Arkansas officials want to ban certain decoys in flyway

[webfoot]

I reported this early spring about the possible ban would be presented at the Mississippi Flyway Council Meeting, the meeting starts today in Tunica.
more to come...

Arkansas officials want to ban certain decoys in flyway
Arkansas News Bureau
Commission favors spinning, flapping wing decoys ban
Tuesday, Jul 19, 2005

LITTLE ROCK - The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission will propose a flyway-wide ban on all spinning and flapping wing decoys during the Mississippi Flyway Council meeting this week in Tunica, Miss.

The council will decide whether to adopt the AGFC's ban request for the upcoming waterfowl season.

The ban would apply to all motorized, wind-powered or mechanical spinning and flapping wing decoys, according to AGFC waterfowl program coordinator Andrew James.

"The council has concerns over potential increased harvest rates and potential changes in harvest age ratios of mid-continent mallards," James said. "They're also concerned about how they might relate to a loss of future hunting opportunities as caused by the increasing widespread use of these decoys," he added.

Multiple research projects on the harvest dynamics of spinning wing decoys have been conducted in North America, and many states have performed surveys investigating the frequency of the decoys' use by hunters, James said.

"There is a need for comprehensive review of these multiple research projects and surveys that summarizes these results. This is an issue that should be addressed on a nationwide basis as opposed to a single state or flyway," he said.

In Arkansas, the decoys were banned statewide for the 2005-2006 waterfowl season. The commission banned the decoys at its October 2004 meeting. Commissioners have said in the past that the spinning and flapping wing decoys helped hunters kill more young ducks that were attracted to the wing flashes.

One other state has followed Arkansas' lead in banning the decoys, James said.

"Minnesota banned the decoys on its wildlife management areas for the entire season this year. They've also banned them statewide for the first portion of their duck season," he said. "Spinning wing decoys have been the topic of much discussion since their inception in 1998. As their use spread from the Central Valley of California, so did concern over their use."

The technical section of the council also has had concerns that spinners may negate the fair-chase aspect of hunting, James said.

"We are becoming increasingly concerned about the technological advances of mechanical devices introduced each year. It is time for the waterfowl community to consider a prohibition of such technology in waterfowl-attracting devices, but a thorough evaluation of research and surveys to date is needed," James said.

[MSDuckmen]

[duckter]

[webfoot]

[Don Miller]

[bigwater]

[Spoonallard]

[MSDuckmen]

[Spoonallard]

[Wingman]

[sportsman450]

[Double R 2]

Banning of robos is prevalent conversation around Stuttgart, of all places, and among southern duck hunters in general these days. But so what if Arkansas does it? Or if MS and the entire southeast follows suit?

It will not be until they are banned throughout the entire flyway, to include Canada, that unprecedented harvest of hatch year birds - the south now kills 25% the number of hatch year birds traditionally harvested - diminishes. It will not be banned in North America until USFWS takes a vested interest, and so far they and other (i.e., northern) flyway committee chairs have remained silent to southern proposals to ban them along the entire MS flyway. It's all about the tail wagging the dog$. Research the effects? Research?! Research DoubleR2's ADoubleS! I propose a more immediate remedy:

Concerned Southern Waterfowler's Class Action versus US Dept of Interior!

Think about it.

Keep the no till farming and I'll continue live with the warm winters. Just give me those young birds back to follow the ones that still migrate.

[weimhunter]

Hey guys, no need to worry, just found out on another site, that Tunicadu4u has sent BENNY to talk for DU to the flyway council. We will be selling videos of his very prepared speech!

[RedEyed Duck]

Here is another version of the article from a Little Rock (tv or news paper)

Mississippi Flyway Partners Consider Decoy Ban

Duck hunters all up and down the Mississippi Flyway may have to keep their decoys' wings still next hunting season, as they must do in Arkansas. Game and Fish officials in this state say they'll recommend to the Mississippi Flyway Council this week that spinning and flapping wing decoys be banned in the flyway this year. The ban would apply to all motorized, wind-powered or mechanical spinning and flapping wing decoys. That's according to Andrew James, the waterfowl program coordinator for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. The council meets this week at Tunica, Mississippi.

In Arkansas, the decoys are already banned statewide for the upcoming season. Commissioners have said that the spinning and flapping wing decoys helped hunters kill more young ducks that were attracted to the wing flashes. Minnesota also has banned decoys from wildlife management areas for the entire season this year and for all areas for the first part of its duck season.

(Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

I'm with DoubleR2, it has to be flyway wide (N,S,E and W) to work!

[eastwoods]

Ban them and enjoy true waterfowlin' again.

Learn to call and set dekes.

A duck killed that wasn't called in, is a duck not worth killin.

My opinions only.