All For A Duck?!!

the spank said:
I'm going to correct you on swing ducks. Shooting swing ducks is shooting at ducks you are working into your spread and as they swing out wide to circle your spread they pass over other hunters and they shoot at the ducks that have been working to your spread. That is what those hunters refer to as swing ducks, it's not swinging on a duck, lol.
It common in areas where hunters are crammed into limited space and are competing for birds. It is considered bad form in those areas and many a heated argument takes place when it happens. I'm glad I don't have to deal with that kind of competition for the resource.
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Yes Frank, I stand corrected. As you and Hoyt have pointed out.
I have never had that experience. The places I I used to hunt birds the guys I was with were the only guys there, so we didnt have to worry about people shooting at the birds while we called them in. New terminology for me.

Some day I hope to get out to where you guys are with lots of birds to shoot
Stay safe
 
Big Bad said:
I have to say that is the best final outcome that could have been hoped for. And they tell me hypothermia kills loads of duck hunters in the USA, where people tend to be a little more careless about the cold than we are here. A lot of times you're read that the hunter's waders got flooded and "pulled them down" but if you've ever tried it, you will know that doesn't really happen- water in water is neutrally buoyant. It's the fact that the water is near freezing that does the trick.
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neoprene waders or not make a big different to be drown or not ...
 
bush1 said:
Very true, with regular type chest waders full of water the chance of drowning is quite high.
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I've deliberately jumped in with chest waders on (in summer) and while clumsy, there was no difference in my ability to swim, tread water or get up on shore. Getting back in a boat might be a problem with waders full of water but once you have ahold of a boat it would be manageable, or you could swim it to shore. But throw in very cold water in cold weather and the situation changes drastically, you will lose the ability to move pretty quickly. If you can swim at all, my humble opinion is that it's the cold that does you in, if you can't swim then it's still not the waders themselves that are going to kill you.
 
Big Bad said:
I've deliberately jumped in with chest waders on (in summer) and while clumsy, there was no difference in my ability to swim, tread water or get up on shore. Getting back in a boat might be a problem with waders full of water but once you have ahold of a boat it would be manageable, or you could swim it to shore. But throw in very cold water in cold weather and the situation changes drastically, you will lose the ability to move pretty quickly. If you can swim at all, my humble opinion is that it's the cold that does you in, if you can't swim then it's still not the waders themselves that are going to kill you.
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I don't agree....and have experience with going under in rubber chest waders. When the waders are full of air, there is a range of movement for your body inside the waders, once they fill with water, the suction of the waders to your body act like a splint, greatly restricting movement at the joints, making swimming or even walking much more difficult. Cold water does complicate things further. I came close to "buying it" in a NorOnt beaver pond 30 years ago... fortunately the depth allowed me to "pogo" my way back to shore.
 
hoytcanon said:
This is not what "Swing Shooting" is.

Swing shooting is when you shoot at birds that are being worked by another blind and are "swinging" around for another pass of their set. It is proper etiquette to allow birds that are responding to another set to continue to pass. Birds that have been worked hard down the flyaway or due to high pressure often "swing" by a set several times before committing to cup their wings and drop into the decoys. Anyone who has hunted any length of time can tell which set the birds are working to, and it is considered "neighborly" to allow that blind to continue to work those birds in and to NOT "Swing Shoot" them.
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I appreciate the explanations from you and others. I got a boat this winter and I’m hoping to dip my toes into the duck hunting world. I’ll admit, I’m quite anxious about all of the “unwritten rules”. Nobody in my circle of friends or family is a Waterfowler, so I don’t have a mentor to keep us on the straight and narrow.

Things like swing shooting, even though I’m now aware of it, seem like faux pas that would be easy to make for a new hunter who didn’t know how to read duck’s behavior well. Is there any sort of book or resource that talks about all of the unwritten rules and how to navigate around them?
 
kodiakjack said:
I appreciate the explanations from you and others. I got a boat this winter and I’m hoping to dip my toes into the duck hunting world. I’ll admit, I’m quite anxious about all of the “unwritten rules”. Nobody in my circle of friends or family is a Waterfowler, so I don’t have a mentor to keep us on the straight and narrow.

Things like swing shooting, even though I’m now aware of it, seem like faux pas that would be easy to make for a new hunter who didn’t know how to read duck’s behavior well. Is there any sort of book or resource that talks about all of the unwritten rules and how to navigate around them?
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There aren't many areas in Canada you'll experience so much pressure that you'll have others hunting within swing distance. Yes there are some but for the most part most hunt far enough apart not to be of too much concern.
 
the spank said:
There aren't many areas in Canada you'll experience so much pressure that you'll have others hunting within swing distance. Yes there are some but for the most part most hunt far enough apart not to be of too much concern.
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I live by Long Point Bay, which, as I understand it, is a pretty hot spot for waterfowl. But hopefully as you say, it won’t be too bad.
 
I was wondering if there was any more to this story and found this update from a few days ago:

The cause of Vowell’s death could not be concluded, but the medical examiner said it appeared that he died either of drowning or hypothermia.

Vowell’s autopsy found no evidence of brain abnormality or mind-altering substances, a fact that leaves Thomas with lingering questions.

Thomas said there was “nothing to indicate why this gentleman would have acted irrationally. But I’ve been in this job long enough to know that nothing really surprises me anymore.”
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https://wreg.com/news/autopsy-resul...oting-da-finds-no-basis-for-criminal-charges/
 
What a story ... bizarre doesn’t even begin to cover it. The survivor will live with the impact of the randomness of that morning for the rest of his life.
 
the spank said:
The lone survivors story.....

https://www.outdoorlife.com/story/deep-dives/duck-hunters-killed-reelfoot-lake-tennessee/
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Very good, lengthy read.

"While Carla reiterates that her husband did not have a dementia diagnosis, he had been diagnosed with depression in late 2020 and had recently started taking a prescribed antidepressant. Carla attended that appointment and remembers when his doctor asked if he’d had any suicidal thoughts."

So the guy had been diagnosed depressed and had a Doctor's appointment, to start looking at possible dementia concerns, the same day this incident occurs? That is not evidence of anything, for sure, but looks like it is all we will ever know.
 
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