how about an opinion or two on the limits.....

[Skeeter]

got to do a lot of talking in the duck blind over the holidays (cause no ducks) and really think the limit should be lowered back to 4 ducks, or back to the point system.....and they should outlaw the spinning wing decoys.....i believe it would really thin out some of these high dollar duck holes that most of us cannot afford.....along with thinning out a lot of hunters who would think that just 4 ducks is not worth all the work.....i will have to say that i am excited that Arkansas is outlawing the spinning wing decoys next year, and wish that we would do the same.....i own 2 of them...but only to compete with others...would rather see no one have em....I know this topic has been hit on several times....but as this season progresses, I find myelf saying now, as last year, "the last 3-5 years have been the worst duck hunting i have ever seen or heard of".....i believe changing these two things would greatly improve everyone's duck hunting.....now i know that those of you who can afford these high dollar leases are gonna blast me for this, but you are in a minority when it comes to that.....oh well, i could go on and on and on....but its just on my mind....whata yall think?
D

[Ducks&Bucks18]

I would like to see the same changes made also.

[tunica]

skeeter, you own two spinners and you use them because others do also...Dont let others predict what you'll do...if you think spinners are hurting the ducks then eliminate your spinners....Dont wait for the other guy to stop he won't.

[Anatidae]

i will have to say that i am excited that Arkansas is outlawing the spinning wing decoys next year, and wish that we would do the same.....i own 2 of them...but only to compete with others...would rather see no one have em....

Is there a smillie face with a piece of duct tape across it's mouth? If so, paste it, here.......

[Super Black Eagle]

I, too, would like to see more birds in my spread, but I am not sure the limits are a problem. I heard a rumor that was rumored to have been started by a fella in DU (I have no idea who or when or even if it is true), that the average kill per hunter is 1.8 ducks per hunt. In my case this year, I have not even gotten close to that. With that in mind would lowering the limit actually make a difference? how many of you limit out everytime you go out? not me.
I would like to see the number of days be lowered. This would lower the pressure and maybe allow the ducks to concentrate more in our area. I have no doubt the ducks are here. Like has been said many times on this site already.
They are crowding the refuge areas. There is no reason for them to leave. These places are planted with food crops, and not harvested, they have hard woods that supply cover, protection and food. With that, why would they leave? If y'alls hunts have been anything like mine, you have been seeing lots of birds in the area, but they are not responding to a call like in years past.
I hear a bunch of you ol'timers talking about 30/3 or the point system, then referring to he years directly after that as the 'good ole days'. Why can't that happen again? What do y'all think would happen if the authorities buckled down and got strict on limits and days and maybe even went back to the point system? would the duck counts skyrocket again? In 50 years, would folks like myself (mid 20's now) be sitting around b1tching about how we had to hunt on the point system, then laughing about how many ducks we had in the 'good ole days?' Is it possible to create that again?
What about the over commercialization of the sport itself? Do any of you remember when Mack's Prairie Wings was just a little quick stop? That was less than 40 years ago. Now they are a major cooperation and number 1 or 2 in supplying the country with duck stuff. Also, what would you have said if 15 years ago someone would have told you a duck lease (one field) would cost you anywhere from 3,000 to 10,000 dollars? I think the major cooperations, who have there hands in too many peoples pockets to allow the reduction of seasons. Now I have gotten on a rant, I was also told the current president of DU makes somewhere around 300,000 annually, is that true?
I have not been doing this long enough to know what is wrong or even how much better it was in "the good ole days" but I know my bird per hunt average has sucked! I am in favor of anything that will increase my chances of killing more birds.
If I am out of line here or if that made absolutely no sense at all, please let me know.

Thanks
SBE
Adam

[Flooded Timber]

I Agree the spinners have got to go. If we get rid of these then alot of pressure will be off of the birds.
1- alot of beginning hunters would not be hunting as much. ( won't be able to kill as many birds )
2- Won't be killing as many young birds.

Just my opinion.

[duckter]

If what I continually hear is "poor habitat in the prairie pothole region" then put the majority of the money in creating better habitat in that area.
That is the start of the process. Create more permanent water and do not rely on Mother Nature. Continue to harvest the predators.

Does not make much sense to spend money on creating waterfowl habitat in the flyway's. Plenty of area/habitat exists.

