DuckSouth.com

i don't understand why so many people are ready to dump our 60 day season.. i just got through reading an article by bob marshall that was posted on this here site by laduck (thanks laduck)

anyway. the overwhelming theme is that 60/6 ducks creates a preception that were all gonna have a banner season...

the article also went on to say that there was no scentific evidence that shows that the 60/6 was hurting the dux... in ohter words the current ahm model is working...

i think a lot of people on here have unrealestic expectations.....

folks its called duck hunting not dick killin... when i go to the marsh i hope for the best but usually expect the worst..
sure i get flusterd just like everyone else, but i keep on going...
seems like theres too many people that expect to limit every time they go.. if not they automatically assume the worst.. there are no dux...

it looks like we as the duk hunting community are going to get our wish for a shorter season, and the bummer is that the reduction in days might not even be necessary...

thanks
bigw

Biggwater, you are correct on some points. I have noticed by just visiting this site how many of the today’s duck hunters (those who use the abbreviation of DUX) want everything easy. Most of my hunting is 11 miles from the dock in the LA marsh, and this year many times less than three ducks were taken between two hunters. There is some problem with the amount of ducks showing up in the lower Mississippi flyway. Could be the weather, hunting pressure, or simply lack of ducks. The youth of today want everything easy and this is the fault of parents like me making it easier than we probably had it. But, something is wrong

[quote="bigwater"] the overwhelming theme is that 60/6 ducks creates a preception that were all gonna have a banner season...the article also went on to say that there was no scentific evidence that shows that the 60/6 was hurting the dux... in ohter words the current ahm model is working...[/quote]


bigwater, It scares me that $$$ are the reason "no scentific evidence that shows that the 60/6 was hurting the dux." Scientists are like lawyers, if the $$$ is right, you can find one that will say anything (no disrespect to the good attorneys).

It just seems like plain old common sense (to me) that we should to try a 30 day season for a few years to see if this would help the duck numbers. The duck numbers are what counts, not the hunter numbers (IMHO).

The reason that most want to cut the days as opposed to the limit is that "Days kill ducks." If you have a 3 duck 60 day season, that is a max of 180. If you have a 6 duck 30 day season, that is a max of 180 ducks. However, probably twice as many ducks would be killed overall in the 60/3 scenario, since more people hunt more days. That is why folks want to dial back the days. Cutting back the limit does not do near as much statistically. I would rather have more days in the field and less ducks, but that probably will not happen due to the statistical increase from "more days" in the duck kill numbers.

If you don't believe me, ask DoubleR2 or any of the waterfowl biologists on the board.

bigwater wrote:folks its called duck hunting not dick killin... when i go to the marsh i hope for the best but usually expect the worst..
thanks
bigw

BINGO !

GulfCoast wrote: I would rather have more days in the field and less ducks, but that probably will not happen due to the statistical increase from "more days" in the duck kill numbers.

I feel the same way, but as GulfCoast just said, probably won't happen.

What I don't understand is why there are a few who are so greedy that they are not willing to try everything that even might help the situation!

bigwater wrote:the article also went on to say that there was no scentific evidence that shows that the 60/6 was hurting the dux... in ohter words the current ahm model is working...

Not hardly. There's also no evidence showing that 60/6 is not hurting.

bigwater wrote:it looks like we as the duk hunting community are going to get our wish for a shorter season, and the bummer is that the reduction in days might not even be necessary...

You're right, it MIGHT not be necessary, but if there's even the smallest chance that it is, then it should be tried!!!

[r is that the reduction in days might not even be necessary...[/quote]
You're right, it MIGHT not be necessary, but if there's even the smallest chance that it is, then it should be tried!!![/quote]
agreed, why not try? If we loose the days for ever then i guess " they " see that it helped, but i know that it wont hort anything..

[quote="sportsman450"]What I don't understand is why there are a few who are so greedy that they are not willing to try everything that even might help the situation!

