Mahannah's a draw now

[LODI QUACKER]

how bout Mahanna gets hosed?

I agree with you 100% Anatidae, I was being sarcastic over the decision, and and I am dreding the day when they make these same kind of changes where I hunt.

I think the best post I have read in a very long time is this one!


That's sweet...but not everybody has their own piece of ground to fall back on. Now here's the catch-22. If I hunt a particular piece of public ground and have success there, the last thing I want is for that good thing to get ruined. So, I keep my trap shut. But despite my best efforts, word gets out, more people start showing up, 5:00 rules are imposed, things still get crazy as more and more people hear about this place through word of mouth, the internet, etc. Through all of this, because I put in my due diligence, i.e. lots of scouting, hunting during the week, etc, I manage to still kill a few birds and generally still have a pretty good gig going. Suddenly, all these people who have started showing up on this little piece of public ground start wanting everyone to know just how overcrowded it has become. Because I still have a decent thing going, and I know why, I continue to keep my trap shut. It doesn't do me any good to say, "Well, you're wrong because I killed my limit before work just yesterday," and ruin my good thing. So the only people anybody hears from are the ones shouting that this piece of ground is horribly overcrowded, nobody can kill a duck there, etc. So the perception of other people who don't have a dog in this hunt is that there are hunters behind every tree, weed, or pile of mud and they're blasting away at everything from coots to ivory-billed woodpeckers, from an hour before sunrise till about nine pm. Through it all, I keep it zipped, because I'm still killing ducks and the last thing I want is MORE people bringing MORE attention to the place I hunt. But eventually, the roar for change becomes unbearable and presto chango...it's a draw. Or it's closed except for birdwatchers. And despite all my efforts, my good thing is ruined because people can't keep their mouths shut, whether they kill birds or they want to bitch about overcrowding. For me, the public land hunter, any press about my little piece of ground is bad press.
That includes yelling on the internet about how this particular WMA is now a draw. You're just decreasing your chances of getting drawn.

The internet is a big place boys and girls. Nobody has ever gotten to the end of it. And I'll never forget the first time I read a post about a piece of public ground on the internet, AND THE VERY NEXT TIME I went to hunt there, sat back in amazement at the increase in hunters I witnessed.

mottlet


Very well said Mottlet and with this I am done with this thread. Lets do all the people who hunt this place a favor and let this thing die!!!!!

Write the department or attend the meeting but any press is bad press when it comes to waterfowling and public land. All this is doing is reducing the chances of getting drawn for those who put in if it does go to a season long draw.

[VICKSBURGBOB]

Man, that's all anybody needs to hear to make'em pack the truck and head that way......... .......regardless of whether you are a reliable source of information, or not.

Anatidae, get a clue. I wasn't offended by your post, BUT, it has already been screwed up for those of us who used to hunt there prior to my ever joining this website. Even when it was public and not a draw site it wouldn't matter what I said, folks were coming there. Word of mouth on that particular WMA was way ahead of the internet. Now that I can't hunt it when I want to who cares how many people are putting in for a draw? Half to two thirds of them won't even show up when they win it. Just like all the other draw sites. I liked Mahannah because if I had a day off and could get there it was convenient, even when it was full with people 50 feet from you in every direction I killed numerous ducks. I can't just jump in the car and run up there for an hour or two any more so what difference does it make. Those who get a draw can have at it and will have plenty of luck there. Mahannah was probably the most talked about WMA on this website when I joined and apparently still is. My personal comments aren't going to change that. I just have to drive a little farther to actually see ducks, or buy some additional equipment and change the way I hunt, or take out a second mortgage and join a duck camp. Any way you look at it the goobers who pulled for a draw cost me money. I'm a bit pissed about that but could care less about who or how many people put in for the draw. Like I said, every draw hunt managed by the state of Mississippi that I have ever attended only had about a third of the draw winners show up anyway. I hope hundreds show up every day looking for a waiting list spot so that the place actually gets hunted the way it needs to to keep the ducks moving to where I will actually be. If there is a habitat as good as Mahannah is near where I have to hunt, (because some idiot thought a draw was a good idea), and no one is hunting it, then the ducks will congregate there and stay away from wherever I am hunting. I want Mahannah full of hunters every day of the week now. Wherever I end up hunting will be better off for it. I personally will not be putting in for a draw because I don't really believe the process will work properly for the first couple of years. The state of Mississippi doesn't have the best reputation for change, and from what I have seen, probably will have the circle jerk going the first couple of years. Its okay though because there will be gazillions of ducks at Mahannah this year and hunters would have to be ijuts to not kill a few any day of the week.

