Woods & Waters Tamie shoot

[vicksburg]

Did ya'll get the new issue of MS Woods & Waters yesterday. If so, what did you think about that article on " Duck Hunting in March" or something like that. Bragged about the ducks falling in like they're "supposed to" and 7 guys whacked 125 mallards. Kind of gave me that "this seems pretty sh!tty" feeling. What did ya'll think about it?

[Don Miller]

I guess this is what "hunting" is coming to. I personally don't like the idea of tamie or canned hunts of any kind. As long as there are people(notice I didn't say hunters) with money and limited time and resource, this market will flourish. I think too many people are looking for instant gratification and are totally missing the boat when it comes to what hunting is really about.

[Micah]

Tamie shoots for ducks suck, but for some reason I don't have much of a problem with shooting quail on a preserve or catching trout from a trout pond.

I guess it's because the cool thing about duck hunting is the skill level required to be successful; that's what makes it fun. I quit deer hunting at a young age, because it lost it's appeal when the enjoyment was derived from the kill. When all I enjoy about duck hunting is the killing, then I'll do the ducks a service and stop hunting ducks. I don't see that happening any time soon though.

"Hunting", and I use the term lightly, is the cool thing to do. I'll be glad when the yuppies go back to golf and leave the ducks to me. I keep hoping for the three duck, 30-day season so we can see what effect it has on the commercial side of duck hunting and how many people will go out for a 3 duck limit.

Just my $.02

Micah

[hbrown]

Yeah, I'm with you Micah!! Killing tamies is un sportsman like. And down right unAmerican..

[Po Monkey Lounger]

What is to prevent these tamie outfitters from using tamies during the regular duck season as live "decoys" ? --- similar to the old tethered live hens, except these are conditioned to fly from the release point to the blind and then land. Such should be illegal if it is going on.

[Bustin' Ducks]

Didn't see the article....

[Homer]

I read that article this a.m. I was like holy Bennie’s head after buffle head mistaken him for a turkey! I couldn't believe they published that article... I can guarantee the next issue will be the one to read.... Ref: the letters to the editor... I wouldn't want to be in them shoeses...

If these ducks can fly or if ducks can enter this property what's to keep the wild ducks out or these crazy spoon-fed breeds from mixing with the general wild population. Seems to me that this could have some impact on our wild ducks.

[SoftCall]

If these ducks can fly or if ducks can enter this property what's to keep the wild ducks out or these crazy spoon-fed breeds from mixing with the general wild population. Seems to me that this could have some impact on our wild ducks.

I was thinking the same thing...this crap should be illegal. March - returning ducks...people seeing more birds..why wouldn't there be a risk of drawing in the real deal? Regardless, I would like to see this place's client list...pathetic.

No different than high fence deer, "game" ranches and hunting exotics as far as I am concerned.

I keep hoping for the three duck, 30-day season so we can see what effect it has on the commercial side of duck hunting and how many people will go out for a 3 duck limit.

This will not have any impact on this issue Micah. If anything, it will make more "hunters" resort to such actions...at least in the short run. Look at quail shooting preserves. I know more people that quail "hunt" now than before these places gained popularity. Seriously, how many folks do you know that have hunted wild birds over their grandfather's dogs? There aren't many below the age of 40 (myself included). Now - how many folks do you know that have shot birds on a preserve? Plenty.

The folks that duck hunt in this manner don't want restrictions on limits or dates period...that's why they do it IMO - convenience and no rules. 30 day seasons aint gonna solve anything here.

[chapper]

I say let them shoot the tamies, keeps those guys out of the woods.

[sportsman450]

I keep hoping for the three duck, 30-day season so we can see what effect it has on the commercial side of duck hunting and how many people will go out for a 3 duck limit.

This will not have any impact on this issue Micah.
The folks that duck hunt in this manner don't want restrictions on limits or dates period...that's why they do it IMO - convenience and no rules. 30 day seasons aint gonna solve anything here.

Softcall-I think he was refering to the impact it would have on the other aspects ,and from what I remember, he might be right. It seems like the last time we had 30/3 the actual hunting was great. There were a lot less people in the woods, and there were plenty of "workable" ducks. A lot of the fairweather "hunters" must have felt like it wasn't wirth it to go after 3 ducks.

