Post by Woody Williams on Oct 23, 2005 13:54:04 GMT -5
Liberal duck seasons aren't kind to hunters
By PHIL POTTER, Tri-State Outdoors
October 23, 2005
Remember the adage, "Be careful what you wish for because you might just get it?"
Well, duck hunters got their wish of a liberal season, combining a maximum number of days afield coupled with maximum daily bag limits.
few years ago, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service granted a six-duck daily bag. There were lots of ducks and lots of shooting so waterfowlers rejoiced. Their joy was to be shortlived.
The 2004-05 duck seasons were the worst on record. Hunters bagged 12 million quackers, way below normal.
Some blamed warm weather while others maintained the feds put out a bogus census count to sell more state and federal stamps.
In mallard dependent states, the kill was off 8 percent, making the mallard bag the lowest on record since 1995 - the start of liberalized bag limits.
While hot weather didn't push ducks south on schedule, it didn't cause them to laze in northern states. Minnesota had a 40-percent drop in mallard bag and a 38-percent drop overall.
Those dismal figures went ditto for the Dakotas, Missouri, Iowa and Illinois. Yet Tennessee, Oklahoma, Kansas and Mississippi had huge bag increases.
Basically the Mississippi, Atlantic and Pacific Flyways bagged up to 12 percent fewer ducks. Only the Central Flyway showed an increase, 6 percent.
A rebound was expected with a wet year in the Canadian Prairies, but hatches were still down last season.
Still, on a close call, biologists opted for another liberal framework this year. Some may crow that pintails had a vastly improved nesting. But even with their increase, they are still way below long-term average. Other species like gadwalls, scaup (bluebills), canvasbacks and redheads are way, way below optimum numbers. So why are they to be liberally hunted? Because hunters asked to manage a season within a season for certain species. Yet managed species are still being overshot.
So what will it take to boost overall numbers? Request agencies using U.S. funded duck dollars to spend more prudently in Canada. More ducks were hatched in the states this year on a far cheaper basis.
Petition the restructuring of the season within a season concept and voluntarily restrict your personal daily bag. Refrain from shooting hens of any species. Write a check to any conservation cause. Correct things now or have another 60-year cycle of boom and bust.
www.courierpress.com/ecp/local_sports/article/0,1626,ECP_749_4180141,00.html
By PHIL POTTER, Tri-State Outdoors
October 23, 2005
Remember the adage, "Be careful what you wish for because you might just get it?"
Well, duck hunters got their wish of a liberal season, combining a maximum number of days afield coupled with maximum daily bag limits.
few years ago, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service granted a six-duck daily bag. There were lots of ducks and lots of shooting so waterfowlers rejoiced. Their joy was to be shortlived.
The 2004-05 duck seasons were the worst on record. Hunters bagged 12 million quackers, way below normal.
Some blamed warm weather while others maintained the feds put out a bogus census count to sell more state and federal stamps.
In mallard dependent states, the kill was off 8 percent, making the mallard bag the lowest on record since 1995 - the start of liberalized bag limits.
While hot weather didn't push ducks south on schedule, it didn't cause them to laze in northern states. Minnesota had a 40-percent drop in mallard bag and a 38-percent drop overall.
Those dismal figures went ditto for the Dakotas, Missouri, Iowa and Illinois. Yet Tennessee, Oklahoma, Kansas and Mississippi had huge bag increases.
Basically the Mississippi, Atlantic and Pacific Flyways bagged up to 12 percent fewer ducks. Only the Central Flyway showed an increase, 6 percent.
A rebound was expected with a wet year in the Canadian Prairies, but hatches were still down last season.
Still, on a close call, biologists opted for another liberal framework this year. Some may crow that pintails had a vastly improved nesting. But even with their increase, they are still way below long-term average. Other species like gadwalls, scaup (bluebills), canvasbacks and redheads are way, way below optimum numbers. So why are they to be liberally hunted? Because hunters asked to manage a season within a season for certain species. Yet managed species are still being overshot.
So what will it take to boost overall numbers? Request agencies using U.S. funded duck dollars to spend more prudently in Canada. More ducks were hatched in the states this year on a far cheaper basis.
Petition the restructuring of the season within a season concept and voluntarily restrict your personal daily bag. Refrain from shooting hens of any species. Write a check to any conservation cause. Correct things now or have another 60-year cycle of boom and bust.
www.courierpress.com/ecp/local_sports/article/0,1626,ECP_749_4180141,00.html