Preliminary findings tighten duck decision

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Preliminary findings tighten duck decision
By Bobby Cleveland

When the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service announced its liberal frameworks for the 2004-05 duck season, the agency said it was a borderline decision.

There were just enough ducks, mallards in particular, to choose liberal over moderate under guidelines established by the Adoptive Harvest Management plan.

The 2005-06 decision could be even tougher, officials say, after looking at the results from the USF&WS spring waterfowl survey of breeding ducks.
Counting ducks on the traditional nesting grounds in the prairie potholes of the northern United States and Canada, biologists say the total number of ducks is only slightly down from last year, 32.2 million to 31.7 million, but mallards are down 9 percent, 7.42 million to 6.76 million.

"Just looking at it, the decision between liberal and moderate frameworks could come down to a few thousand mallards, either way," said Chad Manlove, a spokesman for the Jackson regional office of Ducks Unlimited, a private waterfowl conservation organization. "It's going to be a closer call than last year.
"I wouldn't guess one way or the other."

Not all the findings announced Friday by the USF&WS were bad. The important nesting areas of Canada, like Saskatchewan and Alberta, were in excellent shape with a 56 percent increase in ponds over last year.

"That is good news for Mississippi hunters, because most of the ducks we get down our flyway are produced in Canada," Manlove said.
The flipside of the pond count is that when the survey was conducted in April and May, the U.S. pond counts were down 17 percent.

"However, heavy and continuing rains from the end of April until the present have completely changed things," said Jim Ringelman of the DU's Great Plains Regional office in Bismarck, N.D. in a statement posted online.
"We expect late-nesting species and re-nesting birds to do well."

For hunters, the difference between liberal and moderate frameworks is substantial. Liberal provides 60 days of hunting with a 6-bird bag limit. Moderate means 45 days and a 6-bird daily bag. The moderate daily limit can include only one hen mallard instead of the two allowed in the liberal bag.

Most hunters would prefer to yield on birds, not days.
"I can't think of any true duck hunter who wouldn't gladly give up the second mallard hen, or both hens for that matter," said Billy Ray Thomas of Greenville. "The problem in losing 15 days is that most of us are working guys who already get just so many weekend days.

"You cut that much and you're looking at losing at least two weekends and possibly part of a third. That really hurts."

Survey info

In the United States Fish & Wildlife Service's spring survey, biologists found:

9 percent fewer mallards than in 2004, which is 17 percent lower than goals in the North American Waterfowl Management plan.

16 percent fewer gadwall, still 45 percent above goal.

17 percent more pintails, but still 54 percent under goal.

Total ducks down from 32.2 million to 31.7 million, or a decrease of 1.5 percent.

Frameworks

Based on certain criteria, with mallard numbers playing a crucial role, the USF&WS can choose one of three frameworks:

Liberal, 60-day season with 6-bird daily bag limit to include up to 4 mallard (2 hens).

Moderate, 45-day season with a 6-bird daily bag limit with 4 mallards (1 hen).

Restrictive, a 30-day season with a 3-bird bag limit allowing 2 mallard, (1 hen).

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