squirrel ethics question?

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bigmike22

New member
I went squirrel hunting today with a friend of a friend. We werent seeing much and then all of a sudden i see him pull up and he starts shooting the nests in the trees. He pops one then another and then another on the third a squirrel pops out and continues to unload on it and it finally hits the ground. I have never heard of anyone shooting the nests and thought it might even be illegal but couldnt find anything to state that in my michigan dnr handbook. I was just wondering if this is an accepted practice by most and i just dont get out much or is this as unethical as i think it is? thanks guys
 
Bigmike,
I don't know about the legality, but go with you gut instinct. I believe it to be unethical. Kinda like fishing with dynamite may not be in the book but I bet ya Mr. DNR wouldn't be happy.
 
As far as I know, it is fine in Oklahoma. Never heard anyone complain about it. Since we got deer in large numbers and turkeys around here, it doesn't seem like anyone hunts rabbits or squirrels much anymore. I don't thing anyone will hurt the numbers by shooting into a nest.
 
It is illegal in Missouri to harass an animal in its nest, ect. He would surely get a ticket here for that behavior. You didn't mention what sort of firearm he was using, however, considering he shot three nest and then a squirrel ran out and he continued unloading on the squirrel - he was using a rimfire rifle I'd bet. Was that safe in your area?
 
Is that like shooting into a brush patch to see if there is any deer in it? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smiliesmack.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smiliesmack.gif
 
Hey I heard something and I shot....It ain't legal here in wisconsin..... What happens if the squirrel in the nest that he shot into didn't move ,,, a head shot????
 
bigmike22; If I was you, I would tell your friend of a friend that legal or not, it's not to cool if it's not fair chase.
 
nest shooting does not = hunting

Kinda tough to get a decent head shot on a squirrel if all you know is the general area of its body. If you don't shoot a squirrel in the head where else would you shoot them.
 
First off, it is illegal in MOST states to practice that behavior.

Secondly, if this guy didn't know the game laws, he shouldn't be out there (and you should know them TOO) /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

And Third, if he resorts to that kind of recklessness, I don't want to be anywhere near the guy when he is armed. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

Like GC politely pointed out....Next time you see this guy, ask him if he took into consideration that those 40gr pieces of lead he was throwing randomly into the sky were going to come down somewhere? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smiliesmack.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif
 
Just for the sake of an argument............

Is it that much different than having a bird-dog sniff out a quail in its' home, then flushing the bird and blasting it with birdshot?

--Which I do as often as I can. There's nohting like bird hunting.
 
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it would exactly the same .........if you shot first then waited to see if quail emmerged from the shot up home.

anyone who does that probably wouldn't know a quails nest from a beehive anyway.
 
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we shoot ground squirells when they could be pregnant any time,any of the squirells you shoot could be nursing young,i dont think ethics hs any ground here.
 
Personally i was raised to have respect for the game you are hunting and to give them all a sporting chance. I love to squirrel hunt and when i go if i don't see one i dont shoot one. There is always tomorrow and i'm sure alot of you feel that way.
 
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Personally i was raised to have respect for the game you are hunting and to give them all a sporting chance. I love to squirrel hunt and when i go if i don't see one i dont shoot one. There is always tomorrow and i'm sure alot of you feel that way.



Thats the way i was raised also.To respect the game i am hunting. I was having a hard time with the coyotes at first because i only kill what i eat. I love duck and goose hunting but cant stand to eat them so i dont do it anymore. but the coyotes are little different because of the damage they are causing in my area. They are killing of the turkeys at an amazing pace and i have even seen one take a deer down. So i havent gotten past the not eating them.
But this whole thing with the squirrels freaked me out. I sat down and had a long talk with him about it today and explained to him that i was not comfortable with what he was doing and that he was not welcome to hunt with us anymore if choose to do that. He said that that was the way he was raised and had no problem not shooting into the nests. I prefer to know what i am shooting.
 
Personaly I wouldn't hunt with any of my friends again if they acted like that. How many squirells did he wound and leave laying in their nest suffering. Nobody knows. If I would have done this growing up my father would have taken my gun to me and broke it over my head.
 
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we shoot ground squirells when they could be pregnant any time,any of the squirells you shoot could be nursing young,i dont think ethics hs any ground here.



There is a difference. Nonya you shoot the ground squirells for population control. You do not eat them, they do not have a bag limit, they probably do not require a lic. etc. The squirels he is talking about are differnt. They are not out shooting these things to protect property etc. they are doing for the sport of hunting. I see a difference.

To answer the question: I agree with has been said, if you do not like it, regardless of if it is legal or not, then do not put up with it. there are many things that are legal, but not moral.

Go with your gut.

The guy who brought up the bird dog. there is a differnce, with a dog your not shooting blindly. The number one rule of shooting is shoot only what you want to hit and be sure of your target. Shooting blindly into a nest has not gauntees as to what your target is.
 
To blindly shoot "into anything" has some serious ethical issues. No matter what your quarry is. I don't blindly shoot into some weeds when I am shooting prairie dogs just because there might be some in there. One of the Cardinal rules that you are taught in hunters safety....always be sure of your target. Shooting into a nest does not demonstrate that rule.
 


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