I had my paradigm all set with the reason for the bad years were:
"to much pressure, low numbers of birds, and older birds".
I thought this year was cold/snowy enough. Anyway, my brother just finished a goose hunting trip in NE AR and said it had been quite awhile since he's seen that many ducks. In other words, they came down after the season ended.
But then again back to my gut feeling I say they flew in the daylight because lack of pressure. But who really knows.
Ya'll can put every theory together, shake and bake'em all night long and the bottom line is the only thing we can change is the pressure including robo. Shorten the season and bag and the birds will change their flying movements (to daylight, smaller groups, and a more east to west food search flight path). Get rid of robo and the young will come back. The Fed's aint smart enough and are changing the bird we hunt because their countin' ponds instead watching what the birds do. It's a different bird and you have to look at behavior and age not numbers.
An anology: Used to big buck deer huntin' was a lot easier when does were not allowed. Why? does traveled in daylight and the bucks chased when the rut was on. Now the pressure on does has caused them to travel at night as well so the big bucks only have to move at night. Now I know you'll say that deer have always been nocturnal. I agree, but so have ducks. It's just to much pressure these days. It's gonna' take the sportsman to tell the gov't that numbers of wildlife does not equal exactly what we want if we never see them during the day.
Those of you that have been along for awhile huntin' ducks or are true outdoorsmen know "we are to hard on the few birds we have". We have to lighten up for things to get better.
Anyway, I don't think it's the snow, but I do hope it is.
No Duck Theories
I want to add one more thought and this is not a slam at MS DUCKMAN. Do we want every duck hunter to do what he did this year to kill ducks. What would happen to our ducks then? It's kind of scary to think about every duck hunter leaving their pits or clubs or WMAs to knock on doors and scout and travel and shoot what few birds are still enjoying themselves in the delta.
I'm not saying you shouldn't be gung'ho and hunt hard for ducks, but what if everybody did whatever it took to kill 6 ducks for 60 days. Just a little scary to think about.
I say, shorten the season and never tell anybody how to or where to kill ducks.
I'm not saying you shouldn't be gung'ho and hunt hard for ducks, but what if everybody did whatever it took to kill 6 ducks for 60 days. Just a little scary to think about.
I say, shorten the season and never tell anybody how to or where to kill ducks.
Your points have merit in my opinion. The pressure factor is behavioral and not population driven. One thing that can be done on leases (and I have changed my opinion on this) is that you should create your own safe zones (if you can). Quit by 11:00 AM. Never hunt the afternoon (also changed my opinion on this). Also - let a hole rest and try to shoot it once a week max (again, if you can).
I may disagree with Duckmen on a lot of things but he does what has to be done to kill birds. I also spend every afternoon during the season scouting for birds and knocking on doors if I have to.
I may disagree with Duckmen on a lot of things but he does what has to be done to kill birds. I also spend every afternoon during the season scouting for birds and knocking on doors if I have to.
run me out in the cold rain and snow
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mallardhunter
- Veteran
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- Location: State of Confusion
This year was warm, and snowless up north, where it counts. On January 5th of this year, record high temps were being broken all over the upper Mississippi Valley, and there was virtually no snow on the ground up there. That area of the country had been relatively dry and warm for the entire winter up to that point. Your perception "I thought this year was cold/snowy enough" may be ignoring what was really happening north of us. I've been at this (duck hunting seriously) for over 30 years. This year's winter weather was warm and dry, and that's the primary reason we didn't see major migrations into the southland.
You want more ducks? You need more baby ducks, which come from successful nestings, which occurs if and only if there is adequate habitat. Join DU and DW if you want more ducks. That is something you can do!
Shortened seasons will not put more ducks in the air (see paragraph above). Duck season wasn't 60 days long this year, never has been - to a duck. To a duck, the season is 6 months long; opens in early September and doesn't end until late January. For the species that winter in Mexico, hunting season lasts about nine months for them - Sept. til late April. If the entire Miss. flyway cut back to a 30-day season, I'm not sure the ducks would notice. The season would still open in early September and end in late January - to the ducks.
