Preseason 2018-2019

[Rick]

Though some may have, I don't recall hearing of anyone not harvesting second crop just to leave it for the birds, but if it was left standing for ag reasons, like too little yield to justify putting equipment in badly rutted fields, no one thought twice before flooding and buffaloing it to hunt. Now most are afraid to manipulate standing second crop beyond flooding it and hoping the geese open it.

[Ericdc]

we are fixing to get screwed with all this,it's coming---no one will be able to hunt over anything but dirt---just have to keep talking about it

Yea folks trying to say what people can and can’t hunt over.

Do we really want more regulations?




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[SpinnerMan]

no one will be able to hunt over anything but dirt

We hunted snow geese over bare dirt. I've never seen a field so devoid of any plant matter. Had I not hunted with that outfitter before I would have been absolutely furious about getting put in this field. However, I had respect for the guy, but I was still really skeptical. Didn't have a great day, but the birds came in no problem.

dirtfield.jpg

[DComeaux]

we are fixing to get screwed with all this,it's coming---no one will be able to hunt over anything but dirt---just have to keep talking about it

Yea folks trying to say what people can and can’t hunt over.

Do we really want more regulations?




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It really doesn't matter what you hunt over as long as it's harvested for market. If I didn't feel so strongly that this was interrupting the migration, I couldn't care less what anyone hunted over. It's not about that, it's about short stopping birds. From what I've seen over the last few month's, flooded corn and other seed crops for the sole purpose of hunting and holding waterfowl has become a large part of the fall landscape, refuges included.

If anyone is that concerned about the migrating fowls well being, let the government hand out money to shallow flood farms and dump corn for the returning fowl in late winter and early spring. They will eventually head to the breeding grounds when the farmers hit the fields and the water and food is gone, or their biological urge leads them. Put the money in pumps for the pot hole region and other traditional nesting grounds rather than mid flyway feed lots. Then we would never hear that drought was a factor in nesting. How many farms, or hunting lodges do you think would participate in this endeavor?

The fall migrating fowl have all the food they need to cross this country, it's the returning fowl that need help. All of this rhetoric otherwise is nothing but smoke and mirrors.

[Rick]

Then only 10 shells per man.

Now there's a speck reg change I'd support.

[SpinnerMan]

Those are silo socks? Heads make them really look good

Deadly Decoys. The outfitter we used to hunt with makes and markets them.

https://www.deadlydecoys.com/

Put the money in pumps for the pot hole region and other traditional nesting grounds rather than mid flyway feed lots.

We can't afford to pump enough water on 5 million ponds scattered over the 100 million acres or whatever the PPR consists to make a difference. Ducks scatter when they nest and only concentrate when they migrate. Even with them concentrated, I'm just skeptical that there is enough flooded corn to make that big of an impact on the 41 million ducks. While duck hunting is big, we are talking about 10's of millions of ducks, most of which don't even eat that much if any corn.

[SpinnerMan]

Then only 10 shells per man.

Now there's a speck reg change I'd support.

I am fine with that too,but what if the blues start coming?

What I have never understood. I get a newbie burning shells at birds they cannot hit. But then you learn, or so I would think. Clearly that doesn't happen with a lot of people. I just don't get that.

Then again, I don't like to miss or worst of all lose a cripple.

[DComeaux]

Put the money in pumps for the pot hole region and other traditional nesting grounds rather than mid flyway feed lots.

We can't afford to pump enough water on 5 million ponds scattered over the 100 million acres or whatever the PPR consists to make a difference. Ducks scatter when they nest and only concentrate when they migrate. Even with them concentrated, I'm just skeptical that there is enough flooded corn to make that big of an impact on the 41 million ducks. While duck hunting is big, we are talking about 10's of millions of ducks, most of which don't even eat that much if any corn.

Where there's a will there's a way. We put a man on the moon, so they say.

The money and effort put into feeding these birds (short stopping) can be transferred to the nesting grounds. Though, I don't think it's as popular with these self proclaimed hunter "conservationist". Pft!

[SpinnerMan]

Put the money in pumps for the pot hole region and other traditional nesting grounds rather than mid flyway feed lots.

We can't afford to pump enough water on 5 million ponds scattered over the 100 million acres or whatever the PPR consists to make a difference. Ducks scatter when they nest and only concentrate when they migrate. Even with them concentrated, I'm just skeptical that there is enough flooded corn to make that big of an impact on the 41 million ducks. While duck hunting is big, we are talking about 10's of millions of ducks, most of which don't even eat that much if any corn.

Where there's a will there's a way. We put a man on the moon, so they say.

