Why do I find empty shells in the woods?

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  • Sylvain

    Grandmaster
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    1   0   0
    Nov 30, 2010
    77,313
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    Normandy
    I was walking on a trail in the woods the other day and I found a few spent shotgun shells.I often find them in fields or woods around my house.I pick them up to throw them away at home.

    Why hunters dont pick them up after each shot? :dunno:

    They dont shoot full auto shotguns, you have time to store your spent shells away as you reload your double barrel gun.

    Are they just a few that leave trash behind or is it common practice among hunters to not pick the empty shells?
    I would assume that it's very easy to see the bright colored case and the shiny brass in the middle of the green grass.


    Shotgun-Shell.jpg



    I already find rude people who do that at the range, but I find it even worse when it's in the wilderness.

    :ranton:
     

    rockhopper46038

    Grandmaster
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    May 4, 2010
    6,742
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    Fishers
    Most people are tremendously inconsiderate.

    A few months back I was driving behind a Toyota Prius with every conceivable environmental organization bumper sticker you could find plastered to the back hatch (along with a whole bunch of far Left crap) and what do I see? For about ten minutes on I-465 the chick driving the car was chain smoking and throwing the butts out the window. What the hell?
     

    CitiusFortius

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    Aug 13, 2012
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    NWI
    I would assume that it's very easy to see the bright colored case and the shiny brass in the middle of the green grass.

    Well, it all varies of course, but I will admit to sometimes leaving shells in the field.

    Typical scenario: Shoot a pheasant, dog runs off, I look for 10 secs or so, can't find it so I go after the dog.

    I try to get what I can, but you'd be surprised how quickly a shell can get covered by some brush.

    I maybe leave (lose) 20% or so. My apologies to anybody that comes after me, finds it and cusses me out in their heads or on message boards.
     

    Sylvain

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    Nov 30, 2010
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    Normandy
    Well, it all varies of course, but I will admit to sometimes leaving shells in the field.

    Typical scenario: Shoot a pheasant, dog runs off, I look for 10 secs or so, can't find it so I go after the dog.

    I try to get what I can, but you'd be surprised how quickly a shell can get covered by some brush.

    I maybe leave (lose) 20% or so. My apologies to anybody that comes after me, finds it and cusses me out in their heads or on message boards.

    Im just wondering as I never been hunting.
     

    KoopaKGB

    Sharpshooter
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    99   1   0
    Dec 21, 2008
    713
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    South Bend
    Its been a long time since I've hunted anything but now that I think of it on a rabbit hunt we left behind pry 5 spent shells. We just got so excited when we finally saw the rabbit take off from its hiding place that we didnt even think about collecting up the spent shells. To our credit the land we were hunting on was a friend of ours.
     

    Archer46176

    Shooter
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    4   0   0
    Jul 21, 2012
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    South East of Indy
    As a bird hunter and rabbit hunter who uses dogs sometimes the shooting is so quick and the dogs run off. As you lead a rabbit or bird you are movng so sometimes it is difficult to find spent hulls in tall weeds and brush. Sometimes you are in the tall weeds and brush and they eject to a clear spot where you may not see them but others may ckme along them. If I use a shotgun squirrel hunting I pick up all hulls but if I use a .22 I find it hard to find the small shells when ejected from a semi auto. If I use my Grand dads 16 gauge double all hulls are kept... BUT you said something that I caught when you said hunters dont use full auto shotguns so why cant they put shells away as they reload their double, many people dont use a double while small game, duck or goose hunting. They DO use semi autos and pump guns which do fling an empty hull quite a ways sometimes. I find it kind of disheartening for you to assume that all hunters use double guns as their is no law stating that we hjnters cannot use semi auto or pump guns while hunting. Generalizations like this lead to more people thinking hunters only need double guns which leads to load capacity restrictions which lead to people thinking that no one needs full capacity magazines. Remember hunter or not we are all shooters and fellow gun owners so you need to word things correctly as to not trample on the rights of your brothers and sisters.
    This goes on a lot in the archery community between compound bow users, longbow users and recurve bow users. All of us archers are archers and if a guy wants to use cables and cams on carbon fiber limbs thats fine by me and my self bow and laminated longbow...
     

    BehindBlueI's

    Grandmaster
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    29   0   0
    Oct 3, 2012
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    Well, not everyone is using a double barrel to hunt, and pump guns can sling one further than you think. When I'm squirrel hunting I keep my eye on where the squirrel falls, because I don't want to lose it. Then I walk to where it fell without taking my eye off the spot. Because of that, I don't pick up my shotgun shells.

    That said, if you run across my shells, you are trespassing. I haven't hunted off my own property in many, many, many years.
     

    chuddly

    Expert
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    10   0   0
    Jan 17, 2012
    976
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    Eminence, IN
    I shoot on my own land normally and i only shoot in a couple places on the land so i will leave .22 brass until there is a good amount there and then pick it all up at once. all other brass i get before i pack it in for the day because i reload. But if i see shells or something that someone else has left i dont get upset. I look at it like im SURE i have missed some of mine before and either someone has or someone will find it. I pick up the "not fired by me" brass/shell and stuff it in my bag and go on and do so happily. Because in my mind i know they were having fun shooting and me getting mad does no good at all. Plus im sure someone will pick up a piece of my brass/shell and i hope they have the same attitude about it. I understand about people trying to be polite and pick up after them selves but lets not get too angry about a small thing like this and remember they would probly pick it up if they would have seen it.
     

    Lagrange

    Marksman
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    4   0   0
    Oct 8, 2012
    252
    18
    Lagrange, IN.
    I do all of my hunting on private land, my own and some I lease. I have never intentionally made a concerted effort to pick up spent shotgun hulls while hunting. I am too concentrated on hunting. I'm sorry, that's just the way I am. I hunt with a semi auto and the hulls fly fairly far and with the turns and twists involved in hunting/shooting the hulls rarely fall in a nice neat pile. I do pick up spent hulls when I am scouting and setting up stands when I see them. My brother in law does the same. I rarely find a spent hull when hunting because of our attitude about it during the off season, which applies to all trash and debris. Under no cercumstances will I intentionally leave any type of litter or trash behind while in the woods or field. That kind of stuff is controllable.
    When I target shoot behind my house or at the range I always pick up my brass because I reload. I also pick up steel cases and 22 shells and when enough has accumulated I take the buckets to a metal recycling center where I get paid for my effort.
    Not everyone picks up their brass/hulls. I have found hulls while walking in state owned land. I pick it up because I think it help preserve the essence of the outdoors. But I could care less if people dont pick their brass up. I am sure they are caught in the moment of the hunt and are just enjoying the minute.
    You might not appreciate it, but it is what it is.
    I think there are a lot of hunters like me, but there will always be people who do what they want regardless of the ethics, morals, or rules.
     

    UncleNorby

    Marksman
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    0   0   0
    May 24, 2012
    215
    16
    Near South Bend, IN
    I pick mine up. I don't like leaving slug shells around my stand for another hunter to see, and deduce that it must be a good spot.

    Now I'm using a 358 Hoosier and will be picking up the brass, assuming I can find it, for reloading.
     
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