Have we set the bar too high?

[NOHERE]

These are all the right answers of why we do what we do...the real answer will dawn on us again come June or July...we will all start painting our old deks and getting ready "early" for another season, it's the anticipation of the hunt and the upcoming season.

[Anatidae]

Scott, I agree with your concern about attempting to factor ‘hunter satisfaction’ into an equation that already has more variables, than the best science we currently have, can interpolate. Conditions change, leaving us to wonder what effect each variable has on the others, under different circumstances. Why factor something else in, when it would be impossible to define the standard (in this case, what is the definition of a ‘hunter’). We STILL don’t know if the ‘mojo’ had an significant impact on the population. So, why introduce another ‘if’?

I view a good season as one that provides ‘opportunity’. Of all the forms of opportunity, none would be consequential if the ducks were removed from the equation (for whatever reason).

Biologists should remain focused on the resource and not what they think is going to make duck hunters remain true to the sport. I think that’s what’s wrong, now. The folks that are true to the ‘sport’ have seen the swings in population and weather…..and support what the science tells us. Others would disregard the science, sacrificing the resource for satisfaction of their own personal agenda, whether it be driven by money, pride, or greed.

Personally, I’m not concerned about a loss of revenue from someone who has little regard for America’s waterfowling heritage. I welcome newcomers to the sport….but I also hold them to a high standard. I value the experience and the lessons of those who have gone-on before me. I hope to pass-on something to someone whose respect I may gain in a brief encounter, afield.

I’m not in favor of subsidizing the duck hunting ‘industry’ by adjusting the length of the season and bag limit to support their bottom line. Experience will determine their longevity……just as experience and self-sufficiency will reward the hunter, whether he kills or not.

Anything that depends on the weather is a gamble at best….there should be no more guarantees in merchandizing for waterfowling than there are in farming…….particularly at the expense of the resource. I doesn’t take long to see thru the smokescreen of good stewardship to see that most hunting videos are created for the sole purpose of promoting their products, to eager patrons of inclusiveness.

I think years like the past 3 should make folks appreciate duck hunting a lot more once weather patterns favor our region (if they ever do), again. I don’t know of anyone who wouldn’t have been glad to kill 3 ducks a day, this year. But had we seen more of a migration, a 3-duck limit wouldn’t have seemed adequate. How can you possibly factor the unknown into frameworks for subsequent years?.

If we are going to err, let it be on the side of caution. The resource is too dynamic to ‘tweak’, just because somebody’s ‘dissatisfied’.

I suspect the majority of veteran duck hunters would STILL support a 45-day season that runs to the end of January.

So, yes……I’d say the expectations exceed the tolerance for lack of hunter success. But is that because those who still honor our waterfowling heritage are, in fact, a minority?

Good post, ‘Crow’! Thanks for raising the question, Scott.

(Now watch Travis sum it all up in 20 werds or less)

[Bullet]

Great post Scott. I really dont feel like writing alot like all you others did. Very good posts you guys and I think that Crow is the man. Goin to get a beer. Get em boys

[MAG]

Now this is what I'm talkin' about...REAL DISCUSSION. Seems like just the other day I made a comment to someone about how the quality and substance of the board's topics had seemed to be going downhill. This is much better.

First off, universal hunter satisfaction, no matter by what gauge, is almost certianly unattainable. With that already being displayed by the post on this thread, the next question becomes, if everybody sets the quality of their hunt's standards at different levels, how can we find common ground on which to agree to improve the sport of duck hunting for everyone?

Some of the options seem to be the following:
- Shorten the season
- Lower the bag limits
- Somehow make duck hunting less "cool"

All of the proposed solutions deal with trying to erradicate the "yahoos" (a.k.a. newbies, topwaters, and whatever else we refer to "them" as...) from "our" sport.

Just a thought, but what if somehow we could implement a 3/30 season...do you really think that is going to keep "them" from duck hunting? I doubt it. What it will do is make everyday (espically the weekends) that much more crowded at "Your Favorite WMA." "Their" logic will be the same as your's, "hey, we only have a month to hunt, so we better get out there and skybust, hi-ball, and set up on top of people while we can!"

So, ulitimately, while trying to keep "them" out of the sport by shortening the season, we would not only be facing more crowds on the weekends, but we would have FEWER weekends to hunt. I agree with Anatidae about the beauty of "opportunity." That's whats important to me. With only 30 days to hunt, that severely cuts out on the opportunity to enjoy time afeild.

A 3 duck day would be fine by me, because as the limit stands right now, a 3 duck day is successful hunt for me. If the "yahoos" are really "yahoos" then they would be lucky to get 3 ducks in one day as it is right now...since after all "they" can't call, set out dekes, or shoot...right?

Crow hit the nail on the head, kinda. Yes the over-the-top marketing and merchandizing of the duck hunting industry has over-romantisized the sport. But we should think, what came first the chicken or the egg? The "yahoo" or the Mojo? It is obviously a cyclical pattern when it comes to the rapid growth of the industry. For example; "Yahoos" see Mossy Oak's Whistling Wings IV..."they" expect to kill limits of greenheads...Mossy Oak sells 250,000 copies of WWIV and decides to film Whistling Wings V... more "yahoos" see WWV... see the pattern?

Ever think that somewhere along the line that "they" were introduced to the sport like many of "us" were and really felt it? You know..."it." The first time you hear the "squeaky wings" of Mallards over your head, or the first time you called in your own ducks, by yourself, or your first double, or the feeling of the warm sun on your cold back at around 7:45 as the sun finally breaks thru the treeline.

And now, I guess in attempt to distance oneself from the "yahoos," we are NOT supporting DU and DW because we don't want to be like them and support duck hunting organizations and have stickers on our trucks? That seems like a contradiction doesn't it?

We like to demonize the "yahoos" for trying to attain a certian status symbol, while we try to make sure that we maintain "our" status symbols as "real" duck hunters.

Just something to chew on...

MAG

[hillhunter]

I think the duck numbers should represent the limits allowed.

I've been on plenty of hunts where we didn't kill the limit, but had the time of my life because of who I was with, the conversation, or just the beauty of the hunt. Everyone likes to kill a limit, but if that's the only reason your out there then you need a new hobby because this has just become a job to you.

Yea its fun to kill your four in ten minutes then take it to the house, but to me it's also just as fun to hop in a boat, kill a few hunting different spots all day.

I aint sayin that i won't kill my four or six if the opportunity presents itself, but i won't be dissapointed if i don't.

[SB]

Some excellent replies. I hope to do an article on the same topic. I will use some of your replies in the story. Don't worry. If I use your info you will be fairly compensated I will spilt my profits equally with those I quote Don't jump the gun yet and rush out and by a new boat just yet, because I get $0.00 for my writing. No surprise there

mallardchaser:

I think the weather is the limiting factor this year and really for the last three years. There was an Adaptive Harvest Management meeting in Denver last week. One of the MDWFP representatives came back telling me he had spoke to a few of the states in the upper portion of the MS Flyway, and they said they had a poor season as well. That is hard for me to believe.