Uh I do not care to get into the existing argument. But ah..
Well that is legal. You can throw back the smaller ones and only keep the biggest if you wish to.

We don't normally post it but yes there are occasions were a bird can't be retrieved. Its up to each person whether they want to count it towards their limit or not. The law states a reasonable effort not a risk your life effort.
If a bird is flying in a path that I think I won't be able to retrieve it I don't take the shot. But that's just me.
The only part that bothers me with the post is the
so many wounded got in there and gave us the slip
One or two I can see happening, so many sounds like a lot.
I pass it off to being young and don't think the kid needs to be jumped on. Over time he will probably become more selective on his shots.

well, to an extent. If you keep more than the daily bag limit on your stringer and then throw them back at the end of the fishing day....then no, thats not legal, because you are keeping in captivity more fish than the daily bag limit. If the daily bag limit is 10 fish, then you cannot have more than 10 fish on your stringer at any one time.

Well being a bass fisherman we use LIVE WELLS.

Yes it is illegal to throw back a dead fish. His fish comparison was weak.

law still does not change for a live well.

The kid did not break any laws. If he made an effort to retrieve the wounded duck, but couldn't find it, then he doesn't have to (nor should he) count it in his daily limit.

And, you can keep 10 fish in a live well, and if you catch something better than what you have in there.....1 in, 1 out. Nothing wrong with that.

really so every tournament fisherman is breaking the law when they cull a fish?

Your a smart one. You cannot throw back a dead fish. a live one you can.

Jeesh the internet cracks me up constantly. I guess GWs better just watch tv and catch all the guys culling on camera.

Wait what about all the tournament directors throwing fish back at the end of the day. They may be felons.

Well first off I didn't go out there and start blastin mallards left and right and didn't make an effort to go retrieve them. I would bet anything me and some of the kids I hunt with have done a lot more crazy stuff to retrieve birds than most of yall have. And i know all the rules, since I obviously know what im doing. We were perfectly legal with our 4 limits. I got perfectly fine morals, yall act like the duck population is scarse, trust me theres plenty to go around. And idk about yall but i don't scout, build blinds, buy shells, and wake up at the crack of dawn to come back with a short stack of birds. I'll go bring back my limit anyday. Im probably hunting with the gamewarden this weekend, ill tell him we better better count the ones that get away or the IGW on the thf will go get your [censored]. Yall can go thump your duck huntin bibles and have a nice day.

that's a man stickin up for himself there!!

Get em!

Well said Youngin.

who said anything about throwing back a dead fish. I must have missed that. I rearead the posts above and your the one who brought that up. Of course you cant throw back a dead fish. No one said you could.

i absolutely agree with the fish. You can throw 1 back if you catch another better one so as long as you do not have more than the DBL in your (Livewell, stringer, fish basket, cooler...or whatever you keep your fish in)

For With the ducks, i have no idea what the law really is. I have seen it written several different ways this morning while researching it. The texas wording sounds like its ok... According to the US Fish and Wildlife wording...it sounds illegal. I dont really care what it is. My dad taught me as a kid to include a wounded and lost animal as part of my daily bag limit. I will continue to do so because I personally feel that is the ethical thing to do and I could care less about padding my stats by trying to shoot a limit everytime i hunt. To me hunting it about getting out there and having fun. If i get 1 bird or 6 birds. I have just as much fun.

I would be willing to bet that most of everyone in this thread has not called the game warden and asked him what the law is regarding wounded birds. Perhaps those of you who feel its ok to do so should call and confirm to make sure you are not doing anything illegal. Just an idea.

Cheers and hope you all have a happy finish to the season. Im out the door here in about a half hour for 14 days of snowboarding and ice climbing. But i will be looking forward to spring turkey season.

Youngin...great job on the hunt. Glad you guys had an awesome morning before school.

Take care and be safe out there.

Nice hunt man. I dont count em torwards my limit either

"Like playing cards with my brother kids or something"

This post was less opinionated than previous posts. To each their own right? Interpretation is not that same by everyone, it's usually up to the LEO any way.

I personally think he did nothing wrong. I was also taught to make an effort to find anything I have positivly wounded, but, if you can't find it, it will eventually become lunch for another of Gods creatures.

But, I don't expect everyone out there to go by one set of ethics and morals.

Someone said if they shot a deer and know it died, they counted it as their tag or whatever. I bet you my left test tickle it wasn't on a paid hunt. I know he didn't go find the guide and fork over $2000 for that deer that is dead, but he can't find it. That's moral, right?

Man, y'all like to argue about some stupid crap on here.

For the record, I dont count cripples towards my limit.

Just invite a few buddies that can't hit the broad side of a barn and tell them to set up down stream with a dip net! Easy limits! But for real, IMO cripples should be counted towards limit. Not because its the legal thing to do but that its the ethical thing to do. It's understandable if you occasionally have one cripple you don't count, but "many" in the same hunt isn't ethical. Just my .02.

Amen, and I dont either!!

Great hunt Youngin

p.s.... I've lost 3 cripples this year so I don't think I've done any irreversable damage to the population

i let cripples go unless they have bands on em, especially ringers...

..You guys must be really bored.
GOOD HUNT!

Well played sir...

I agree with the poster that mentioned it was the hunter's choice on whether to count the cripples(within a reasonable # of course) AND that the REAL issue here is why there were so "many" cripples...it could of just been the way '69 worded the post, but it seems like his meaning(I know, never read "intent" into a post) was that they crippled a fair amount of birds. If, and I said if, that is the case then the only real thing to get upset over is why? Are y'all shooting too far away? Or was their particular flight path in over the creek(then you should've moved up of down the creek to better position yourself for an easier recovery. Are you using the wrong equipement(choke, shells, #, etc.)??? We have all crippled animals and have, for some reason, not been able to recover them -- so, I feel a little education/pointers on how better to avoid crippling and not recovering the animals is more beneficial to the young man's future success! Heck, we could probably all use some good pointers now and then!

Either way, good hunt!!

Yea, that. Real good hunt!

For some reason...I like this kid.