WASHINGTON - The Humane Society of the United States revealed
today that many more waterfowl are being killed by hunters each
year in the U.S. than has previously been estimated, and many
of these ducks and geese are dying protracted and painful
deaths.
In a report, titled The Ones That Almost Got Away: Unseen
Victims of Waterfowl Hunters, The HSUS documents the
inaccuracies of previous research on waterfowl mortality and
calls for efforts from wildlife management communities to
dramatically reduce waterfowl wounding rates.
Among the report's findings:
Wounding and Crippling Rates Wounding is an inherent
component of waterfowl hunting. The majority of ducks and geese
wounded in this way are not likely to recover: for these birds,
death can be protracted. It is not currently possible to
accurately document waterfowl wounding rates or to assess the
total number lost to wounding. However, visible evidence for
crippling, a more easily observed from of wounding, is more
readily obtainable. Crippling rates of up to 45 percent of all
birds shot have been documented via direct observation of hunts
in progress.
The Failure of Previous Studies Sampling procedures
in earlier studies on the frequency of wounding and crippling
were fundamentally flawed, as they generally relied on hunters'
self reports, via questionnaires or surveys, to estimate
wounding rates. The reliability of such figures is doubtful,
since hunters may simply not accurately recall events of the
hunt, may intentionally lie because they failed to retrieve
shot birds, or may not see the wounding or crippling they
cause. One study comparing direct observation of waterfowl
hunting with hunters' reports found a significant discrepancy
between the number of birds wounded reported by the hunters and
the tallies of trained, concealed observers. Hunters'
self-reporting produced a crippling rate of six to 18 percent
of all ducks and geese shot, while observers reported a
crippling rate between 20 to 40 percent.
A Recent Reevaluation A sophisticated mathematical
reanalysis of U.S. crippling data estimates that for every duck
killed, another is crippled. Skilled hunters wound
approximately five ducks for every 10 killed outright, and
novice hunters wound between five and 15 ducks for every 10
killed.
Why Are So Many Waterfowl Wounded or Crippled? In
order to quickly kill a duck or goose, a shot must be fired
within the appropriate range for the type of pellet being used.
When a hunter shoots at a bird outside of the lethal range of
the pellet, a practice known as "skybusting," the animal is
often wounded or crippled but not killed outright. Aim error is
also a factor in waterfowl wounding.
Misidentification of Waterfowl Protected species of
ducks and geese are also at risk of similar wounding or
crippling rates. The report highlights hunters' inability to
correctly identify under hunt conditions more than two or three
of the most common duck species. Despite this, hunters shoot at
more than 90 percent of ducks and 100 percent of geese they
believe are within range.
The Role of Social Influences While hunter education
programs may produce some success in reducing waterfowl
wounding and crippling rates, the report notes that hunter
density and social factors may counteract educational efforts.
The report posits that hunters may feel in competition with
each other, driving them to be more indiscriminate in their
shooting in an attempt to kill more birds. Similarly, observing
other hunters engaging in skybusting may result in acceptance
of this practice. These social factors may increase as hunter
density increases, as on firing lines, for example.
"Despite the realization that millions of ducks and geese
are shot and injured, and suffer terribly before they die,
there has been no comprehensive response from the wildlife
management community to try to reduce the wounding rates," said
the report's author, Robert Alison, Ph.D., Canadian waterfowl
biologist, international waterfowl expert, and former waterfowl
hunter who has written for Outdoor and Hunter magazines. "In
fact, states have programs in place designed to attract
children to duck hunting. This will undoubtedly increase the
percentage of waterfowl experiencing a prolonged, miserable
death."
John Grandy, Ph.D. senior vice president for Wildlife and
Habitat Protection for The HSUS and a waterfowl biologist and
former duck hunter, put it this way: "Even hunters should see
the high wounding and crippling rates as unacceptable, and
should demand more of themselves and more of a system that
encourages them to buy their licenses with no regard for the
tremendous suffering that ensues."
