Restrictive season???

[gadwall2]

While I was putting my little Voluntary Restraint scenario together on the "weather for Jan 11-12" topic, I started wonderin what would a good, but fair restrictive season.

I personally would not mind seeing the old point system back in place if we did go to a restrictive season. (With a few modifications of course) I think we can all agree that it worked.

[RedEyed Duck]

I am all for a reduced bag and number of days for next season. Sadly, I don't think that is all it will take to thin the ranks of hunters and increase the # of birds though. Someone needs to hurry up and reach an agreement with Mother Nature, so that we can atleast have the weather on our side in the future...

[Bustin' Ducks]

I don't think we need a shorter season....Hard enough to get time off of work for some folks...Let alone kids being out of school for the X-Mas holidays....Just a thought...

[River Hunter]

I was talking to an an older fellow(82) who used to duck hunt every day. My question to him was "do you think it will ever be like it used to be" his anwser was no. Of coarse i had to ask why. He just said over the years the weather has changed dramaticly. Ten to 15 years ago you could not find enough clothes to put on(he was looking at what i had on) you would have froze to death. In other words we will have a few cold snaps that will produce some ducks so get them while you can Can you say GLOBAL WARMING

[Wildfowler]

River Hunter, I think you hit the nail right on the head about the weather not being what it used to be. Also, I've been told that we are on track to have another dry breeding season, unless something dramatic changes between now and this Spring.

Not a good combination.

[Haymaker]

Well as far as the weather goes I will agree that it has been very uncooperative the last few years at least. I also think that the weather is on a huge cycle, I say this because when you are watching the local weather and the weather man shows the record highs and lows, they were set along time ago(40 to 50 years or longer in some cases). I feel that as times go on, the weather will start to work with us again on producing good nesting habitat and the right weather for getting the ducks from up north to come down here. Now how long it will be before Mother Nature gets back on our side I don't know, hopefully I will still be here to find out.

Haymaker

[gadwall2]

Haymaker, that is the second time in 2 days I have heard the "big cycle" theory. I believe you are on to something.

[gadwall2]

Bustin'Ducks, everyone's hunting opportunities will get cut down, not just yours. You gotta have compromise somewhere. Kids being out for Christmas has no bearing on the issue. They don't have to be 30 consecutive days.

If we did do 30 days. I would like every W,F,Sa,Su for 5 weeks and open the last 10 consecutive days of the season.

[Bustin' Ducks]

I understand that we have to compromise somewhere on the shorter season and I'm not complaining about me having a shorter season..As for the X Mas holidays..that is when I get the most opportunity to take the kids....even though there may not be many ducks..the kids enjoy it..thats all that matters with them is getting the chance to get to go...that's all I'm saying....

[gadwall2]

10-4, I understand where you are coming from now.

[cooter]

I am all for a restrictive season or whatever it takes to get the ducks down below the mason dixon line. I havent had a good season the past 2 years and this one hasent been great. if they say 30/3 ill be happy or if they go back to the point system like i said whatever it takes to get things back like they were. On another note if we have a record number of dux and no weather to push them down its not gonna help. prey for rain in yankee land and cold weather next year

[gadwall2]

Just remember though, record numbers of ducks means more competition for food. Ducks will migrate without a weather push if there is a lot of competition for food.

[Dutch Dog]

Global warming is a SLOOOOOOOOOW process. They are talking about the average temperature being about 1/2 a degree warmer or something like that in the last 10 years or so. What we are experiencing is nothing but a bad run of good weather. 5 years ago we had EXCELLENT hunting, 4 years ago we had phenomenal hunting, 3 years ago, we experienced the robo craze, last year duck hunting was all screwed up due to robos partly and a bad hatch year, this year we have simply had no snowfall whatsoever up north of here, what snow did fall, melted within a couple of days giving us a lot of water down here via the Miss. River, that with the torrential rains in the fall, there is water EVERYWHERE. The ducks aren't concentrated for this reason. It would seem like there aren't that many ducks, but there are a lot of ducks! One of these days/years things are all going to come together and it will all be worth while! I for one am about to give it all up until that time comes. I am not quitting mind you, just putting it on hold for a while.

[goosebruce]

The point system was the most biologically flawed ideal anyone has ever had... What difference does the order you shoot ducks have to do with their value to the overall population? You will never see the point system again, and you shouldn't.

If you think about it, and be legal, 6 ducks is much more liberal than the point system. Never with the point system could you have 2 mallard hens and anything but 2 10 point ducks, and you would have to be lucky, or illegal to have killed them in that order. Most people simply arranged an order that meant the most ducks, which undermines the entire ideal of a point system to begin with. The very flaw with it is it could be manuilpated way too easy. 5 folks hunting under the point system simple blasted away, and then counted ducks to fit what they had killed, combining party hunting with the point system was a very effective way too kll too many ducks and be legal on the way out.

No point system. Ever.

Limits actually do very little to curtail the numbers of ducks killed overall (since the national average is between 1.8 and 2.1 ducks a day). Drop the limit to 2 ducks, and you haven't saved that many ducks. Seemes werid, when you think bout all the days you kill a totesack full, but remember these are averages over a season. But take away days, and you take away a whole lot of ducks killed, because like I said, 1.8 to 2.1 is the average per hunter per day. If the average hunter hunts 10 days out of 60, he'd probably hunt 5 days out of 30, therefore dropping the average hunters kill from 21 ducks to 10.5. Dropping the limit alone wouldn't signifcantly change total ducks killed, because over a season, the average hunter only kills a little more than 2 ducks a trip anyway.

The wed,sat,sun deal sounds great... but can't happen. Your allowed 2 splits, and thats 2 splits a week. Some states that don't allow sunday hunting don't have those days counted against their alotted days, but the federal migertory act won't allow you to count out your days 3 or 4 a week. States laws may be more restrictive, but can't be more liberal. Kick ass ideal though, and I think most folks would go for it in a short, short season sitution.

[SoftCall]

restrictive season??? Someone tell me what a restrictive season would have done for the ducks that flew through MS this year. It wouldn't have made one I-O-TA of a difference. Everyone that was barking for 30 and 3 vs. everyone asking for 60 and 6.....Well we ALL got our way in some form or fashion and there are still no ducks on the strap to speak of. Give me a 6 inches of snow and frozen staging areas in MO and I'll show you some friggin ducks. Our season has been naturally restrictive for two years now. I do not support a shorter season but I DO support one less hen & pulling a bird from the limit. Truth be known - if this weather pattern keeps up for next year...the limit and hen reductions won't make a bit of difference either. It's warmer in Fargo ND than it is in Greenwood MS right now.