"Too Many Refuges" a Farce

[JimWalker]

Well perhaps you are correct, as I said I dont know, but I always thought it was drought that hurt the ducks, not DDT.

[Ringbill]

Ducks can accumulate DDT, primarily through ingestion of sprayed crops and aquatic invertebrates. This can kill waterfowl or suppress reproduction. However, I am not aware of research documenting serious problems due to DDT accumulation in ducks. Typically it's a problem with raptor who eat ducks and geese and other birds that accumulate the toxins.

I worry most about drought (uncontrollable) and habitat loss. I pray that DU, Delta and the Feds find a way to bond together for the one thing that could make a real difference for the ducks:

A conservation cover program for Prairie and Parkland Canada.

My 2 cents (devalued)

Ringbill

[RIP EM]

DEVALUED !.... NOW THAT'S FUNNY !

Rip Em !

[mallardhunter]

There has to be x amount of visible ducks on the water spread out across an area before they will try with some determination to stay in the area.

I've just gotta ask. IF the above is true, how do the first ducks to fly over ever land?

[Super Black Eagle]

correct me if I am completely wrong, but the migration starts before our hunting seasons opens. Therefore some birds get down here and are able to get confident about an area, without anyone shooting at them.

SBE

[gadwall2]

SBE, thats why the first couple of shooting days are the best in a season that has very few "pushes" of new birds. Leave a hole alone from 12/1 to 1/1 and see how many "committed" ducks drop in.

If you have several pushes of birds in a season then new ducks see a new hole, to them, and your shooting only eases slightly.

[torch]

Benny how many acres in National Refuge System???????????? 118 million acres. That does not include State or private refuges. I would say a more realistic #is around 250 million acres.

[the doctor]

natural selection...the dumbest ones die first

very prominent in light geese

if they seem to be getting smarter, its because they are!!!

the doc

[digger]

When I was a kid we had 1 refugee in my county the GW that saw over it would go in right at daylight and shoot off a propane cannon to get the bird's up and moveing.What yall think,no hunting pressure just get bird's to move out to feed and help out the hunter's,but could come back and rest with no pressure.Old guy gone new GW don't do sqat,dont plant don't maintain nothing but draw a check.

[torch]

Benny I have hunted and guided for Canada Geese in Ky for 20 years. Ballard County refuge WILL feed geese when snow covers ground for more than 2 days. I have seen it with my own eyes. Don't know if any refuges feed ducks but have seen it on the geese.

[Greenhead22]

Well I'm going to speak up and say that we do have too many places for ducks to just sit and not be hunted, especially in my area that I hunt. I probably had over 20K holding on 4 santurary holes in a 1 mi radius of my camp, and you couldn't do anything about it. They just sat there all morning, all evening, wouldn't ever fly. It gets tough when you 2 best duckholes border santurary holes just on the other side of the ditch.

[O/U]

Good post iron grip.
I agree. It won't ever happen but I agree. I can't think of anything that it would hurt. It would sure help the hunting in other areas.

[Super Black Eagle]

Mallard hunter asked

how do the first ducks to fly over ever land?

I was answering his question.

digger - I saw one club use two of those air cannons on thier place. After about 2 weeks the birds would feed right next to the dang thing.

having a refuge next to your club does suck, sometimes. But if it weren't for the sanctuary holes then every duck that passed through the area would be subject to hot steel. As many hunters as we have these days; it wouldn't take long to blast all thier asses up!

A decrease in hunters and hunting pressure will increase to amount of ducks we see.

SBE

[digger]

Well I'll say it's not in the delta and it is used by duck's,and I assume in good numbers it's in the Grenada lake back water's.We know have 2 in our county 1 on skuna side 1 on yalabusha side.

[the doctor]

we can all thank DU and DW for the increase in hunters and consequently hunting prssure

the doc