Sportsman450....
February 8, 2002
Ken Babcock
Director of Operations
Southern Regional Office
Ducks Unlimited, Inc.
Jackson, Mississippi.
Open Letter to DU members, volunteers, staff and fellow waterfowl hunters:
There are rumors afoot among the waterfowl hunting community in parts of several Southern states that are so far-fetched that until now we have elected not to address them.
I’m referring to the notion that Ducks Unlimited has somehow promoted, funded, participated in, or otherwise had a hand in feeding ducks up north to shortstop and prevent them from migrating to wintering areas further south, in the Mississippi Flyway. These Allegations Are Totally False! The accusation is so far removed from what DU is all about that we’ve not paid it much attention. However, it appears these preposterous rumors are spreading like wildfire and it’s time to pour cold water on them once and for all! The suggestion that Ducks Unlimited, the one waterfowl and wetlands conservation organization that has worked tirelessly for the last 65 years to put habitat on the ground in every flyway throughout North America, would engage in such activity is totally inconsistent with DU’s mission, its history, or past actions. When you think about it, it makes absolutely no sense---economically, biologically, or practically. Why would DU do anything that would take hunting opportunity away from our loyal membership in the South? A high percentage of DU’s membership is in this region and our members are our customers. Why would we do anything that would be a dis-service to our customers?
Hunters in northern portions of the Central and Mississippi Flyways had a relatively good duck season. Most southern hunters did not. But, as any seasoned waterfowl hunter will tell you, hunting success has more to do with the weather than anything else. Many southern waterfowlers were discouraged about not seeing more ducks in the South this past hunting season. This was on the heels of an excellent season last year, brought about by severe weather north of us.
George Vandel, Assistant Director with South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks reports that waterfowl hunters in northern and mid-latitude states had one of the best duck hunting seasons they can remember but that’s not because Ducks Unlimited, or anybody else for that matter, fed them. Most of South Dakota’s ducks have moved farther south now but that’s because most of their wetlands are finally frozen and the fields are covered with snow.
Jerry Conley, Director of the Missouri Department of Conservation, scoffed at the notion that DU would have anything to do with artificially feeding waterfowl in his state. In Jerry’s words, “DU has played a critical role in helping our department develop top-quality waterfowl and wetland habitat throughout Missouri over the last 20 years. The success our waterfowl hunters enjoyed this past season was the product of years of work to establish a network of conservation areas that offers waterfowl everything they need to exist for as long as the weather permits. Once those wetlands freeze over or the surrounding food resources become depleted or covered with snow, they move on. This past duck season none of that occurred and as a result, we had ducks all season long… and still do for that matter!â€
Many of the birds, primarily mallards, simply never flew south this year, as evidenced by annual inventory counts conducted by state and federal agencies. The Mid-Winter Inventory count was flown in the South from January 7-11. Louisiana results are typical: Its habitat is supporting about 3.3 million birds this year, in contrast to last winter’s inventory of more than 5 million.
Not only are the counts down due to abnormal migration but also heavy rains in parts of the South produced some of the most extensive flooding of lowland forest and agricultural land the region has seen in several winters. More than 9 inches of rain fell in a three-day period in late November across much of Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi. As a result, waterfowl habitat conditions in the region were superb……really great for ducks, but really frustrating for duck hunters. I know this is little consolation for those of us who lost count of the number of times we came home from our blind with little more than another “great outdoor experience,†but we should not lose sight of why we belong to Ducks Unlimited and give so generously of our time, energy and resources. We should take comfort in the fact that continental populations of most waterfowl species are still at or above long-term goals. As we look to the future, we need to stay focused on the most important issue for waterfowl…. and that is habitat conservation. Early indications tell us that the breeding grounds in Canada and in the Dakotas are swinging toward a dry cycle, and that means continental populations may start to decline. We need to do everything we can to conserve waterfowl habitat so we can maintain healthy populations of birds like we have had in recent years. Our best hope to have healthy waterfowl populations tomorrow is if we all work together to conserve their habitat today.
DU is a volunteer-driven organization with over 1 million supporters in the United States. We have raised over $1.4 billion in our 65-year history and conserved more than 10 million acres of wetland habitat throughout Canada, the United States and Mexico. DU’s mission is to support the annual life-cycle needs of North America’s waterfowl by protecting, restoring, enhancing and managing important wetlands and associated uplands. We’re proud that 83 cents out of every dollar we raise goes into habitat conservation. I can assure you that DU is focused on its mission and that we would not under any circumstances, engage in, promote or direct any of our member’s funds toward the artificial feeding of waterfowl in an attempt to alter waterfowl migration routes or timing. It’s time to get on with more important matters. I encourage every one of you to squelch these rumors whenever the opportunity arises and to re-focus your attention, and that of your friends, colleagues, and even our detractors, back onto what DU is really all about….the conservation of North America’s waterfowl and wetland resources.
193 Business Park Drive, Suite #E
Ridgeland, MS 39157
Phone: (601) 956-1936
kbabcock@ducks.org
Seriously though, my main beef with DU is the groups they are affiliated with both directly and inderectly and the fact that DU refuses to adopt preditor management on high density nesting areas even though the research shows that preditor management works (5 fold increase) in these nesting areas. The proof is in the pudding....case in point Kelly's Slough in ND. It had everything a nesting duck needs to have a successful hatch but had less than 10% nest success. Preditor Management was implimented and the next year they had close to 50% nest success. How can you argue with that?
Now I know you all might say it could be cooked, but what purpose would that serve? To hide the "Feed Money"? Like some one pointed out earlier. Farmers spill more than what could be placed on all refuges combined with out some one seeing it from the air, or dare I say, Sattilite imagery!
(darn kids). Take them to an event such as a greenwing event and they may grow to be better people for it. Yes Wingman' "NO BEER AT THE KIDS EVENT", we got that part solved some months back. 
