Diving down? Does it happen?

[Blackduck]

When I was younger and hunting in a timberhole we busted a group of Gadwall. One was wounded and began to swim off. After searching the area I was never able to find the bird. The old coon-ass I was hunting with said "Gotta watch those greys, they'll dive down and bite onto a root or branch to escape. They are so stupid they will drown before they come up for air." It sounded like a bunch of voodoo. Several times over the years I've had the same thing happen when a wounded bird goes down, dives and never reappears. Usually with grey ducks strangely enough. I've heard this feat called diving down or biting down. Now I know that it sounds like a weak excuse for not finding a wounded bird but has anyone else ever heard of this? Hell maybe it is just some mojo voodoo. [img]images/smiles/icon_eek.gif[/img]

[NOHERE]

naw...it aint no voodo
I've had most all ducks dive when the dog gets close to them, greys and big ducks.
sometimes they stay down some, sometimes they come up.
I had one ol hen dive under while my lab was
about to put the chomp on her, she dive and he went under after her...water was about 5 ft. deep, all i could see is the tip of my dogs tail, he was down a little less than 8-10 seconds and came up with that duck.

[Hambone]

I vote with the mojo voodoo on the diving down. I do not believe that any breathing creature could voluntarily drown itself. A wounded escaping duck can swim a fair distance without surfacing, and if you are not looking in the right direction when he comes up for a quick breath, he can go under again and be gone before you know it. They also are VERY good at swimming with just the top of their head showing and barely leave a wake. Three suggestions: 1. If you have a falling duck that you can tell is still alive, try to shoot him again, in the air, before he hits the water. 2. Hit any swimming cripples immediately. 3. Get a good retriever...they will get birdsthat you would never otherwise find.

[luckyduck]

I have seen it twice this year. 1 woody, and 1 pintail. In flooded field. CRAZY!! They went under and never surfaced? So I believe it happens. [img]images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]

Guess I need to shoot better! HEHE

[Ken Griffith]

I absolutely believe that they will dive and swim under grass or whatever until they drown themselves. I have seen it happen too many times. (Three times our last day out this season.) It seems that diving ducks are more prone to do it but we have had mallards to do it as well. Usually when we see one "diving" two or three of us will get out there quickly and try to kick them up. (And they can swim much farher under water than you would expect.) Even doing this, with all of us looking, we have had then to disappear NEVER TO RESURFACE. It almost seems to be a "death before surrender" thing.
Who knows for sure? But we have lost many ducks through the years this way.

[landscaper]

I'm a firm believer that it happens. Some buddies and I were hunting a pond once that was land-locked and small enough that you could shoot the whole pond from anywhere on the bank. We had a large group of woodies come over and put five of them on the water and only picked up one. Four of them dove never to be seen again. There was no where for them to swim to and we stayed long enough that we would have seen them resurface on such a small pond. Only explanation is that they drowned themselves.

[goosebruce]

Don't know if they do it voluntairly, but they do sometimes drown. Seen em the next day where they floated up, and something got hold of them. Chased a pintail into a culvert one day, and stopped fatdawg wouldnt let her go into culvert (she is fat, shed got stuck for sure). Spent 30 minutes on top of that culvert, even stuck my gun into cluvert and shot 3 times. Next day, found feathers where dead duck floated out sometime and hawk got it. A lot of time the dives do come up though, seen em stay under 5 minutes before. If you got one swimming, walk toward it and push it in front of you into skinny water, and alots of times you can see swirls and kill duck. And honks do dive too, I didnt know that first time one did on me. A honk can swim 150 yards underwater, fast. 14 pound goose, with 1.5 inches of head sticking up, is a tough target, espeically when they can go totally underwater and cover 100 yards... travis

[Wildfowler]

Heck no they don't drown themselves. But they can do some serious evading to get away. Haven't' you ever seen a wounded duck swimming out in low profile mode? Nothing but their nostrils above the water. How are you going to see that, unless you're looking in exactly the right place.

I don't believe any animal would commit suicide. Animals are all about staying alive and preserving their species, which is why they go to great lengths to hold their breath and swim for miles. That myth, is just that. A myth that someone dreamed up to justify their loss of a bird.

Think about it, let's say that bird really did dive under and (quote) "grabbed a root". Since rigor mortis does not come on instantly with death, that bird's buoyancy would immediately bring him back to the surface as soon as he drowned and let go. Have you ever killed a duck that didn't float on the water? Me either. But don't forget, this is only my opinion.

[Redhead]

Years ago we hunted Tunica Cut-off and we had wounded Ducks dive and never re-surface only to come back a couple of days later after the water level had dropped and find Ducks still hanging in the buck brush! 3 feet above the water! They do Dive and drown [img]images/smiles/icon_mad.gif[/img] Had several do it this year in flooded rice.

Killed one a couple of years ago that stuck in the mud with only his tail feathers showing above the 2" deep water.
[img]images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]

[hotty toddy]

I don't believe they will dive on you I know they will. Woodies are the worst I have seen I saw several lost this way this year and many in years previous. I did not believe it until I saw it myself but believe you me they can and will do it.

[Duckkilla]

I don't what they do when they go under but I do know that they do not always come up. I have lost a bunch of ducks because they dove under and never came back up.

[mottlet]

lost one woodie this year that i shot at, he crumpled and began falling. he hit the water on the other side of a big cyprus, ie-i didn't see him hit the water. my partner saw him hit the water then immediately focused on trying to shoot the other duck. by the time that i got to the other side of the tree, approximately 3 seconds, there was no trace of the duck. searched for a while. found nothing except a pile of feathers where he hit. no wake of a swimming duck, nothing. it was a small hole too. i never figured he would grab onto something and hold on as much as he just got stuck in brush or something and drowned. who knows?

mottlet

[SoftCall]

I am with gooseb and wildfowler on this one. I think that they get tangled up when diving and drown by accident or the don't float up because something has them tangled up. Those damn black billed ducks are the worst about diving (gaddies and greenwings). They swim like a damn croc with their nostrils out of the water.

Hold your tounge wildfowler - the drakes have black bills. I can't seem to remember what color the hens' are. hmmmmm BS

[Wildfowler]

I'm sure that it would be very easy for a wounded duck to become entangled in brush after diving in murky water. I just don't believe that duck would try to kill itself. I'd like to be proven wrong. Are there any biologists on this board. I'm no biologist, but I've never heard, or read, or seen any of animal that deliberately took it's own life.

[CaptnT]

I have heard the same tale, that the duck drowns him/herself to avoid capture. [img]images/smiles/icon_rolleyes.gif[/img]

I have to believe that the wounded duck dives to avoid capture, sometimes clings to underwater objects to keep from surfacing, then dies of thier injuries. I too have seen ducks lodged in buckbrush/trees after a rapid water fall, but I have to believe that they died of thier injuries trying to evade capture.

Does make for a good story to tell the younguns [img]images/smiles/icon_wink.gif[/img]