Is hunting Great Egret with a pellet gun ethical?
It is a Federal crime to shoot ANY migratory bird with ANY rifle. Furthermore, Great Egrets, along with Cattle Egrets, are a protected species, and cannot be shot with anything legally. I do not know about the Great Egret, but the Cattle Egret is an invasive species that blew in from S. America on a major storm 100 years ago or so. The idea of protecting them is ludicrous. So, as far as “ethical” goes, I’d have no problem with shooting cattle egrets. Their nesting areas are health hazards. With a pellet gun, I’d do it at night, and go for head shots, but this is strictly hypothetical. Same goes for cormorants. A “friend of mine”, nudge nudge, wink wink, says they are the easiest bird in the world to kill. They drop like a rock if you hit them with a few #8 pellets. This “friend” then shoves them under water in submerged trees and bushes, and makes sure they won’t float up until he’s left the area. Once, this “friend” got back to his truck to find a game warden with a huge pair of binoc
