No season?

[torch]

What do you think would happen to duck numbers if we had a ban on duckhuntung for one year.

[goosebruce]

Well, they'd be slightly higher. VERY slightly higher. In the overall scheme of things, the ones we didn't kill wouldn't make much difference.. considering duck production would be down or up depending on cover and water in PPR. In the very worst of times, I think hunting mortaliy means more than in the very best of times, even though many more ducks are killed during the best of times. travis

[BigCountry]

if we did stop duck hunting for a year or so, people would not spend the money on habitat for the ducks that is spent now. i don't know if that means anything or not but i think that here in the south it would not help matters any

[SoftCall]

one thing is for sure...you wouldn't have to worry about someone getting to your hole first. I for one think that it would suck...

[Doc & Nash]

I do not think that hunting is the problem, but if they did decide to ban duck hunting for one year, I would still be out every weekend but only with a camcorder.

[Dutch Dog]

well, one thing that would happen is a LOT of places that are annually flooded by hunters wouldn't be flooded. There would be a ton of pissed off ammo manufacturers...as well as a lot of them that would fold. What would happen in that case is the following year we would be paying $25 a box for steel and I aint talking about hevishot just every day ordinary steel shot. I would rather just see it go to a 30 day season Jan 1-Jan 31 with a 3 duck limit 2 mallards...NO HENS, 1 "other" duck.

[Stano]

I can't follow the logic behind it wouldn't make a difference not that im dis-agreeing just can't follow that train of thought? How many ducks are killed anually? And how many of those would have reproduced had they not been harvested? I understand water and habitat conditions play a factor in that equation....

I also saw the weather tonight forcasting a severe drought across the northern states this year

[Anatidae]

There are so many influences on the population that you can't really analyze ONE (i.e. hunting mortality), independant of all the others.

Like Travis said, we need to look at this in the grand scheme of things and get use to the fact that we're going to have good years and bad years. The 'good' were in the 70's and 90's (for those that were there to remember'em). Obviously, we've begun another drought cycle (tough years)......we'll just have to stick-it-out and hope for better production in the PPR......and hope that AHM is getting resource managers closer to a 'formula' that will help them continue to make wise regulatory decisions.

[ducksunlimitedsucks]

first of all.....i never see them actually stopping duck hunting. duck hunting is a billion dollar industry that the government can't afford to lose. the only thing they may do is shorten the season and the limit. what pisses me off is the lies they have been telling about the duck numbers to keep all the hunter from getting discouraged and not getting out and spending money on shells, license, stamps etc. after the season is closed, we find out how much we are in trouble w/ the upcoming duck numbers.

[Delta Duck]

What would get the duck #s up would be a predator control policy, Kill everything that eat a egg or a hen in the nesting grounds.

The hatch is about 12% what if the hatch was 50%

That would make a big # change

[Wildfowler]

first of all.....i never see them actually stopping duck hunting. duck hunting is a billion dollar industry that the government can't afford to lose. the only thing they may do is shorten the season and the limit. what pisses me off is the lies they have been telling about the duck numbers to keep all the hunter from getting discouraged and not getting out and spending money on shells, license, stamps etc. after the season is closed, we find out how much we are in trouble w/ the upcoming duck numbers.

Question:

How many of you buy shells based on the pond and duck count numbers that the FWS puts out each year? If the count calls for record numbers, do you rush out and buy more shells than what you shot last year in anticipation of getting to shoot more ducks than you did last year? Or do you base the decision to buy shells from your results from last year? Or do you simply buy shells as needed?

Personally for me, I am a combination of the last two choices. I figure out what I shot last year, and buy some number of shells based on that quantity. If I am over or under that's ok too.

Just curious what the rest of you do.

[esteslanehunting]

Regardless of how many boxes of shells an individual buys, there is still a tax on everything you buy including shells. I dont believe he was trying to emply that it is helping the manufacturer out but the government.
But I buy one case of shells each year regardless of what the seson will be like. If i need more, I can always get more. But i do agree w/ what Ducksunlimitedsucks had to say. And yes....Ducks Unlimited Sucks!!

[Wildfowler]

Regardless of how many boxes of shells an individual buys, there is still a tax on everything you buy including shells. I dont believe he was trying to emply that it is helping the manufacturer out but the government.
But I buy one case of shells each year regardless of what the seson will be like. If i need more, I can always get more. But i do agree w/ what Ducksunlimitedsucks had to say. And yes....Ducks Unlimited Sucks!!

If I need more, I can always get more.

Exactly, but you didn't need more this year because the ducks didn't come. Successful business models don't revolve around lies and deception on part of the federal government. Sales revenues of these corporations are dependant on what we as the hunters actually experience during the season. The govt and the duck corporations aren't playing us all as a bunch of dumb saps are they?

If the ducks don't show up, we'll all have less need to continue to buy more shells and equipment each year, regardless on the length of the season. I for one think enough of the members of this community to know that we are not a bunch of dumb saps.

This is just my opinion. If you don't like DU, that's your opinion. Do you support DW instead? I support both.

[esteslanehunting]

Ha ha ha.....so your telling me that hunters buy everything depending on how the season is going that year?? Thats rediciulous! I believe everyone and their cousin will but license, stamps etc. before the season actually gets here. Last time i checked , we couldnt go hunting w/o a license. Individuals are going to buy hunting gear..boats, motors, decoys etc. throughout the year on after season sells or preseason sells.
Did you also say that " successful business models don't revolve around lies and deception"? Ha ha.....they may not revolve around it, but they sure do enough to keep the them coming out each time smelling like roses. Get used to it. I can give you a list of many individuals that are successful business models from presidents of the us to mayors of small towns that lie to help them out and the government.
And I did actually buy more than one case of shells this year. The ducks did show up in a few of our spots.
And yes I do support Delta Waterfowl......but piss on DU. I served on our local DU committee for 5 years till enough was enough.

[Wildfowler]

I guess they are playing us like a bunch of dumb saps then.

Seriously, I think you missed my point. For some people, the ducks haven't shown up for 4 seasons now. In the last 4 seasons, I have not increased the amount of money that I spend on duck hunting each year. I don't feel compelled to spend my money on the latest duck gadgets if there are not ducks here. We all agree that fewer ducks will reduce the amount of hunters that will continue to pursue the ducks. None of us will admit to being one of those people, but we all know they are there. If I were not going as much, I would not be putting as much wear and tear on my equipment, things won't have to get replaced with the same frequency. Waders won't get torn, etc. etc.... In general, I would spend less.

I would think that sales revenues for this industry as a whole will trend down if the ducks continue to not show up, regardless on the length of the season and the lies that we are told. For some of us, who are not seeing ducks will quit going as much. I can tell you that I experienced a lack of pressure on public lands this year. I'm not going to say where I hunted or anything, but day-in, day-out, mid-season weekday hunting this year, I didn't have to knock myself out to get up early to "fight the crowds". There were no crowds, because there were no ducks. If this isn't a barometer of the point I am trying to make, then I don't know what is.

Anyway, thanks for the discussion.