Shot gun and bird hunting!

[TheCanadianLoonie]

I love the simplicity of the game although it would be nice to have another food source!

I have seen meny posts on the topic of more guns and I honestly think that adding too many guns will ruin the game, its about survival with what you have, not a FPS.

All I say is that a hunting shot gun would be nice to have thats all

[SteveP]

How about a combination over and under 20 gauge shotgun and a 22 LR? Deer slugs also can be fired from shotguns, typically 12 gauge. Would birds and water fowl be seasonal? We do have crows and other birds but aquatic fowl tend to be migratory. What the heck, why not add the Canada Goose which would make a lovely banquet especially if roasted in the oven in the Pleasant Valley Farm House!

[Scyzara]

Geese (and all other aquatic birds) very much dislike completely frozen ice surfaces like they exist in TLD. Access to liquid water is the main reason why they travel south in winter. Not only do most water bird species primarily feed on water plants (especially in winter when there's no grass available), they also need the water to evade terrestrial predators.

Especially larger geese and swans are too heavy to fly away instantly if they're attacked by a fox or weasel. Hence they spend as much time as possible swimming in the middle of the pond if predators are around. Most water fowl species even sleep swimming.

Unless the Devs introduce larger unfrozen areas with liquid water, adding water fowl doesn't make any sense. It's a nice idea for a future spring version of TLD, but not for the current game.

[vancopower]

I don't see the point of adding birds for 2 main reasons:

First they will be hard to aim at since they are small and can fly away

Second isn't it better to save a shell or a bullet for the big game why waste on small game when you have "free rabbits".

New guns hmm, I am reluctant on that too. We have rifle now we have flare gun, why add anything else it would be more confusing and also you can't carry tons of items anyway you would end up using one or the other anyway. However if they add reusable shell mechanic, (you can fill up shells on the workbench with gunpowder and lead.) hmm that would be awesome then I would understand adding shotgun. Someone would say well TLD is not a crafting game it is about survival and realism... well let me stop you right there I had a uncle he was a hunter  he collected empty shells and refilled them himself he sometimes even recovered the led that was in the game so basically he only used new gunpowder and little cardboard to tuck in the powder he did not ever use workbench just some basic tools. So yea it is possible and it should be added, the penalty of the shotgun would be that you have to get close to use it or you can easily miss.  

 

 

[SteveP]

I think it is a Spring, Summer, Fall thing.

On 2016-03-17 at 0:50 PM, Scyzara said:

Geese ... need the water to evade terrestrial predators.

Especially larger geese and swans are too heavy to fly away instantly if they're attacked by a fox or weasel. Hence they spend as much time as possible swimming in the middle of the pond if predators are around. Most water fowl species even sleep swimming.

Unless the Devs introduce larger unfrozen areas with liquid water, adding water fowl doesn't make any sense. It's a nice idea for a future spring version of TLD, but not for the current game.

Exactly. How would we retrieve a bird out on the water? It's pretty deadly but it is something for future seasons when we might have items like a canoe or a raft or even a trained animal. IIRC cormorants can be used to catch fish! They are found widely in coastal areas of Canada and Alaska.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double-crested_cormorant

 

I often fly fish for trout. The loons stalk me and try to steal the fish off my line. Last time it was a real battle but if you manage to get your net over the bird, they will leave you alone. I also want to throw pebbles at them. Fortunately my fish was well hooked. I dropped the lure back in the water and the loon took that, breaking it off the line! Darwinian selection in action.

[SteveP]

There is an important time of year in summer when aquatic birds molt their flight feathers and can be hunted by Inuit hunter/gathers.

http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/life-below-zero/videos/the-duck-hunt/#

[TheCanadianLoonie]

Thank you everyone for the lesson!

I never knew about some of the things you guys have talked about in this line!

[cekivi]

For the record there are game bird species such as grouse and ptarmigan that overwinter and can be hunted with a shotgun or .22. They're about 1/2 the size of a chicken you'd buy in the grocery store. You could also use a .22 or shotgun for rabbit hunting if you didn't want to spend the time to trap them (maybe you're on the move?) or if the trapping odds are decreased.