December 12, 2011
By Jeff Weakley
The girlfriend who dropped a pigeon on the wing with a .22 rifle. The buddy who downed a teal with a handgun. A young man who took a sheep at nearly a half-mile in a 15 mph crosswind.
These are just a couple of the wildly entertaining stories popping up under a great thread on the General Hunting Forum this week: “The most-amazing shot you have witnessed.” Click here to view the thread.
Of course, on a normal day of hunting, you should be taking well-planned, careful shots, mindful of laws and common courtesy.
Cooler heads should prevail on Florida hunting grounds. Following the Dec. 10 opening of Second Phase Waterfowl Season, United Waterfowlers-Florida reminded duck hunters on the Stormwater Treatment Areas (STAs) to stick to the game plan to ensure these terrific hunts on Water Management District lands are allowed to continue. Among good advice for hunters and fishermen everywhere: Clean up your trash; double-check your permits and your gear (non-toxic shot, gun plugged to hold no more than 3 shells); be a good sportsman by respecting others—which for waterfowlers means shooting carefully at decoying birds, as opposed to “skybusting” at birds passing high.
The STA hunts around South Florida are taking place a couple of days each week. Permits were granted back in the summer, but often you can get in as a “walk-on,” following the early morning hunts. For details, check out the WMA brochures found here.