The money and effort put into feeding these birds (short stopping) can be transferred to the nesting grounds. Though, I don't think it's as popular with these self proclaimed hunter "conservationist". Pft!

To build the infrastructure to pump water on 5 million ponds over 100 million acres. We are talking about billions, probably10's of billions. And that is just to buy all the pumps, drill the wells, build the pipelines, etc. And how many decades would it take to get all the environmental approvals? After that, you have to feed the beast. That's a lot of labor and fuel to pump all that water and maintenance the equipment, again billions more per year.

Sure we can do it, theoretically. But the cost would be astronomical.

And the reality is that it is good for most of these environments to dry out once in awhile.

If you want to supplement duck numbers. Just build a giant hatchery. We do this for pheasants, chukars, quail, etc. Just produce a 10 million mallards and you can turn them all loose far up north. Increase the bag limits so we kill an extra 10 million mallards and everybody will be happy.

BTW, my best guess is those guys that are spending $0.0001B on flooded corn operations are giving wildly more to conservation than you or I simply because they have a crapload more money than you or I. But you want to put them out of business, but expect them to keep donating to help you kill a few more ducks. I don't think so. They will switch over to pheasants or deer and stop donating all together if they are put out of business.

[Ericdc]

Maybe we could just get back to talking about Darren’s preseason stuff......


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[DComeaux]

Yeah we should, while we still have a preseason to talk about. Sorry for hijacking your thread Darren.... I'm gone.

[SpinnerMan]

Maybe we could just get back to talking about Darren’s preseason stuff......

[Darren]

haha no biggie, that's preseason chatter. Getting some more reports here lately of birds showing, including not far from our stomping grounds (Carnaervon near Delacroix) and Venice.

Got another Lucky Duck added to the collection, a big mallard hen to play "mottled" in our teal spread, and got it programmed to my current remote with the other ones. We are good to go!

[Darren]

A buddy made a visit up to the Bunkie area camp and found some volunteer growth of various stuff coming up. This a significant improvement over what was just mud a couple of weeks ago, and with so much growing season left, we're hopeful of some significant growth yet to come such that we're not just hunting mud.

IMG_7835.PNG

IMG_7837.JPG

Also of note, a friend driving up from working in Cameron over the weekend reported quite a few teal off side of the road down there on the Creole Highway/27.

[Rick]

Bluewinged gallinules.

[Darren]

End of August edition, conditions improved in Arkansas but still pretty ugly in MO

Aug 30 2018 drought monitor.JPG

A few more teal sightings showing up on social media outlets this week, not looking like I'll get to poke around in the marshes I'd like to this weekend but will keep an eye out in my dealings around the camp in shell beach

[SpinnerMan]

End of August edition, conditions improved in Arkansas but still pretty ugly in MO

Some of that red in Nebraska and maybe some in Missouri was probably reduced. Up here, the yellow in NE Illinois was probably eliminated since the last update which says the 28th.

Here's the 24-72 hour rainfall totals. We got a lot of rain since the 28th and it extended back all the way to Kansas.

https://www.iweathernet.com/total-rainfall-map-24-hours-to-72-hours

[Ericdc]

Arkansas public land puts us to shame too, as far as infrastructure. Most of there stuff is naturally flooded though.

Louisiana doesn’t take care of anything but trial lawyers.


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[Rick]

Louisiana doesn’t take care of anything but trial lawyers.

Near as I can tell from last night's Saints game commercials, Louisiana doesn't have anything but lawyers.

[Ducaholic]

Friend works out of the DU office in North la. They made a trip to Missouri and said they put the ldwf to shame. I guess he was speaking of managing public lands because he sent me videos of big swarms of birds on pumped water on a refuge. Even big ducks, which I thought was a tad strange... who knows how well those DU guys ID ducks anyways haha


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Several years ago Mo. voters passed a tax for upgrading their public hunting areas. Based on the number of ducks they are holding on public land to the means in which they do so it looks like they put their money to good use.

On the other hand all of their WMA's are draw lottery hunts which limits pressure but also severely limits access. I don't want any part of that scenario.

While I was a member of the La. Waterfowl Alliance I reached out to several of the La. hunting and fishing show host to see if they would support a measure in the legislature for such a tax. The answer I got was politely no to hell no because our legislature has proven time and time again earmarked funding means nothing to them. Casino taxes were earmarked for education, lottery funds were earmarked for education, and every year the legislature cuts funding to higher education.

Bastards just can't be trusted to do the right thing so LDWF goes underfunded every stinking year and we get what we get.