting way to advertise, Ramsey.


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## Field Hunter

If you sincerely meant to contribute and not to advertise then I apologize. Just refering to the user name you selected. I actually went to your web site and looked at it.....very well laid out. I have no doubt that you are passionate in running your business.


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## Ramsey

No problem.


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## wtrfwlr

Touchy oke:


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## Ramsey




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## DUKPRO

I try not too,,, only knocked a few down last season more as accidentals flying close to drakes.


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## Cabelas Boy

id rather shoot drakes, but ya i shoot hens.


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