No Duck Theories

[Anatidae]

If anyone ever figures-out what the 'problem' was.......the variables will have changed 14 times by then, and we'll have a different set of variables to ponder......just like the folks that set the regulations deal with every year.

'Gobble-gobble-gobble'

[mdb1]

For what it's worth-our duck season was no banner year(middle zone of Mo.) The no. zone had record no.s all season and even more after.The south zone was excellent late.North zone opened last weekend of Oct. South zone closed Jan. 20. In Mo. we can have substantially more than 60 days if we travel.

[mallardhunter]

Does anybody know what happens to a hole that gets the hell shot out of it day after day? Right, the ducks don't come back! Now, does anybody have an idea why the famous Malmaison greentree ain't worth nothin anymore?

Just depends on the hole and a few other factors. Drop by the Tennessee Forum, ask them good ole boys how Camden blind 107 does in a normal year. Shot every day for the past . . . many years, and as long as the weather cooperates, kills ducks daily. Same with Bayou Meto in Arkansas and a few other places I won't name ('cause I hunt there). If the weather is there, the ducks are there and pressure don't mean squat! Blind 107 is hunted daily and used to be a 50-day, straight season with no break, and in a year with foul weather, pounded the ducks daily. Place (public land) I hunted the last week of the season this year is hunted seven days a week. Didn't seem to be a problem to me. If you don't know of an area that is hunted successfully 7 days a week, or even four days a week, you might consider getting out more, 'cause they've been around for years.

I have no idea what's going on at Malmaison or the area around it, but it ain't just the pressure. Look elsewhere for the answers and you might find some.

[gadwall2]

If the weather is there then the ducks are there, and pressure don't mean squat.

Thats true because you are getting new birds in that don't have a clue as to what that hole has beeen going through. There are always going to be exceptions and scenarios that don't quite add up in your thinking. For instance, what was that bird thinking when I was standing in the middle of the decoys with a cigarette hanging out my mouth. He just wouldn't leave and was trying to land when I was in plain view. Most of us have seen this happen.

Maybe blind 107 will continue to be productive, but I have seen the same type hole go to pot in the past. After years of overhunting a hole the ducks become shy of that hole. They remember what happened the last time they were there.

The Malmo greentree used to be managed better. There was no hunting after 12:00pm. Now you can hunt that sucker all day. If you hunt an area all day everyday, you will eventually get to a point that very few ducks will stop on it.

I think a lot of the new hunters(not cutting anyone) don't understand what used to be seen by the veterans. Hunts that used to be an hour long are now 3-4 hours. Calling used to be a very effective tool if used properly. A 20 bird group used to commit, now those groups are few and far between.

I am not saying weather is not a factor, because it is. I just don't think people understand how big a factor hunting pressure has become.

[chopper30]

Thats true because you are getting new birds in that don't have a clue as to what that hole has beeen going through.

Correct me if I am wrong Gadwall, but isn't that what everyone wants? Doesn't lots of groups of new ducks make a good hunt, or new flights coming in daily make a good season?

I haven't been around as long as most of you, but isn't new birds to me are what makes it fun. Sure it is fun to kill local, but that is when the hunting gets hard, fun but hard. My favorite days are when new birds come down and you can watch them fall out of the top of the sky, never checking up and put there feet out.

My main field got hunted 41 out of 60 days this season. It is only 360 acres. We shot the hell out of them by many peoples standards, but they come back!

Chopper

[gadwall2]

Chop, how long were your hunts on average?

[chopper30]

2-3 hours, averaging 5 people.

[SoftCall]

Amen Hambone.

[eastwoods]

I was talking about general hunting conditions in a region not exceptional segments of the flyway or those always naturally good holes. Harvest wise I did excellent, those naturally good holes produced for me this year like they would no matter if it was 80 and dry all through January. I'm glad some of you did well this past year and I assure you I did good as well, but I am of the opinion that if we don't look around now our honey holes may be next.

