Is it illegal to…….

Call in waterfowl with dekes in the spring just for practice? My youngest has been going crazy watching the thousands of arriving birds on the river. I can’t find any state regs regarding this but mabe a federal no no?

I would call the local C.O. and ask him. After all he would be the one writing the ticket if you were in the wrong.

I don’t know if there is a specific law, but they could get you for harrassing wildlife. I would ask a CO

You may as well call a conservation officer. I’d say this would be a gray area depending on what the generally accepted definition of “harassing wildlife” is.

Even if you are perfectly legal, someone will call you in and report that you are “hunting” even though you haven’t fired a shot.

Grouse

Thanx 4 the replys fellas. I just got off the phone with the Wis.DNR. They said it was perfectly legal This is going to be bird watching at it’s finest. Tomorrow Jack will have a few hen decoys, his lanyard of calls and his digital go-pro to record his work……..can’t wait

Go get em’ Jack!

Remember the camera and video camera!!!!!!

Mwal

Sweet!!! Great idea and have fun Jack!!!

Mark

The boys had a hoot! While they were calling in big flocks I was on the ice pestering gills not more than a hundred yards away. The divers were incredible but the highlight to one of Jacks mornings was having two pintails about land in his lap. It is really a cool hobby especially this time of yr.when the birds are full of bright plumage and very decoy receptive, we’ll be doing more of it

Be careful. It is illegal to have decoys on the water outside of hunting hours. Another warden may see this differently.

While pursuing migratory game birds,
it is illegal to:
• Decoys:
hunt with decoys that are:
9
1.
placed beyond 200 feet from the cover in which the hunter is
located
(S)
.
2.
placed in the water prior to one hour before the opening of
waterfowl hunting hours
(S)
.
3.
left in the water more than 20 minutes after the close of waterfowl
hunting hours
(S)
.
4.
left in the water unattended.
Note:
You may leave decoys
unattended on dry land
(S)
.
5.
live, regardless of distance from the hunter.
Note:
All live,
tame, or captive ducks and geese shall be removed for a period
of 10 consecutive days prior to hunting, and confined within an
enclosure which substantially reduces the audibility of their calls
and totally conceals such birds from the sight of migratory wild
waterfowl.

Quote:

---

Be careful. It is illegal to have decoys on the water outside of hunting hours. Another warden may see this differently.

While pursuing migratory game birds,

it is illegal to:

• Decoys:

hunt with decoys that are:

9

1.

placed beyond 200 feet from the cover in which the hunter is

located

(S)

.

2.

placed in the water prior to one hour before the opening of

waterfowl hunting hours

(S)

.

3.

left in the water more than 20 minutes after the close of waterfowl

hunting hours

(S)

.

4.

left in the water unattended.

Note:

You may leave decoys

unattended on dry land

(S)

.

5.

live, regardless of distance from the hunter.

Note:

All live,

tame, or captive ducks and geese shall be removed for a period

of 10 consecutive days prior to hunting, and confined within an

enclosure which substantially reduces the audibility of their calls

and totally conceals such birds from the sight of migratory wild

waterfowl.

---

Thanks for posting that Lenny however these laws pertain to when the season is actually in progress. Checking with the Wisc. DNR and getting a thumbs up by a federal warden was all the proof I needed that this is perfectly legal I know on the other hand that all wardens are not the same and they could easily see this as a gray area. Hopefully they would see not poachers of waterfowl but two boys enjoying the heck out of watching and working birds.