A 30-day season might have the reverse effect that you desire. Pressure would be greater and ducks would have less of a reason to migrate. As the shortened seasons closed up north, the entire Miss flyway north of you becomes a huge refuge (why would a duck leave?). I hunted during the 30-day seasons, and because the season was so short, I hunted every day for the entire season. Knew a lot of people who did the same. Furthermore, during years of shorter seasons, hunters tend to want to extend their season by travelling to other states to hunt. So, what you can plan for is a higher percentage of hunters hunting daily, and there will be more OOS hunters whose state's have already closed, trying to extend their personal season a bit by travelling to your state to hunt. For 30 days, you'll have far more pressure than you did during the 60-day season this year.
From my perspective, hunting pressure was very light this past season. Launch ramps were empty; parking lots empty. We shot limits of ducks on public land (that's hunted 7 days a week) and often didn't hear another duck caller, only the occasional shot in the distance.
I don't want a 30-day season unless the wildlife professionals feel we need one for the sake of the resource. I prefer 60 full days to hunt, so that when the north wind begins to howl and the snow starts, I can go hunting, instead of sitting and waiting for the 30-day season to open. Why does anybody think that a 30-day season would put more ducks in the air?
Don't know how long you've been hunting. Let the rivers get out and stay out, and let the north Miss. Valley get pounded by winter weather as normal, and you will find that the ducks haven't changed, pressure is not a factor, and we'll be too busy killing ducks to have this discussion.
When it gets right, there are places that can be pounded 7 days a week, (all day in some places), and as long as the weather stays rough, will produce ducks without a rest day or break in the season - just shoot 'em 7 days a week. Hunting 7 days a week till noon is just no pressure if the ducks are down here! If they're not down here, you can *not* hunt your field for a month, and the ducks won't know it, because . . . they're not down here!
You want more ducks? You need more baby ducks, which come from successful nestings, which occurs if and only if there is adequate habitat. Join DU and DW if you want more ducks. That is something you can do!
Shortened seasons will not put more ducks in the air (see paragraph above). Duck season wasn't 60 days long this year, never has been - to a duck. To a duck, the season is 6 months long; opens in early September and doesn't end until late January. For the species that winter in Mexico, hunting season lasts about nine months for them - Sept. til late April. If the entire Miss. flyway cut back to a 30-day season, I'm not sure the ducks would notice. The season would still open in early September and end in late January - to the ducks.
A 30-day season might have the reverse effect that you desire. Pressure would be greater and ducks would have less of a reason to migrate. As the shortened seasons closed up north, the entire Miss flyway north of you becomes a huge refuge (why would a duck leave?). I hunted during the 30-day seasons, and because the season was so short, I hunted every day for the entire season. Knew a lot of people who did the same. Furthermore, during years of shorter seasons, hunters tend to want to extend their season by travelling to other states to hunt. So, what you can plan for is a higher percentage of hunters hunting daily, and there will be more OOS hunters whose state's have already closed, trying to extend their personal season a bit by travelling to your state to hunt. For 30 days, you'll have far more pressure than you did during the 60-day season this year.
From my perspective, hunting pressure was very light this past season. Launch ramps were empty; parking lots empty. We shot limits of ducks on public land (that's hunted 7 days a week) and often didn't hear another duck caller, only the occasional shot in the distance.
I don't want a 30-day season unless the wildlife professionals feel we need one for the sake of the resource. I prefer 60 full days to hunt, so that when the north wind begins to howl and the snow starts, I can go hunting, instead of sitting and waiting for the 30-day season to open. Why does anybody think that a 30-day season would put more ducks in the air?
Don't know how long you've been hunting. Let the rivers get out and stay out, and let the north Miss. Valley get pounded by winter weather as normal, and you will find that the ducks haven't changed, pressure is not a factor, and we'll be too busy killing ducks to have this discussion.
