Not sure "the Man has a clue"

[Cato]

We had a great day yesterday (1-17-05) at Loxahatchee. We were checked on the Federal side by Fl wildlife officer, he began by identifying a tree duck as a woody and mottle duck drake as a female mallard. Telling me that the males have green heads. Questioned why our group did not have state stamp which they do not issue if you get your license on line and had no idea why we were showing him our permit which is needed to hunt the federal side.

My question is when gators eat your downed birds are they counted towards your bag limit. Earlier this year we were told that crippled birds are counted towards your bag limit, by a federal officer at Lox. Not sure of any duck hunter that I know stops shooting at 4 because he winged two birds which fell 800 yds from you. If they do count then what about the six that gators ate Sunday???

One of those rare days, right spot and birds were flying, and we were shooting well.

Cato

[chiplaughton]

In reply to the inclusion of cripples/ducks bagged but not recovered. In North Carolina where I live, some guys apparently crippled a pintail and it flew off and died. They never saw it fall. The game warden was out checking blinds and found the bird still warm down wind/current of their blind. He came back to their blind since it was the closest. They had their limits of pintail at that point. The warden basically said it did not matter but since the evidence was a warm duck and they were the closet blind, that it was their duck and wrote them a citation. He told them that if they think the duck was hit that they need to make every effort to retrieve it. I think he was little harsh, but from what I understand these guys never even got out of the blind to go look. I may be weird but when I dove and duck hunt I have my dog search for every bird, even birds that I see sail away from other guys that look hit. I have only lost a handful and I do count them in my daliy bag. It is not the birds fault that I made a poor shot, the gators I can not attest to that. I know it happens, but when I hunted in Florida, I never had one eat any of my birds. I guess I was so excited when I hit one that I was on top of it as soon as it hit the water.

[duckmanJR]

I had some guy at Sta 5 Saturday try to tell me my Hen Mottled was a black duck.... I might have believed him if it wasn't for the fact that I came from up north and killed many a black in my youth.

[Max 4-D]

When I hunt I make an effort to search and hopefully retrieve every duck I am able to shoot. I can attest to the fact that gators do get their share of ducks at the STA's and T.M. Goodwin/Broadmoor. Also, many a crippled duck will dive and grasp onto a weed below the surface and drown still submerged. The only ducks I count towards my limit are those placed on the check station desk.

[N. Cook]

The two gentlemen who were checking at LOX from the FWC were like many of the FWC officers.....Fisheries Dept........I engaged them in conversation and, although friendly, professional and polite....their knowledge of duck hunting realities in Florida was limited.....I mentioned this encounter to Nick Wiley, the State FWC hunting manager in Tall., in an email today.....Not to be critical of the officers......they are doing their job as best they can....but the FWC needs to do a better job of training. Newton

[Randy Clark]

i also only count the birds actually in hand and probable really could count cripples and not worry except at sta 5 and tm goodwin now at the first of the year lake jessup that has a lot of gators iactually retrieved one bird probable twenty minutes after he hit the water searching with my son it was his gwt and finally found it while at broad more marsh had gators swimming towards the boat after ducks we had already retrieved and these gators only know humans for killing them or dropping ducks on the pond for them

[RutnNStrutn]

The smart play is to carry Duck ID books, and if on public land, the pamphlet with the regs too. These guys really don't know. I had a guy try to ticket me and confiscate a hen turkey I took during archery season. I had to pull out the pamphlet to show him he was wrong.

[Real V]

The couple of places my son and I buy our licenses do not have Fed. duck stamps or run out of them. We were told to go to the post office to get them. So there is no excuse not to have an Fed. duck stamp.
I have only been duck hunting for 4 yrs. and the people that I have hunted with to learn about the do's and don'ts count the knocked down and lost birds toward their limits. Most hunts we do we do not retrieve our ducks till the hunt is over. The only places I have hunted are Lake O and Everglades Holiday Park till this year when we hunted the Sta's where you have to retrieve your duck when you shoot them or the gators will get them.

[duckmanJR]

My interpretation is that if you knowingly knock down a bird( you see it fall ) then it counts towards your limit. There is wording in the federal statutes with regard to willful wanton waste of wildlife...It also uses the words "reasonable" attempt at retrieving downed ducks. There will always be birds that die out of your sight....hopefully the fed boy isn't watching and see one fall a long way off.... :pottytrai

[duckmanJR]

And Rut..You are right on the money with public WMA's...take the reg book with you...I've got into very loud disagreements with some dumb arse Ranch and grove deputies!( After telling him to go to the d*** check station and get the regs and read them...he left a note on my windshield afterwards appologizing for screwing up my hunt and said that he was given the wrong info)
I also had to explain regs to FFWC LEO's before...They were nice enough young men but were not well versed in either regs for the area or duck ID...I patiently explained several things and suggested that they get with the TM Goodwin staff and talk about what really needs to be done and what the regs are.....

[D Duck]

I know what you mean about ID's. Had an FWC officer not be able to tell weather a redhead drake was a Can or not. :rolleyes: :pottytrai