Thanks for giving me the opportunity to respond, I hate for there to be any misunderstanding.

[VICKSBURGBOB]

I did want to add that it is not the MWFP field Officer's fault that the draw system gets so screwy for the first couple of years. It takes a little time to figure out the best way to make the system work on a particular piece of property. Alot of times the people making the decisions in Jackson have never even seen the place in question or never picked up a shotgun. When those who know what the he!! they are talking about finally get the chance to add their .02 a couple of years has passed. That was my point.
I do want to see as many people as possible hunting that property though. Otherwise it will get like it was a few years ago, (before I joined this website), and before the secret that was Mahannah got out. Millions of ducks sitting on the water, feeding and whatever all morning and never being motivated to move. Every hunting area around it public and private will suffer if that happens because there will be no reason for the ducks to leave their wonderful huge safe haven. The few hunters who actually show up for their draw will only push the ducks to other parts of the preserve where they will sit. That actually was the way Mahannah used to be before it got popular and was as late as the last part of last year after the crowds dissipated.

That anatidae is why I post the way I do. At this point the only hope I have to see ducks in a reasonable driving distance from where I live is to get as many people to Mahannah as possible as often as possible. To do that they have to understand that even if everyone who gets a draw shows up they will get the chance to shoot at ducks. I promise. So go guys and gals and enjoy every minute of it, and bust the sky to your hearts content. Please.

[JMCMILLIN]

"LETS GO WALKIN MISSISSIPPI" >>> gotta love that idea gator

[skywalker]

How many of you that have posted on this thread can honestly say they have called the MSWFP (whatever it is) or written a letter to them expressing their concern and opinions about the new draw system?

Just curious.....

skywalker

[bigwater]

i' callled... they told me men with male breast weren't allowed to hunt...

they said due to the fact that the area was now a walk in area only... they were concerned about old fat fockers overgeared with every gadget avail to man.. passing out from sheer exaushtion on the walk in... and keeling over and dying right there on the spot...

so in order to prevent any liability issues arising..

the state will be conducting body fat percentage checks..

any one with a bmi index over the given # will not be allowed to walk their fat booty out there to hunt.. the bmi # has not been determined but i was told that even if the bmi# was liberal my fat booty still wouldn't qualify..

"@#$%#" it.. i plan on exclusively sporting for downy chittdippers at the ruleville lagoon...

[Double R 2]

men with male breasts...exclusively sporting for downy chittdippers at the ruleville lagoon...

Good one Big

[msbigdawg1234]

Yes i have talked to Dr Sam several times. Last i heard they were leaning towards draws n the weekends and open hunt during the week.

Yes BIG is bored. Good one for sure ole big breasted one.

[Faithful Retrievers]

I would probablly bet that the managers of the WMA saw this with their own eyes and felt that after the accident occured, something had to be done. After all that is what they are paid to do and I would assume that personal safety of the public ranks pretty high on the agenda. Then of course all the complaints added salt to the wound. I have seen the D word associated with this and other WMAs. I have hunted Noxubee through college and would imagine that is the direction that this is headed, hopefully not during the week.
As someone mentioned anyone that has hunted MO's public land, such as Otter Slough gets the picture of where this could be headed. You only thought Wal-Mart was full of folks on Sunday afternoon.
Becareful what you ask for...