When it gets right, there are places that can be pounded 7 days a week, (all day in some places), and as long as the weather stays rough, will produce ducks without a rest day or break in the season - just shoot 'em 7 days a week. Hunting 7 days a week till noon is just no pressure if the ducks are down here! If they're not down here, you can *not* hunt your field for a month, and the ducks won't know it, because . . . they're not down here!
Will Duck Hunt For Food.
Have You Called Your Duck Today?
Read "The Third Terrorist" by Jayna Davis
Have You Called Your Duck Today?
Read "The Third Terrorist" by Jayna Davis
Amen mallardhunter!
I've been disagreeing with every yahoo ( and that is what I call evyone who supports a 30 day season!) since the whole issue was brought up 2-3 years ago about going back to 30 days.
It is stupid!
Like you said, we shorten, they still get hunted from September to January.
Personally I saw tons of ducks this year, and don't see what the complaining is about. I do remember years when ducks were more numerous, but I can't say I killed any more those years than the last three. I have had the best two duck seasons of my life the last two years.
Chopper
I've been disagreeing with every yahoo ( and that is what I call evyone who supports a 30 day season!) since the whole issue was brought up 2-3 years ago about going back to 30 days.
It is stupid!
Like you said, we shorten, they still get hunted from September to January.
Personally I saw tons of ducks this year, and don't see what the complaining is about. I do remember years when ducks were more numerous, but I can't say I killed any more those years than the last three. I have had the best two duck seasons of my life the last two years.
Chopper
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gadwall2
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Aw hell, lets leave the damn season open from october through march with a damn 6 duck limit that means squat. This way we can hunt every piece of water from the Tenn-Tom to the Ole Man. If we are gonna show em some pressure, then lets show em some friggin pressure. Lets use every type of decoy and battery operated duck dildo that we can come up with. Lets put out corn and molasses also. Then grab our 4 gauge, super duty-12 shell holding-super galactic star defender shotguns(with a compass in the stock) and run them sumbitches off for good. Lets take away what little chance they have now of imprinting on any body of water in the state.
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? 
This same scenario is being played out throughout the delta.
Next point. What do roboducks draw in? Answer- Young, immature birds. Ok, When we finally get our shot at the birds in the migration, what do we get? Answer- Older wiser birds or younger birds that have figured out that a robo means no tail feathers and the only place they want to land is on empty water or on a refuge with 5000 ducks swimming in it. These birds are smart. Thats why the vast majority of the ducks we get don't decoy anymore. I will take a guess and say that 90% of the people I saw hunting this year had a mojo.
Next point. Everybody is a duck hunter nowadays! It is the cool thing to do, right. All you got to do is slap a DU sticker on your truck, buy a robo and a couple dozen decoys, spend umpteen thousand bucks on a lease and you are in the "in" crowd.
It is hard for me to comprehend how the popularity of duck hunting has absolutely exploded. There are just to many hunters with new duck holes.
Lemme sum it up for you in a ducks way of thinking. With all the hunters and decoy spreads in the delta today, I would stay as far away from the delta as possible. I would fly straight through, go around it, or just stop before I got to it. And if I did go through the delta, if I heard so much as a fart coming from other ducks on the water, you bet your ass I would not give them a second look.
Lets just hunt the hell out of em, and shoot em up so bad that we run em somewhere else so that they can begin their imprinting process, that runs through generations of ducks, all over again.
We already got a good start!
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? This same scenario is being played out throughout the delta.
Next point. What do roboducks draw in? Answer- Young, immature birds. Ok, When we finally get our shot at the birds in the migration, what do we get? Answer- Older wiser birds or younger birds that have figured out that a robo means no tail feathers and the only place they want to land is on empty water or on a refuge with 5000 ducks swimming in it. These birds are smart. Thats why the vast majority of the ducks we get don't decoy anymore. I will take a guess and say that 90% of the people I saw hunting this year had a mojo.