[Micah]

I've shot some flight conditioned pen raised quail, and it wasn't too far from the real thing. The birds flew well, and the dog work was great. We had to "find" the birds, they didn't come to us. In light of the current problems that we have with wild bobwhite populations in the areas that I'm familiar with, I wouldn't think of shooting wild birds. The elements of the "hunt" are still involved with the type of preserve quail shoot that I've been on.

The "tamie" duck hunts that I've seen have all consisted of flight conditioned tamie mallards that have been trained to fly in to feed at the blind. I've seen video wehre they honk the horn on the Kawasaki Mule in place of using a duck call. The birds know that the horn means feeding time, so they all get up and fly to their death. The birds keep circling as they're shot by the hunters. Does that sound at all like a hunt?

I put these hunts on the same level as the pen raised deer that people pay $10,000 to kill. The hunter is put on a stand and the deer is released inside a pen and driven to the hunter. What's the point? The thrill of the kill is all that is left in that experience. Some big shot gets to brag about paying 10 grand to kill that deer on his wall.

You take the sport out of hunting, and it just becomes killing. Tamie hunts are inviting the general non-hunting public that doesn't currently have a problem with our sport to begin to have a negative perception of hunters. Heck, I'm a hunter and it makes me sick to my stomach.

[Chuckle12]

Look at quail shooting preserves. I know more people that quail "hunt" now than before these places gained popularity. Seriously, how many folks do you know that have hunted wild birds over their grandfather's dogs? There aren't many below the age of 40 (myself included). Now - how many folks do you know that have shot birds on a preserve? Plenty.

I don't think quail preserves can be grouped into the same category as these tamie duck hunts. The main difference between the ducks and quail, is there the low numbers of wild quail left around here. It seems like preserves are the only choice for quail hunting around MS. I have been to Kearney Park many times to hunt quail. My grandfather always had a couple of German Shorthairs out in the yard growing up. He loved to quail hunt. I remember him (he' dead now) telling me stories about the quail hunts he and my dad used to go on back when there were good numbers of quail in MS. He used to take me to Kearney Park and take his dogs to hunt quail. He loved to work those dogs and it seemed like the only place to do it was at a preserve. He got too run down to duck hunt (climbing in/out of boats, wading, etc.), but we could always go to a preserve and let him work his dogs and hunt over them. If it wasn't for places like that, I never would have experienced what he felt for those dogs and wouldn't have had that time spent with him "in the field". I was young then and, of course now it doesn't seem like "hunting", as it did back then. I wish there were good numbers of quail around here and we didn't have to rely on places like that, but I don't think there ever will be.

[SoftCall]

You guys are missing my point. I am not dogging out quail hunting on preserves...that's really the only way to hunt them now. My point is that folks who normally wouldn't quail hunt go hunt quail on preserves. Now there are folks that go out there to hunt pen raised birds in as much of a fair chase manner as possible (like yall) and those that go out there and shoot pheasant that you have to step on to get them up...and chukkar..and what ever else there is that can be raised on a pen and set loose. And yes, there are preserves that offer more of a challenge than others..then there are those that don't. There is a difference in Micah going out to shoot quail for the experience that used to be common vs. those that do it because it's convenient and trendy.

And as far as the quality of hunting being better at 30/3 Sportsman...

We can debate this until the cows come home. What's going to run folks off faster? 30/3 with ok to great conditions or 60/6 with crappy weather like we have had for the past few seasons? Fairweather duck hunters are going to sit it out one way or another if this trend keeps up. Folks aren't going to bust their butts to be the brake bafoon for zero ducks let alone 3. On the other hand, set the season at 60, 50, 45 and 6, 5, 4..whatever and throw a year in the mix that has good conditions and not a friggin member on this forum is going to bitch about having a bad season. Days and limits for at least the past few years have been irrelevant IN MY OPINION.

As you can tell, I am not one to advocate shortening the season to make birds easier to hunt. Show me that there is a serious issue with duck breeding pairs, pond counts and nesting conditions that has lead to a decline in the population from this season to the next before imposing such a radical change in the season framework. The solution to making ducks "work" is not by whacking the season and limits in half.