# The scoop on Hell divers? (Pied Billed Grebes)



## jimposten (Sep 28, 2008)

The Pond I usually hunt is COVERED with them... They are always swiming in the decoys, Even seen one hit the air this past weekend.

The veterans who are putting up with this rookie have given me plenty of warning. I have been tempted a couple times during a slow morning to get on them... but they have assured me the DNR would not approve.

I have searched all over for regulations and fines related with protected species, and I cant find anything, especially about the hell divers.

so whats thier story... they definately seem abundant in our parts.

JIM


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## anon12162011 (Jun 9, 2009)

they fall into the non game migratory bird status...same as a blue heron...

If you were to shoot one and get caught, I believe it potentially could be a 1,000 fine and loss of privledges for 3 years


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## ahartz (Dec 28, 2000)

They are crazy little birds. definitely NOT LEGAL and pretty darn stupid. we had two in the decoys for 20 mins last week. great live action in the decoys...andy


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## thetrueflatsman (Aug 5, 2009)

I was just wondering....... did you plan on eating it after you killed it?


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## jimposten (Sep 28, 2008)

BigR said:


> they fall into the non game migratory bird status...same as a blue heron...
> 
> If you were to shoot one and get caught, I believe it potentially could be a 1,000 fine and loss of privledges for 3 years


Thats the info I was looking for. my hunting buddies knew for sure it was illegal, but there was a little confusion on the reprecutions.



thetrueflatsman said:


> I was just wondering....... did you plan on eating it after you killed it?


Im not one to shoot something I dont plan on eating. I have no intensions of making the dog go after one of those ugly birds, I was just saying when thats all thats moving, and you have 20 of them on the water, the trigger finger tends to get a little itchy.



ahartz said:


> They are crazy little birds. definitely NOT LEGAL and pretty darn stupid. we had two in the decoys for 20 mins last week. great live action in the decoys...andy


Very true, movement in the dekes is always a bonus, and they are fun to glass.

JIM


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## waxico (Jan 21, 2008)

What he said, they eat the same diet as Sawbills-yuck.

And 95% of the time they don't fly, so you would have to use highly tuned marksmanship to water swat them.


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## William H Bonney (Jan 14, 2003)

waxico said:


> What he said, they eat the same diet as Sawbills-yuck.
> 
> And 95% of the time they don't fly, so you would have to use highly tuned marksmanship to water swat them.


They're real fragile, kinda like robins and bluejays, they're easy to swat on the water...:lol:


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## adam bomb (Feb 27, 2006)

Definitely not the smartest bird in the marsh. More than once we've had them in the spread milling around when ducks come in. Bust the ducks and theyre still out there bombing around in the decoys.:lol: I dont mind, adds realism to the spread.

I remember hearing last year that someone got busted for shooting them. Mistook them for teal.....Whoops!


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## jimposten (Sep 28, 2008)

waxico said:


> What he said, they eat the same diet as Sawbills-yuck.
> 
> And 95% of the time they don't fly, so you would have to use highly tuned marksmanship to water swat them.


Ive seen hundreds on the pond so far, and seen one take the air once.

Where would I find a list of fair and not fair game?

JIM


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## ahartz (Dec 28, 2000)

jimposten said:


> Ive seen hundreds on the pond so far, and seen one take the air once.
> 
> Where would I find a list of fair and not fair game?
> 
> JIM



anything listed as having a season in ther waterfowl guide is fair game...ducks, rails, gallunules etc....anything NOT in the guide is not legal to harvest....andy


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## thetrueflatsman (Aug 5, 2009)

Jim,

Are you sure what your seeing is a PB Grebe? 

Having hundreds of the doesn't sound right.

What color are they?

Sounds like maybe your seeing Moorhens or Coots.

PB Grebe's are very tiny, light to med brown in color and the have a very tiny, light color beek.


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## jimposten (Sep 28, 2008)

They look just like the pic on ducks.org, and they have the chicken head and beak.

Also on the quanity, I should clarify, Ive nver had hundreds on the water at once, just several groups of 2 to 5, I am assuming the lake has 100+

JIM


thetrueflatsman said:


> Jim,
> 
> Are you sure what your seeing is a PB Grebe?
> 
> ...


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## thetrueflatsman (Aug 5, 2009)




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## jimposten (Sep 28, 2008)

they all look just like this...










Im assuming Ive never seen a male... 

JIM


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## thetrueflatsman (Aug 5, 2009)

yup, thats a grebe.


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## Shlwego (Sep 13, 2006)

adam bomb said:


> I remember hearing last year that someone got busted for shooting them. Mistook them for teal.....Whoops!


Last year on the mid-zone opener when we got back to the launch we saw a grebe on the back bumper of a CO's truck, along with a shotgun and a box of shells. The officer was in the process of writing the citation, and the guy getting the ticket looked pretty sad and embarrassed..... Heard later that he told the officer the morning was pretty slow, and so he decided to shoot a "coot." Whoops!


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## William H Bonney (Jan 14, 2003)

Shlwego said:


> Last year on the mid-zone opener when we got back to the launch we saw a grebe on the back bumper of a CO's truck, along with a shotgun and a box of shells. The officer was in the process of writing the citation, and the guy getting the ticket looked pretty sad and embarrassed..... Heard later that he told the officer the morning was pretty slow, and so he decided to shoot a "coot." Whoops!


Do you remember the pic's of the "coots" on the tailgate that someone on here posted from the Youth Hunt with their kid??  
Man,, that dude got BLASTED on the site here for that one. :lol:
I can't remember if that was last year or the year before..


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## anon12162011 (Jun 9, 2009)

jimposten said:


> Ive seen hundreds on the pond so far, and seen one take the air once.
> 
> Where would I find a list of fair and not fair game?
> 
> JIM


 
are you really itching that bad to kill something other than ducks, coots, or geese? If so, maybe you are in the sport for the wrong reasons


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## waxico (Jan 21, 2008)

Happily for Jim Postin, instead of Grebes, you will be surprised to find out that English sparrows and Starlings are legal too. No closed season, invasive species. Look in the small game rules.

By that logic, Mute Swannies too?


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## jimposten (Sep 28, 2008)

BigR said:


> are you really itching that bad to kill something other than ducks, coots, or geese? If so, maybe you are in the sport for the wrong reasons


Easy there You are reading way to much into this.

I didnt say I was going to start shooting anything that moves. 

If you dont ever sit in a blind and and wish for something to shoot, what are you out there for?

An itchy trigger finger is part of hunting... its part of the fun, and if you arent having fun, then maybe you are in the sport for the wrong reason.

I dont know anyone that leaves the blind saying "whew, I sure am glad I didnt have to pull the trigger today"

JIM


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