SB, stop teasing us, lets us know Bro!

[peewee]

Hey SB how many days will we get. While your at you can tell us how many ducks too! [img]images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]

[Wildfowler]

I've got a question for SB too. Is there any plans to replant the open fields at Mahannah with trees? If so, when?

I think I remember seeing this topic discussed on this site. But I don't know if a conclusion was ever reached.

Thanks.

[tupe]

Peewee,
Final word is due out today. Most likely this afternoon.
Hang in there, it won't be long now.

M.B.

[webfoot]

The fist fight will be over today...

60 Days - 6 Duckswill be the answer.

[GulfCoast]

Looks like a voluntary restraint year for me. I am not sure HOW they can give us 6/60 this year.

[judge jb]

that will mean 180 meals to fix at the Quack-Shack.... will have to grill alot of bolona.....

judge jb

[Welldoggie]

If it repeats last year we can call it "involuntary" restraint--the art of taking fewer birds than the limit, because there was hardly a limit to be had.

[MemphisStockBroker]

It wouldn't matter if it was a 10 bird limit... heck, I shoot so bad I celebrate when I kill 2. [img]images/smiles/icon_razz.gif[/img]

[LabLuvR]

Memphis,

Join the crowd! Heck, I'm elated if I kill one. Even the dog goes berserk! [img]images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img] [img]images/smiles/icon_eek.gif[/img]

[browndog]

does make you wonder, when you talk to people in the US plains and Canada it is pretty dry over a lot of that area and duck counts were down.. I know sometimes the whole duck count estimate thing is sketchy but I generally have faith in their methods.. it seems some times to much politics and money/businesses depending on hunting dollars etc. influence the final decision and you wonder how much the biology comes into play.. you can talk about self-restraint, and I talk it sometimes too, but when the limit is 6 it can be hard for most- including me, to stop till then given the chance.. I'd have been happy with fewer ducks

[SB]

I'm betting it will be 60/6. The questions that I'm waiting on hearing the answers to are: Will there be a season on pintails this year? and If so, how many days long will it be?

I got back from the MS Flyway meeting on Tuesday. It was an interesting meeting needless to say. Current habitat conditions and duck season length and bag limits were discussed in length. Under Adaptive Harvest Management (AHM) all indicators point to a 60 day season. This system (AHM) has been in place since 1995. Several scenarios were discussed along with the projected harvest rate of each scenario. Bottom Line - Days Kill Ducks. Pond numbers are the driving force, not the bag limit.

I have seen several post on this site and others that all but say that waterfowl management is driven by commercial interest rather than the true interest of the resource. This could not be farther from the truth. I can honestly say that at no time during the Flyway meeting that any State biologist discussed econimic impacts from a reduced waterfowl hunting season, nor anything else regarding economics.

When I was finishing school at MSU waterfowl numbers were starting to climb. MSU's waterfowl professor, Rick Kaminski, was discussing his concerns with me on how he was worried that decreasing dollar amounts would be directed to ducks since they were doing so well. His reasoning was why would people want to do research on a resource that was so abundant? Their numbers were approaching an all time high. They are no where close to going extinct. Luckily, this didn't happen with ducks. More money created through licence sells, state and federal duck stamp sales, Pittman-Robertson funds, banquets, increase in membership into conservation organizations, recruitment of new or young hunters, etc. that put this new money to work creating habitat, conserving habitat and doing waterfowl research. A reduced number of waterfowl will lead to a reduced number of waterfowl hunters, which will be a reduced dollar amount in the kitty for habitat restoration, conservation and research. I know some people are wishing for a 30 day season. To me, these people are wishing bad luck on ducks. The only way we can get a 30 day season on ducks is for them not to fair well in the environment. You'll never hear me wish bad luck on ducks. I hope/wish we never see another 30 day season. I wouldn't bet on it though. Best regards,

[mottlet]

SB....

do you still keep in touch with Dr. Kaminski? if so, tell him seth mott's boy says hi and hopes he's doing well. i shot skeet a couple of times with him and his son a looong time ago at the gun club range there in V'burg. hope they're all doing well.

mottlet

[SB]

I do speak to Dr. Kaminski regularly. I will pass the "Hello" along to him.