Hunting after Sunset

[Bustin' Ducks]

Just a thought...Why exactly is it that Waterfowl hunters CANT hunt til 30 minutes after Sunset like Big/Small game hunters....seeing a lot of ducks after sunset.....

[Welldoggie]

You just answered your own question. Ducks do pile in near dark thirty...

[Bustin' Ducks]

Had a State Biologist say that the ducks are vulnerable after sunset...Like deer aren't vulnerable going to a green field.....Sounds like BS to me....

[Greenhead22]

It's not BS, just watch ducks late in the evening when they start flying in big groups, they know when you can't hunt them when that sun drops below the trees.

As for the deer and the green fields, they just gone nocturnal this season, feeding at night, I bet I haven't seen 20 deer all season during the day, then sunday night I rode over to a neighboring camp to shoot the chit and counted 26 in a bean/green field, and I had hunted that field several times without even seeing a deer before dark.

We've taken 5 bucks this season, avg 15-20/season, and will probably be in trouble next season because our bucks never went into the rut, saw one buck in late november chasing a doe for the hell of it, we saw does with fawns all season, and only saw one buck worthy of going into rut.

[hillhunter]

it's called a full moon. the deer love it cause they can feed all night and sleep all day. ducks do it too. with a big spotlight in the sky it's hard to hunt anything during the day. the only thing I know of that's good during a full moon is the bream fishing.

[Skeeter]

greenhead 22, we have the same problem down at my farm this year, my two uncles and myself hunt every week and even as of last weekend we're seeing bucks running together....IOW, no rut, if there is one, and it happens sometime in Feb, there will be a lot of small deer out there next year.....although, there maybe be all those big uns that never got dumb enough to chase does and get seen this year, so theyll be bigger

[Bustin' Ducks]

Ok..So what's the real reason why duck hunters can't hunt after sunset???

[Greenhead22]

Because ducks have no choice but to come in to rest in the holes at sunset. You could hunt all day until sunset w/o firing a shot, then in about 5 min wear their asses out and weed out the population quick. Deer have a choice of when and where to move, ducks don't, they HAVE to come in at sunset, it's preset in their brains to do so and the law won't let us take advantage of what is mandatory of ducks at dark. Does that answer it? I've killed 45 ducks this season, now if i had hunted after sunset all of those days, wonder what my limit number would've been, a helluva lot more than that.

[Bustin' Ducks]

goosebruce..Is there a conspiracy theory here....

[dudlbugr]

I think it has to do with a "roost". Ducks, and other birds I guess, go to roost right before dark. Although, I think my father used to hunt right up until you couldn't see your hand in front of your face!

[drakes4fun]

For the same reason you can't shoot turkeys off of the roost.

[gadwall2]

Shootin a roost isn't "fair chase". If you don't believe me, I can take you to a spot that the ducks absolutely pile into about 20-30 minutes after sunset. I took two of my sons there a few weeks ago and let them watch. Ducks were landing 5 ft from the boat. Now, there ain't nuttin fair about killin a duck that wants to get in the bed you are standing in. Kinda like cutting the lights off in your bedroom. Its dark, you know where your bed is, and thats the only place you intend on going.

[duckhuntalot]

You hit the nail on the head gadwall2

[upstate fowler]

I imagine as well as the roost shoot issues, it also has to do with identifying what you shoot. Since many hunters have trouble with this in broad daylight, I am sure there is concern that people would shoot whatever flies in and worry about identification later.

[Bustin' Ducks]

Points taken...thanks guys..