why drakes
 

what is the reasoning behind shooting only drakes. I have a couple theories but I find a flaw in all of them and I dont know the true answer.

RE: why drakes
 

YES
The hen are the ones that lay and sit on the eggs and are very vulnerable during nesting season to predators.
If you want to shoot ducks next year let the hens fly !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

RE: why drakes
 

I shot my limit of hens. I did because I knew they were ducks but I didnt know they were hens so I shot. I dont usually shoot them but I wouldve got zero ducks for the day so I shot and turns out they were hens. [:@][:@]

RE: why drakes
 

as far as the let the hens go ....we do if at all possible .... but im not ashamed to admit that we shoot a fair amount of hens during a course of a season .... hard to pass em up on slow days and if a pair comes in we try to take em both .... kill the flock and ya wont have smart birds are our theory ... lol .... and here is sumthin to think bout .... ya cant sex a goose in flight ... many many many females are killed a season ...still we have loads of em .... just sumthin to think bout .... but all in all ... i agree with the pick out the drakes when at all possible .... plus they look purty on the straps in the pix ya take at the end of a hunt .... lol

RE: why drakes
 

I have always just preferred looking at the drakes more so thats what I try to shoot.

RE: why drakes
 

Simple. Drakes make the best picture. Much more impressive to see green shining in the sun than a limit of brown.

Oh yeah, and we want the hens to hatch next year.

RE: why drakes
 

Well im kinda both ways on the shot the drakes thing. Me and my hunting partners dont really get that much of a chance to pick out drakes in a flock. For one thing we never really get to shot at flocks so we just take what comes in just say if there is two ducks coming in we shot both but in a flock of about 6 or 8 we try to take drakes and if we get them we go for hens. i really dont think with our average of about 40-45 birds a year will hurt the population anyway

Thats my views on the situation you can like it or hate it.

RE: why drakes
 

For one the hens lay the eggs so without them we wouldn't have young ducks but you need drakes for this too. Mostly predators take many more hens throughout the year because they are much more vulnerable sitting on their eggs. They need all the help they can get so if you can, pick out a drake.

RE: why drakes
 

There is a reason to concentrate on drakes. Usually hens are outnumbered by drakes by a considerable margin in most species and one drake will mate with several hens after his mate begins sitting on eggs. In geese the sex ratio is very evenly split in most species much different than ducks. My old partner and I used to have a deal whereby anytime one of accidentally shot a hen Pintail or Mallard we would put a buck in the pot and donate to DU or other conservation organization at the end of the season. Also it makes a much more interesting day in the marsh when you can identify before you kill a duck also makes the day last a little longer. Isn't this the reason we go out in the first place?

RE: why drakes
 

well dr ..... thats true ...and i agree .... but its easy to say these things if ya live in a great area to waterfowl ... most of us arent as fortunate as you to live in a great waterfowling state .... granted we have sum great shoots here from time to time ... but its nuthin like other arteas i have hunted .... sum days ya have to take what ya can get .... and yes i agree .....about out there having fun .... but shooting a few hens throughout season is not so bad in my opinion .... ALOT of birds migrate throught here at night so we dont even get a crack at em ....also ... if everyone passed up hens ...i would think the numbers would explode and there wouldnt be enuff food to keep em all on full and flying their routes .... what im saying is ... the numbers are great at this time on almost all of the species ....so we must not being too bad by shooting a few hens

RE: why drakes
 

drgildy
Rack Buck If the drakes out number the hens, how can the drakes mate with other hens?The way I've heard it a drake mates with a hen, waits until she lays the eggs, and then leaves once the eggs hatch.

RE: why drakes
 

food for thought ..... now i agree like i said earlier bout tryin to shoot only drakes if at all possible .... but ...... i dont know how it is where yall are at ... but im sure its pretty much like here .... there are so many refuge areas ... including private land with no huntin, city parks, city limits, state parks, etc ..... that even if we would shoot every hen that came into the spread ... it would take years of doing that to drop the numbers down ........... but im not ashamed to admit i will shoot a hen .... talked to a guy the other night ..... tells me that he went out on the opener (not here in indiana) and the group killed 27 birds .... i congradulated him on a great hunt ..... when i asked how many guns there were .... he says 3 ..... i was like WOW lil over ya limits eh ? .... and he says .... IT WAS AN ACCIDENT .... 9 birds an accident ?? id like to see him explain to a CO how that happened .... lol .... anyhow point being ..... no matter if ya shoot only drakes ... the next guy is more than likely bust the hell outta em on the way round the bend of the river, lake, etc ..... and i know ... ya gonna reply with the ... if everyone had that attitude there would be no ducks ..... and thats true to a degree ..... as long as ya stay within ya limits that are set ... i see nuthin wrong ... thats why we pay all those biologists .... to tell us what we can and cant do ... lol

RE: why drakes
 

Thats crap, people should always stay with their limit IMO, and save some for others. those limits were established for a reason!!!

RE: why drakes
 

I think that's what canis_lupus was trying to say.

RE: why drakes
 

, or skunk.

RE: why drakes
 

Sorry, I don't know where the rest of my post went. So I'll just add that I hope all you waterfowlers will support some waterfowl conservation organization like Ducks Unlimited, Delta Waterfowl or some others to help maintain the greatest sport of all!