Next point. Everybody is a duck hunter nowadays! It is the cool thing to do, right. All you got to do is slap a DU sticker on your truck, buy a robo and a couple dozen decoys, spend umpteen thousand bucks on a lease and you are in the "in" crowd.
It is hard for me to comprehend how the popularity of duck hunting has absolutely exploded. There are just to many hunters with new duck holes.
Lemme sum it up for you in a ducks way of thinking. With all the hunters and decoy spreads in the delta today, I would stay as far away from the delta as possible. I would fly straight through, go around it, or just stop before I got to it. And if I did go through the delta, if I heard so much as a fart coming from other ducks on the water, you bet your ass I would not give them a second look.
Lets just hunt the hell out of em, and shoot em up so bad that we run em somewhere else so that they can begin their imprinting process, that runs through generations of ducks, all over again.
We already got a good start!
I might not know what I'm talking about on this note, but I disagree with the robos only decoying young ducks. I almost always hunt with a robo, and you can say what you will about me for that, but personally I don't care. I might not have wrote down the age of every bird killed, but I know there were alot of old birds killed over my spread this year using robos. I killed one GH that had an advise band on his leg that was almost worn slam off. You can say what you will but that SOB wasn't young. I saw some of the biggest pintails I have ever seen killed this year in my spread. I might be wrong, but they have to be halfway old to have 8,9,10 inch long sprigs don't they.
All I'm saying is I disagree that we should ban robos (even though I know Benny disagrees) and that they only attrack "young, immature" birds.
Remember I am not denying it draws in a lot of young birds, but I believe from my experiences with them, it is pretty even.
Chopper
All I'm saying is I disagree that we should ban robos (even though I know Benny disagrees) and that they only attrack "young, immature" birds.
Remember I am not denying it draws in a lot of young birds, but I believe from my experiences with them, it is pretty even.
Chopper
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gadwall2
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Then it does the most damage to young birds. I have killed older birds over robos, its gonna happen, but don't let your "couple of older birds" thinking fool you.
Do you want to know why the pintails decoyed to the robos? The first half of the season they sould sit down next to them and not even get a peanut thrown at them. Thats why when the season did open on pintails the robo was so effective on them. They were ignorant to the consequences of trying to land next to one.
The ignorant pintails and yearling ducks were thinking the same thing. Neither one expected anything different than what they were used to.
I have killed older birds over robos, its gonna happen, but don't let your "couple of older birds" thinking fool you.
Do you want to know why the pintails decoyed to the robos? The first half of the season they sould sit down next to them and not even get a peanut thrown at them. Thats why when the season did open on pintails the robo was so effective on them. They were ignorant to the consequences of trying to land next to one.
The ignorant pintails and yearling ducks were thinking the same thing. Neither one expected anything different than what they were used to.
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webbmaster
- Duck South Addict
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- Location: Alabama
Maybe the pintail thing makes sense and I can agree with that, but the rest is stupid.
If you don't like a robo, that is your problem, If you think they are the so called demize of duck hunting like Benny, then you are stupid.
All I know is I have killed alot of birds on both public and private land with them since they came out, but never as many as this year. And I am not letting "my couple of older birds theory fool me". We really don't kill more younger birds than older birds.
If you don't like a robo, that is your problem, If you think they are the so called demize of duck hunting like Benny, then you are stupid.
All I know is I have killed alot of birds on both public and private land with them since they came out, but never as many as this year. And I am not letting "my couple of older birds theory fool me". We really don't kill more younger birds than older birds.
I wish that we had had the internet back during the "glorious" days of the thirty day season and the three duck limit. I was hunting ducks then and a long time before that. There were some great hunts, but there were alot that weren't. Things weren't necessarily as wonderful as some people would like to remember, and if we had had the ability to find out what was happening on a regional basis like we do today, I bet that we would have heard the same blames and excuses that we do now. The past season was the best that I have had in several years, and so it was for many of my friends. Some of you and others of my friends had a horrible season. It's funny how perceptions vary.
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