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csmith99

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Went to a friends cottage this past weekend. It was our intention to hit the Crown land and score a bag or two of Grouse.

With two wonderful days of sunshine and blue skies, we walked for miles in the bush. Here's what we found.

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I heard them wandering around the brush, and as I exited the truck they flew. BANG-BANG, one in the bag.

A little while later, once we hit the trail we wanted, we went in search of more of these evasive beasts. Instead, we came across a trail along side a small lake/swamp. I heard the niose above and took another bird

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In case you can't see, that's a mallard. I was wearing my reversable vest there, and luckily I had some steel shot hiding in there.

So, my first EVER duck, and my first Bush Chicken of the year. I'm a happy camper, and can't wait until my next trip up north.
 
Congrats on the hunt.
Sask hunters don't have the luxury of carying lead and steel shot. If you're shooting migratory birds you cannot be in posession of lead shot.
 
sjemac said:
Ahh. So what they're saying is: congrats on the birds BUT too bad you poached the second one.:evil:
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Bad news if you're flaunting the law on purpose. In this case, the duck died providing a good opportunity for us to share what we know with one another.

I once shot a sharptail one week after the season (when you're in ruffie territory and a grouse flushes, it can be difficult to do species ID in one second or less). I was majorly embarrassed, but I learned from it. I learned that sharptail usually "cackle" when they flush - ruffies don't.

Congratulations on your first upland hunt, '99. If you like hunting and shooting as much as most of us, you'll find it both intoxicating and addictive. If I can be so bold as to offer a piece of advice, consider giving the regs a thorough read every year. Some years it'll be a boring read. Other years, you'll find something in there about not carrying lead when waterfowl shooting; or something positive - like the new Sunday opening in our MMU that I found in the regs this year. Us old farts that think we know the regs need to read them every year just as much as the new hunters.
 
sjemac said:
Ahh. So what they're saying is: congrats on the birds BUT too bad you poached the second one.:evil:
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Um, I wouldn't call it poaching being that the bird was shot with steel, but it is a minor infraction. I doubt you would be ticketed, especially if you are hunting grouse as your primary target. Of course, this all depends on the mood of the CO if you do get checked.
 
Congrats Mr Smith,

sure is fun aint it? :)

I can't get enough of grouse hunting, I am out there every single day. Today was the first day I never came home with anything :(

But that's not what it's about anyway. It's about getting off of our asses and getting out there, with the clean air and sounds of the wild and the beauty of fall in your face ;)

Oh so relaxing.
Congrats on your first Ruffie :)
 
Thanks to everyone for pointing out the issue here.

I'd just like to clarify for everyone that the prime target of the hunt was in fact Grouse, and that the body of water that I was adjacent to was a swamp (a little heavy in water, but still a swamp) and therefore not listed in the Canadian Gazateer. My migratory rules show that lead shot ONLY be used when hunting Migratory birds on or near a body of water listed in the Gazateer. As this was not the case, I was not under the impression that I had in fact bent/fractured a law.

I would not have considered the shot had I not had the steel in my posession, as I am aware of the environmental effect of lead on water borne species, and in fact I won't even hunt the side of the road that leads to the swamp with lead shot.

If in fact I was flawed in my (faded) memroy of the law, then I apologize to all hunters for bringing shame to the sport for my kill. I will double check what I know to be the law, and if I did err in memory or judgement, then be assured that it won't happen again that way.

Thanks for bringing this to my attention.
 
northwoodslivin said:
Congrats Mr Smith,

sure is fun aint it? :)

I can't get enough of grouse hunting, I am out there every single day. Today was the first day I never came home with anything :(

But that's not what it's about anyway. It's about getting off of our asses and getting out there, with the clean air and sounds of the wild and the beauty of fall in your face ;)

Oh so relaxing.
Congrats on your first Ruffie :)
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EXACTLY why I go hunting. To burn off that 70 hour work week stuck behind a desk, my (ever growing) butt stuck to a chair. This is a sport I only began to take interest in a couple of years ago, and have been kicking myself in that evergrowing butt for not having known about it 25 years ago.

Thanks,
 
I personally don't think you did anything wrong. In fact it's not even illegal in AB. If you violated a law it was the letter of it and not the spirit of it (virtually an unenforceable law to begin with). I was more poking fun at the internet police than giving you a hard time.
 
sjemac said:
I personally don't think you did anything wrong. In fact it's not even illegal in AB. If you violated a law it was the letter of it and not the spirit of it (virtually an unenforceable law to begin with). I was more poking fun at the internet police than giving you a hard time.
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Well, I certainly don't think I'll be shooting at ducks while Grouse hunting anymore. I've heard enough of the rules over the last week to think I may have gotten in trouble with my local CO had I been discovered. (the family isn't a fan of duck anyway)

Thanks
 
Too bad, you shouldn't be discouraged. Both Grouse hunting and Duck hunting are great fun. I'm out with the kids almost every evening, that is until hockey season starts, then we're all on the ice again for a different kinda fun.
 
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