There's also no evidence showing that 60/6 is not hurting.

it MIGHT not be necessary, but if there's even the smallest chance that it is, then it should be tried!!![/quote]


Good points sportsman450 and I agree.

what was the single biggest reason for people to quit duck hunting in the first place ? when they had the point system. didn't it help get rid of the wannabes and also increase the populations ? it made hunters pay closer attention to what they shot and the distances. i'll sit in the boat all morning especially if i'm getting a shot every 45 min or so.
i'd like 60 - 3 because i remember back in 99-00 season that it was december that we killed our ducks and then jan. was all froze up. the break was about 2 1/2" thick with ice for almost the whole month.
last year i killed 75% of my ducks in dec.
all i'm saying is with the weird weather we get if we're limited to 30 days people will still say the ducks were here in dec. and nobody want's to think about 30 in dec. cause jan is normally oour best month.
it normall takes 60 days to be able to get in a good 20 days of hunting.
doesn't matter to methough i'll take what they give me.

p.s. ya'll need to check out the bill they have on the home page of the mdwfp website. if that gets passed it's going to hurt the parks and wma big time.

for the life of me i can't figure out why ya'll are itching so bad for a 30 day season...

i mean hell... ya'll are ready to do this and the DUCKSSSSSS!!!! ain't even made it back to the PPR or Canada.. WE don't know how the May pond count numbers will be or any of the other variables...

but i swear some of you would sign up today for a thirty day season!!!!

i just don't understand?????

I have noticed that hardly any of the duck hunters that I know personally seem to complain about duck season lengths or limits. They like to have lots of opportunities to hunt and if the limit allows 6, that's good, too. Of course, the same bunch was out there having fun when the limit was lower and the season was shorter.

Why is it that the internet comments seem to harp on the negative so much: the season is too long, the limit is too high, let's restrict things and do our best to get rid of the fun. I had a great season and was out there with the birds more of the sixty days than not. Didn't anyone else?

Bigwater, I share your amazement over the 30/3 crowd. For this to happen based upon the science, we would have to have very poor breeding condition indicators in the spring ---- eg the May pond counts. Why wish for the duck pops to decline and the breeding conditions to be poor?

Also, many of the 30/3 crowd, who want this as a way to "thin out the wannabes", " return duck hunting to the real duck hunters", etc. etc., would be able to hunt 30 days out of a 30 day season due to their occupation. Thus, a 30/3 season would really not hurt their hunting time afield as much as it would many others. And even if it did, these folks think that by doing so we will magically return to days of skies blackened with ducks. If only it were that simple.

I don't think we will see a 30/3 season just because some duck hunters want it for reasons other than duck conservation goals. The USF&WS may adjust the normal 60 days downward to some degree due to the public perception that we may be harvesting too many ducks in years where the duck popuulations are down, but it will be some very moderate tinkering.
A 45 day season, with 3 splits, would probably give most of us the same amount of hunting days afield, spread out through Dec. -Jan. , that a 60 day season would with only one split. There are a lot of wasted open days now within the 60 day season, IMO. ( A wasted day is any day that I cannot go due to work or family responsibilities/obligations ).

The way the weather has been for quite some time, a 30 day season could be a pretty risky proposition ----- we could have unseasonably warm weather for part of it, and then be locked up with ice for part or most of it. The 45 to 60 day season lengths, with proper splits, would serve as a hedge to make sure we at least have the best opportunity for some favorable weather while our season is open.

These are just some of my thoughts. Count me out of the 30/3 crowd, unless the science dicatates that such must be done to protect the resource.

thank you

hambone and po monkey..

i agree whole-heartdly....

how many days afield do you guys spend that are for the 30/3????

If you think,and I mean honestly think,that we need a 30 day season, I wonder how many of that bunch actually hunt only 30 days now.Seems to me if you really believed in the 30 day deal you would hunt your 30 and quit.But I bet that dont happen.If you do,hats off to you!!!