Waterfowl hunting is the practice of hunting Water bird such as ducks, geese and other Anseriformes or Wader for sport and meat. Waterfowl are hunted in crop fields where they feed, or in areas with bodies of water such as rivers, lakes, ponds, , sloughs, or coasts.
History
Wild waterfowl have been hunted for meat,
Down feather, and feathers worldwide since prehistoric times. Ducks, geese, and swans appear in European
from the last ice age. The mural in the
tomb of
Khnumhotep II shows a man in a
hunting blind capturing swimming ducks in a trap.
were depicted in the art of the
Moche culture of ancient
Peru.
Rise of modern waterfowl hunting
Modern waterfowl hunting began in the 17th century with the
Matchlock. Later
flintlock blunderbuss and
percussion cap guns were used. Shotguns were loaded with
Gunpowder and lead shot through the
Gun barrel until the late 19th century. The transition from muzzle to
Breechloader was largely driven by innovations made by gunmakers such as
Joseph Manton, at which time wildfowling was extremely popular in England.
Both the shotgun choke and
smokeless powder was invented in the late 19th century which allowed for longer range shooting with the shotgun. With the advent of
hunters could kill dozens of birds with a single blast.
European settlers in America hunted waterfowl with great zeal, as the supply of waterfowl seemed unlimited in the Atlantic Ocean coast. As more immigrants came to the Americas in the 19th century, the need for more food became greater. Market hunting started to take form, to supply the local population living along the East Coast with fresh ducks and geese. Live ducks were used as decoys to attract other waterfowl, something that today is considered animal cruelty. During the fall migrations, the skies were filled with waterfowl. Places such as Chesapeake Bay, Delaware Bay, and Barnegat Bay were hunted extensively.
Species of waterfowl hunted
Many
species of ducks and geese share the same habitat and have overlapping
.
In North America a variety of ducks and geese are hunted, the most common being
,
Canada goose,
snow goose,
canvasback, redhead,
northern pintail,
gadwall,
ruddy duck,
,
common merganser and red-breasted merganser.
Also hunted are black duck,
wood duck,
blue-winged teal, green-winged teal,
bufflehead, northern shoveler,
American wigeon, and goldeneye. Sea ducks include
long-tailed duck,
eider, and
scoter.
Modern hunting techniques
The waterfowl hunting season is generally in the autumn and winter. Hunting seasons are set by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service in the United States.
In the autumn, the ducks and geese have finished raising their young and are migrating to warmer areas to feed.
A
hunting blind is used to conceal the hunter while duck decoys are used to attract birds. Using a good spread of
and calling, an experienced waterfowl hunter can successfully bag ducks or geese if waterfowl are flying that day.
Boats can be used as a hunting blind, known as sneakbox. Most popular are flat-bottomed boats (usually ) for increased stability. or canoes are also used. Pursuing diving ducks in lakes, bays or sounds requires larger and more stable boats, as small boats have been known to capsize. that conceal the hunter under the water surface are illegal.
Shotguns and ammunition
In the late 1960s
lead shot was identified as a major cause of
lead poisoning of waterfowl, which feed off the bottom of lakes and wetlands.
Shot pellets of lead have since been banned, and must be lead-free in the
United States,
Canada, and in the
European Union.
The pellet size depends on which species are being hunted.
Buckshot is illegal.
When hunting with
, there is a risk of injuring birds that manage to escape, so called crippling losses. As waterfowl fly in flocks, there is a risk for multiple ducks to be hit. The duck struck by the central cluster of the shot typically dies. However, ducks on the periphery may still be hit by some pellets, which they survive but result in lifelong suffering. Shooting at too far a distance also increases the risk of crippling losses.
Regulations and sportsmanship
European hunters in the
Middle Ages had a deep sense of justice for their prey and saw hunting as a challenge, where the animals deserved a fair chance. Hunters used fair methods to minimize unnecessary suffering for the prey. This code of honor required hunters to actively pursue and kill all injured animals to prevent their suffering. Targeting a sitting duck was considered dishonest.
To hunt waterfowl in Canada, one must first obtain a valid
Hunting license, as well as additional licenses at the provincial level.
It is considered good sportsmanship to make every possible attempt to retrieve injured or crippled waterfowl.
An X-ray study of ducks caught using nets in Australia found that between 6% and 19% of the ducks live with embedded shot pellets in their bodies.
Flyways and hunting grounds
Bird migration between breeding and wintering grounds using
. Each flyway has a different composition of species and habitat. In the Mississippi Flyway wildfowl hunting generally occurs on lakes,
,
, or rivers where ducks and geese land during their migration.
Maize and
Paddy field are also common hunting grounds, since geese and ducks often feed on the grain that remains in the field after harvest.
The
Atlantic Flyway is a migration route used by waterfowl flying from northern Quebec to Florida in the autumn and back in the springtime.
The
of
Anseriformes are
marsh and
, which are shrinking at alarming rates due to the drought and farmers draining wetland areas to plant crops. Wetland conservation and restoration is critical for the continuance of waterfowl hunting.
Further reading
