Whendo they Draw for Hunts

[420 racin]

I checked the MDWFP site and it says the waterfowl drawings haven't been conducted yet...well when the hell are they going to draw, season starts in a week, it would be helpful to know more than a day or two ahead of time if you get drawn or not.

When do they do the drawings??? Anybody know?

Or have they alrrasy done it and I am just unlucky again?

[SHANE704]

been wondering the same thing

[msudawg8087]

Get the same message on mine. Been checking the past few days.

[420 racin]

I just called them, they said they hope to have the emails sent out today to notify you if you got drawn or not...so let's hope we get an email

[biggs]

They've started drawing. 4 are done according to the website. 3 to go. Working on my third year of striking out in this government effort to increase access to public lands

[Tedl10]

they're sending emails out now.

[peewee]

[rbsdrake]

I've only been drawn 1 time since 07

[Denduke]

Mr. X,

Thank you for your comments.

The draw hunt system is designed to improve individual hunt quality and hunter satisfaction on our WMAs. We also recognize that there are problems inherent with any draw system. We feel that this system will help us insure that hunters who are drawn will show up for their hunts and will have a quality experience. By breaking the season up into segments we will help increase individual hunters chances of being drawn

With regards to the emplimentation of draw hunts without public notice: While the authority of public notices versus statutory rulings is sometimes confusing, rest assure that there have been multiple state Attorney General's rulings supporting the Commission's authority to set special season frameworks and hunt conditions on Wildlife Management Areas. Thus, our current draw system is indeed legal.

Consider this, among our many charges, one of the goals of the MDWFP is to recruit and retain new hunters. How can we recruit new hunters when the same hunters lay claim to all of the public hunting areas year after year? You must concede that a total free-for-all, especially in waterfowl hunting areas, is not always the best situation for all hunters. In those cases older, more experienced hunters and those who are more aggressive will seize the "best" areas, while less experienced hunters will be disappointed, discouraged, and ultimately cease to hunt. How can we be expected to recruit and retain waterfowl hunters in that situation?

In a perfect world those older, more aggressive hunters might be selfless enough to allow new hunters to hunt with them...but that doesn't happen often. Thus we have a draw system.

You mentioned MO, while I am not familiar with their policies, I have hunted for several years in TN and other eastern states. In those areas individual duck blinds were drawn for once at the beginning of the year and retained for an entire season. In those cases, successfully drawn blinds are commonly sold by the winner to highest bidder and the same older, more aggressive hunters end up hunting the same places year after year. Obviously, any system has it's draw backs.

I would encourage you to put in for a draw hunt, on the same level-playing-field as the rest of the waterfowl hunters who seek to utilize our great public hunting opportunities in this state, including myself and the rest of the Wildlife Bureau staff. I wish you the best of luck.

[deltadukman]

No hunter left behind...

I'd bet this draw program has led to the more older and experienced hunters giving up on the MDWFP and the WMA's than it has helped attract new hunters if they really wanted to put pen to paper. The ones who give a dayum, take care of the land, and respect people have been replaced with the ones who are all about themselves and have the entitlement syndrome. Sounds about like another group we can compare to....

[gps4]

[LODI QUACKER]

They are right, you are wrong. How dare you question them?!

We can't teach the young folk to hunt when we ourselves have nowhere to hunt.

What these guys don't realize is that every kid from MS that can, is leaving the state to hunt.

It is really sad.

[peewee]

[Smoke68]

I'd say 50% of my hunts at WMAs with draws is done on standby. I hunt freelance areas, too. It just all depends on where the birds are and my schedule. Draw WMAs are what they are. As far as my local WMA, I can't imagine the circus that would result if they opened it up to freelance. It's a super small place that gets really good only a few times a year. Shoot, it's crowded enough being a draw hunt.

[LODI QUACKER]

Your right. Some would not work without it. But for instance when was the last time the timber was right and hunted at the WMA near Vicksburg? Idk but probably the game wardens private hole now.