# Coots and hell divers



## BIG BEN (Jan 4, 2004)

Do you shoot coots and helldivers ? I see here in mn more people are doing it to get constant shooting. I guess we were jumpshooting and my friend shoot at a helldiver, that bastard was tough he shot him 12 times.  My friend got alot of grief about that. When my dog brought him back he had holes through his beak. I guess i might go on a " coot shoot " next year they say they are fun, and you can kill 15 a piece. They donate the breasts to some homeless organization. I feel bad for them but i guess they are happy to get the meat.


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## RWHONKER (Dec 22, 2003)

I wouldn't waste my shells.


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## BIG BEN (Jan 4, 2004)

Yea i've never shot one, the reason people do it her is beacuse thear are no other ducks to shoot at .


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## Storm (Dec 8, 2004)

What is a helldiver? Is that another name for a coot?


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## BIG BEN (Jan 4, 2004)

They are different, hell divers are brown and can dive under water for along time i've timmed one that was under for 4:21 seconds in my decoys.
They only fly at night, but i've seen one fly in the day they dive really deep thearfore they are called a hell diver. Thear feet are huge though a canvasbacks feet are medium sized compared to these ducks.


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## Storm (Dec 8, 2004)

What's their real name. I am assuming hell divers are a nickname. Are you talking about a Ruddy Duck?


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## woodie1 (Dec 6, 2004)

aka Grebie (hell-diver)


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## KEN W (Feb 22, 2002)

a species of Greeb.I have never seen one fly....so I assume they are ground-balled....real sporting.At least coots fly.


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## Lance Pardee (Oct 28, 2004)

As far as I know. It is illegal to shoot hell divers. They are a protected species. Like any other greebe. I'm not positive, but that's the way I under stand our laws.


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## Matt Jones (Mar 6, 2002)

Ruddy's are also referred to as hell divers. I wouldn't be bragging about shooting grebes if that is what you're talking about.


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## Storm (Dec 8, 2004)

I know that in Nebraksa it is illegal to shoot Grebe's. The game warden was telling me that he had a guy bring him a bird one time wanting to know what kind of duck he shot. The guy thought he shot a Gadwall. It turned out to be a Grebe. He didn't ticket the guy, but said they weren't a legal game bird and not to shoot another one. I have seen grebe's fly durn the day time, but not very far, just across the lake. Coots and Ruddy's are legal to shoot, but I don't know why you would want to wate your shells on them.


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## KEN W (Feb 22, 2002)

Ruddy drakes are beautiful in their mating plummage.They wouod make a nice mount with their tail feathers spread.


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## smalls (Sep 9, 2003)

I don't believe that grebes have huge webbed feet as you describe. If I am not mistaken grebes have lobed toes, not full fledged "webbed" feet like ducks.

What grebes are legal to shoot? I can't imagine that Western's or eared are legal? Pied-billed? As joneser said, probably not one your going to bring to the taxidermist.


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## Anas Strepera (Nov 10, 2004)

I shoot neither coots or hell divers. I like to leave them for the kids. :run:


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## mallard (Mar 27, 2002)

What we called helldivers when I was a kid were actually pie billed grebes.


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## BIG BEN (Jan 4, 2004)

I wasn't bragging about killing one, my friend shot it when we were jumpshooting i was 50 yards away when he shot it. Thear were two of them and he says one flew away i did see a duck fly away. This one after it was wounded started to paddle the water with it's feet just like any diver before takeoff when he shot again and dropped it. The smaller grebe's are known as " hell divers ". However it's got two red patches like a gadwall, but none of the smaller greebes have patches on them. but grebes have teeth on the outside of thier beaks this duck didn't have teeth. We got checked by the dnr any he looked at our two woodies and the other duck he wasn't sure what it was. All he said was " you got a mounter thear " . I know they are having probloms with black ducks and mallards breeding together. Can other species breed together ? I study alot about ducks, and other water fowl, and just looked through the bird portriats book and can't find a bird like this anywhere. But on the samepond i had one drop into my decoys but i didn't shoot it, because i was waiting for some woodies. I guess this is probbally the same duck. If my friend got of picture of it i will try to post it on here. I know this bird was not a grebe ! And i'm 99 percent sure that grebes are illegal to kill, because thier close cousins are loons !


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## mallard (Mar 27, 2002)

Could it be a scoter?I shot a couple of white wing scoters when I was a kid.I hav'nt seen any since then.


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## BIG BEN (Jan 4, 2004)

Surf scoters only have color on thier beak and head. Whitewing scoters have two white patches, but the one on the duck were red. And american scoters only have yellow and orange on thier beaks. But we hunt cantral minnesota. I guess they have some scoters on lake superior but. When i think about it it looked like a hen common meganser, but thier feet are orange this ducks were black and large. ??????????????????????????????


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## mallard (Mar 27, 2002)

I shot the scoters in NW MN.How about a western grebe?


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## Goldy's Pal (Jan 6, 2004)

The "Hell Diver" that are common in S.E. Minn. are pretty small, maybe like a green wing teal and nothing for color . I actually caught one in a 110 conibear trapping for muskrats. It dove down through the rats run. It was stiff as a board when I checked the trap in the morning, but you cannot shoot these things. When I was younger we would get bored and take a crack at one once and a while on the water and they dive on you every time. Unbelievable how they can dive on the shot that fast. Don't waste the time or shells.


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## Remmi_&amp;_I (Dec 2, 2003)

Coots don't even fly that much/well. I couldn't imagine actually "hunting" them. I have seen many pick-ups drive slowly by a drainage ditch and shoot coots out of them......and they were all called in!


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