Hunting question, strange scene.

My buddy was bass fishing on the south end of Pool 2 last weekend and saw a group of guys zipping around on the water in blaze orange. They hopped off on an island down by spring lake and started driving for deer. There was a deer on the island and it got spooked and ran into the river, starting to swim away. The guys open up on it and bounce about seven slugs off the water before they ding the deer. Then they hop back in their boat, drive out to the deer and drag it back to the island. I asked a buddy and he said there’s no legal hunting spots (for deer) on pool 2 with a gun. Is this true? Also, can you blast a deer while it’s swimming? Seems unethical to me, but I haven’t hunted in 14 years so I’m not up on all the rules.

I don’t know about legal boundaries. I do know there are many people in our world that make the rest of us look bad.

Don’t seem right to me. If you had a cell phone, I think I would of called the dnr!!!

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I don’t know about legal boundaries. I do know there are many people in our world that make the rest of us look bad.

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X2
Many people don’t understand how much/far a bullet can glance off from the surface of water when hit right. Much like skipping a rock at 3,000 fps. Not an ethical choice I would make.

Sounds classy. Seems like something I’d see down here in Iowa. No, I don’t know. I hunt deer in cornfields and forests. I’m sure it isn’t legal and they sound like the people who don’t care either way. True sportsman wouldn’t do that.

My understanding would be that it is illegal to shoot a deer in the water? Wouldn’t swear to it. Still most reasonably ethical human beings might follow their “Moral Compass” and give a tip of the hat on the grounds of fair chase. Still…an overestimation of the general smarts of some has been my greatest downfall for years.

Dont know about pool 2, but all the pools down here are legal for hunting on the islands. Unless the pool is a refuge I cant see it being illegal. It is however, illegal to shoot a slug, rifle, or pistol into or over a body of water. So shooting at it while it was in the water was illegal, but hunting there probably wasnt. There are a lot of guys who drive islands for deer.

So all the fisherman on the water, be aware that there will be guys out shooting on the islands this time of year. Waterfowl, deer, turkey, squirrel, rabbit… they all inhabit islands and get shot at. Be very careful deciding where to fish.

Shooting any game animal while its in the water violates the fair chase rules. Highly illegal. It is possible to hunt on the private property around P2, but , I think the islands are federal and off limits to hunting large and small game.

B BK, pistols are not included in the law you speak of.

A true sportsman would have driven the boat up to that swimming deer, jumped on its back and wrestled it, winner takes all style. Loser drowns.

Some Islands in Pool 2 are private some are public some are part of the new Spring Lake WMA

Mwal

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B BK, pistols are not included in the law you speak of.

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Its single projectile in Iowa. Anything with single projectile can not be shot into or over the water (aside from a bow for bowfishing of course). You can shoot a 12 gauge over the river using shot, but not a slug.

If you are talking about the upper miss. fish and wildlife refuge system, you are correct.

Where I’m located, south of the refuge system, I’m correct. Backed by a call to my local CO last night. The only reason I posted is because I still use a pistol to dispatch fur in my traps which consists of shooting over open water, no matter the distance.

My understanding was no firearm deer hunting on pool 2 anymore. Its a shame it has gone that way. Can still bow hunt areas.

Seen a couple of guys flinging arrows at a deer with in sight of the 494 landing a couple of years back. They kept circling it in the boat flinging arrows at it. It all ready had a couple sticking out of it. the guy had his kid with and they where trying to get him his first deer. Would guess with training like that his first DNR fine and loss of bow would be coming very soon to.