How can you argue with this fact? When several professional duck picking operations throughout a state go from picking 6,000 ducks to the next year 3,000 ducks to the next year 1,000 ducks to the next year 500 ducks to the this past year 200 ducks and no new duck pickers have started up.

I don't want to wait for a month long ice out on every river above the Mason Dixon line before things change because I really don't think they will. We have more numbers of birds wintering in our state the past 5 years during these warm winters we just can't kill them generally speaking because they sit on refuges and fly at night.

I'm trying to convince others to go to 30 because I'm trying to stop something before my honey holes are effected. I put my money in my own wetland enhancement projects, don't care much for DU or DW until they start shooting straight with what's wrong. Do ya'll 60 day'ers belong to DU?

[mudsucker]

The sig. line answer your question, but I woul be a 60 day, 45 day, 30 day, or 15 day guy! Just want to have the oppertunity to hunt 'em.

[eastwoods]

That "I'll take what they give me" is what I'm really talking about. That's just sticking your head in the sand. Let's be proactive and improve things. This thing is bad and getting worse and I don't want it affecting me. I know some 1,000 + blinds for the past 40 years that did about 100 this year. Don't get me wrong, I'd hunt 60 if they give me 60, but I'd like to influence a 30. The first few years of this down turn I said "oh it's just the weather" but fellows you can't sing that song forever.

It's like not going specifically after singles after you raise a covey. Leaving a few rabbits on a fencerow for seed.

Let the ducks hang out in the Delta without pressure like they're doing now. Hunt other animals a little just give my mallards a break.

[mdb1]

Check the no.s on Grand Pass CA (Mo.). Typically it peaks at 100K birds. This year they reported 280K+ and maybe more (they were having trouble counting them) after the season closed. I don't know anything about why or when ducks move but I believe that the people who study them for a living don't know a whole lot either. It's like forecasting the weather-we know it will rain in the spring,it will be colder in winter than summer,etc. but we won't know why or when exactly. Judging from the duck no.s in the bottoms the past few weeks it looks like nobody shot a duck. They're like locusts eating up every scrap of grain from the fields.

[eastwoods]

There that way in NE AR right now as well. The question is where did the come from?

A. LA, migrating north and getting fat to lay eggs.
B. Canada, migrating late under warm weather conditions.
C. Refuges, moving in daylight because of no pressure.
D. Spontaneous Generation.

[mudsucker]

Eastwoods,
That was not the intent of my post. "Take what they give me." But I am with the group of those on here that say they get shot at from Sept. in canada to Jan. down here.(Later in Mx. I guess). So I do not see where the 30day season would solve it. What 30 days would you have us have. Nov? Dec? Jan? above us they would still be shot during their 30 days. OCT? NOV? Let's get the feds to open different refuges to hunting in different years(rotate areas). Maybe we can get em to move off the "SAFE" areas and fly around. That is my stance.

[eastwoods]

Of course 30 days would be 30 days for every state. Now that would be spread out from north to south granted and even though hunting somewhere in North America would be from Sept. thru Jan., in my state ducks would only be shot at for 30 days period. So some say the 30 days would increase pressure to a higher level within those 30 days, I can't see it. If someone is shooting at a duck in North Dakota it doesn't mean squat negatively speaking down here. Actually, it's benefiting us by sending them down.

Let's ask a different question. What would it take to eliminate weather for your reason for the declining favorable/huntable wintering waterfowl in AR, LA, and MS. Notice, I didn't say migrating ducks because we have good duck numbers.

How cold does it have to get up north. How deep does the snow have to get? What states need to be covered. All you have to do is right down those good to excellent years as well as number of birds and weather conditions. Should be easy enough to figure out.

95-96 was the last great year for AR statewide in my opinion. I don't believe you can count 99-00 or 00-01 because of the twirlie effect. The numbers of ducks shot up after the 95-96 year and our hunting has decreased in quality ever since.