My Duck Research Project

[southernmallard]

Doing a research project.
Would like fellow duck hunter's opinions versus the scientific facts. Use any knowledge from previous seasons and limits.

If the U.S. Game and Fish were to decide for 1 duck season to change our limits to 4/40 or even 3/30. What do you think the population increase would be? Notice a large difference the following season? What would we have to do to keep that increase up? Would you like to see them go back to a normal 6/60 season the following year,not from a Hunter's standpoint but from a Conservationist Hunter's standpoint.

Thanks for looking.

[sondance]

I really don't think you would see much of a difference. Very few hunters I know limit out every hunt anyway. I would think most mortailty comes from predators, nesting success etc... the other 300 days of the year outside of hunting season. But I am not biologist

[southernmallard]

That's what my professor and I were arguing about. I attempted to explain that the Death ratio of ducks and geese. I could take a guess and say that the percentage that go down is mostly those other 300 days. The rest of that percentage would factor in hunters.

[bgore]

I do believe that the number of birds would increase if Wildlife & Fishiries were to have one or more seasons of 4/40 and more intinsly with a 3/30. I wish i could give you an accurate % but all i have is a guess. My guess would be an increase of .2 to .5%, if it were to be for just one season and calculated due to humans, nothing else. All this dependig on the breeding season and all other factors involved. We as hunters, I do not believe will be able to see an increase. My personel opinion is that over the last half decade there has been a steady incline in popullation with a 6/60 regulation. I believe that there will continue to be a rise in popullation over the next half decade. I am sure that someone in here is are has studied this particular subject and can be a little more in depth with the number crunching. With that being said ,yes i would like to resume a 6/60 season.

P.S is that a facetious statment in the Pintail #'s forum are or you doing an actuall study on that outside of this study?

[BR549]

Look I can remember the 1 duck and 2 duck limit days. Don't want to go back there. If the numbers are above the long term goals like they are I say we keep our 6/60 seasons. When the numbers fall back in the nesting grounds back to where they were when we had the lower limits then change. But till then I want 6/60!!!!!!

[Locked Up]

I am to young to remember the 1-2 ducks limit days but I would gladly support a restricted seasons for better conservation and duck populations. I also think that the Native Grasslands and PPR and the ALUS in Canada is the most important things that face duck numbers and conservation though. I WISH THEY WOULD OUTLAW ANY AND ALL SPINNING WING DECOYS STATES?CANADA WIDE. I THINK THIS KILLS TO MANY JUVY BIRDS IN THE UPPER FLYWAYS.

[CJs Toby]

i would go for the 4/40 or someting like that. only if the season started on Jan 1st.

[Bankermane]

They need to do away with Ethanol. The bird numbers are OK but they are planting so much corn north of us that they don't ever migrate this far down. No reason: plenty of food and not enough weather to push them.

[BR549]

I agree on the food and weather part but why penalize us for that? We need as long a season as possible and even then we have to hope for some cold weather to push birds down. Some birds are going to come anyway weather or not. But that's usually the birds that go on thru down to south LA and even on further. Yea we kill a few birds early but then usually have a lull for 2-3 weeks till after Christmas. Then really get a push after Jan 1 if we have any weather. I fell like we got lucky this year cause the birds stayed on us all year till the last day. This hasn't been the case the past 2 seasons for us, In the last 2 after bout the 10th to 15th of Jan we could pack it up! I didn't even hunt the last 10 days of the season last year and that's very unusual for me!

[Double R 2]

Alot of variables, but to those that say can't stockpile ducks I argue: look at the canvasbacks. Five-year moratorium on canvasback harvests, and a few years later we're allowed 2 birds, the most liberal canvasback limit in my lifetime.

[duckkiller]

I would like to see a 3/30 or 4/40 or 60 days with lower bags. But I agree that there are probably more lost from predators ect... especially over the other 300 days

[crackhead]

If they went with 40\4. I would want to see some REAL splits in MS. Not this crap of one day.

[southernmallard]

P.S is that a facetious statment in the Pintail #'s forum are or you doing an actuall study on that outside of this study?

No I was implying that I was doing a duck # study. Not just a pintail numbers study.

[Wildfowler]

I would like to see a 3/30 or 4/40 or 60 days with lower bags.

You would like to see this? Why?????????? The only way you're going to see this is if ducks are in trouble. Do you wish the ducks were in trouble?

[jebster]

First of all, I do not think that the annual duck population number announced by the Feds is accurate. I feel their numbers are as much as 33% too high. You just don't see the numbers of ducks that we had in Mississippi 10 years ago.

I would prefer a 60 day season which would end 31 January. The bag limits would be 5 per day, with some species less to none.