[crow]

I had some good hunts this year. But, I also didn't see the mallards that I have seen in the traditional places over many years. They may be on the "refuge" areas. But, they ain't on the refuge areas I looked at in anywhere near the numbers that I have traditionally seen. Panther Swamp and Mahannah come to mind. The numbers on those refuge areas are incredibly small, and I stayed past black dark just to see if the ducks were coming in late. They didn't come the week I was there. I never saw the mallards making the late flights to feed or to the woods in the late afternoon in Delta National like they always have prior to the last several years. They may be there, but they are not flying where they used to...I know because I spent a week hunting in the am and driving and going into places on my atv in the afternoons to find a place to hunt.

The mallards just flat out are not where they always have been! Now, how to fix that is another problem altogether. If they are, indeed, there, then pressure has moved them off traditional patterns that they have followed for dozens of years.

I will go out on a limb and say that the ducks are not yet here in numbers to come close to traditional numbers. I don't know if they are even there to come down with weather or if they are just hung up, and I grant that there are a few concentrations of big ducks in the delta in a few places and there are a few ducks in many places. There is water everywhere and the ducks have many choices, both natural and manmade. I also can tell you that I didn't see a handful of food in the places I hunted. I think most of the man-made holes are left to nature and not managed for sufficient forage. The ducks are having to work very hard for food right now, in my honest opinion. That quest for food takes them far and wide. When they find food, they stay with it. But, hunt them once and they are gone! That's acclimation to pressure.

I don't see it as and either/or proposition when it comes to an explanation to why the patterns have changed. It is more the perfect storm of weather, more but poorer habitat, pressure from more hunter/longer seasons/higher limits, poor hatch rate, robo's siphoning off the juvies, and other causes I am too dumb to comprehend.

That is why it is such a tough nut to crack. There are many factors under the control and influence of too many forces to make an immediate or easy fix.

The end result..."We be screwed!"

crow

[GulfCoast]

This has been the best year I have had in a long time. All I want is some SERIOUS cold weather.

[Double R 2]

This has been the best year I have had in a long time. All I want is some SERIOUS cold weather.

No complaints about this season. Ditto the weather.

[crow]

GC, that's good to hear! Are you seeing mallards in numbers? I've heard they're hanging closer to the river than usual, but can't prove it by me. Are you having to move a lot to stay on them or are you getting a good flow of birds coming to you where you are hunting? Just glad to hear someone is getting consistent hunts. I did have a better short hunt than I have in years, myself...just not many mallards.

[GulfCoast]

We are seeing a good bit of mallards. They seem to be few flights, but more birds in each flight. there are tons of grayducks and widgeon this year. We are moving around a good bit, but 3 or 4 spots have been pretty decent, at least till the weather turned off hot. I hunted down here this weekend, so I am not sure how things were in the Delta.

[jkm1272]

A three or four duck limit and a 30 ror 40 day season would help.

1. It would get rid of the "cool duck hunter". One problem seems to be the pressure on ducks. To many hunters. Most people are not going to pay high dollars to shoot three or four ducks. Only purist will do this.

2. I believe a smaller limit would also allow more juveniles to survive. Which in return will increase breeding numbers.

Before anyone starts bashing me, I don't expect to kill limits everytime I hunt. I do expect to see ducks, and that has not been happening on a regular basis. When the six duck limit began we hammered them. I don't know what has happened, but we don't hammer anymore.

I think this WRP and CRP is not good for the ducks in the south. Most of these fields were grain fields. That is a lot of food that is lost each year.

[Money]

- get rid of spinners
- lower bag limit to 4 ducks
- open season 2nd weekend in Dec.
- git 'er dun

[Gman]

Don't matter what the limit is 6, 5 or 4..... If there are no ducks because of the warm winter weather, i'ts going to be tough to limit out.
I bet if a fella hunted in Miss. everyday of the season, he would probably limit out a several times, get skunked more than he would limit out, and probably average 2 - 2.5 ducks per day. In a 60 day season that would be 120 - 150 ducks killed by that 1 hunter.
I think that the season ought to start Dec 15th and run to Jan 30 - that's 45 days.
I also think that ROBO ducks are hurting the migration in the Miss. flyway, as there are more hunters in the Miss. flyway than any other, so you have more ROBO ducks in this flyway. Maybe that's why all the ducks are in Oklahoma and Texas.
I wonder how many hunters are in the Miss. flyway, compared to the Central flyway? Does anyone know?