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We are having one of the worst years I can remember in my 47 years of water fowling here in west ky and nw tn. Warm weather, no rain and very stale birds. Reminds of the old days of a 30 day season and the point system. Just now getting a little cold but only managed 3 today! Normally by now we are well over 500 birds, this year we have 76.

blockmaker wrote:We are having one of the worst years I can remember in my 47 years of water fowling here in west ky and nw tn. Warm weather, no rain and very stale birds. Reminds of the old days of a 30 day season and the point system. Just now getting a little cold but only managed 3 today! Normally by now we are well over 500 birds, this year we have 76.

I'm right there with you man. I hope this weekend will turn things around with this cold front we've had come through.

blockmaker wrote:We are having one of the worst years I can remember in my 47 years of water fowling here in west ky and nw tn. Warm weather, no rain and very stale birds. Reminds of the old days of a 30 day season and the point system. Just now getting a little cold but only managed 3 today! Normally by now we are well over 500 birds, this year we have 76.

How many people do you hunt with to put down a number like 500?

Been ok here but slower from the last few years, last year excluded. We are loosing the roost ponds around us and don't see near the birds we use to

Woody wrote:

blockmaker wrote:We are having one of the worst years I can remember in my 47 years of water fowling here in west ky and nw tn. Warm weather, no rain and very stale birds. Reminds of the old days of a 30 day season and the point system. Just now getting a little cold but only managed 3 today! Normally by now we are well over 500 birds, this year we have 76.

How many people do you hunt with to put down a number like 500?

Hunting 3-5 we've busted 1000 multiple years, especially drought years.

Flightstopper wrote:

Woody wrote:

blockmaker wrote:We are having one of the worst years I can remember in my 47 years of water fowling here in west ky and nw tn. Warm weather, no rain and very stale birds. Reminds of the old days of a 30 day season and the point system. Just now getting a little cold but only managed 3 today! Normally by now we are well over 500 birds, this year we have 76.

How many people do you hunt with to put down a number like 500?

Hunting 3-5 we've busted 1000 multiple years, especially drought years.

To be 100% honest, I see that as unnecessary and a not a good ethical practice. Conservation is supposed to be our foremost goal as hunters.

Woody wrote:

Flightstopper wrote:

Woody wrote:

blockmaker wrote:We are having one of the worst years I can remember in my 47 years of water fowling here in west ky and nw tn. Warm weather, no rain and very stale birds. Reminds of the old days of a 30 day season and the point system. Just now getting a little cold but only managed 3 today! Normally by now we are well over 500 birds, this year we have 76.

How many people do you hunt with to put down a number like 500?

Hunting 3-5 we've busted 1000 multiple years, especially drought years.

To be 100% honest, I see that as unnecessary and a not a good ethical practice. Conservation is supposed to be our foremost goal as hunters.

I would have to agree with that statement, but I can't decide if it's because of my ethics or jealousy.

Nothing to do with jealousy... Although I would like to kill more ducks than I do I'm not out there to kill, I'm out there to enjoy nature with friends and family.

Flightstopper wrote:

Woody wrote:

blockmaker wrote:We are having one of the worst years I can remember in my 47 years of water fowling here in west ky and nw tn. Warm weather, no rain and very stale birds. Reminds of the old days of a 30 day season and the point system. Just now getting a little cold but only managed 3 today! Normally by now we are well over 500 birds, this year we have 76.

How many people do you hunt with to put down a number like 500?

Hunting 3-5 we've busted 1000 multiple years, especially drought years.

Are you saying you've shot 1000 birds with the same 3 to 5 guys in one season? OK, I'm throwing the bullshit card.

??? 6 guys, 6 birds = 36/day, hunt every weekend and you're at 650 just hunting weekends. Throw in some extra guests and some long weekends, and 1,000 is pretty easily done.

DeadEye_Dan wrote:??? 6 guys, 6 birds = 36/day, hunt every weekend and you're at 650 just hunting weekends. Throw in some extra guests and some long weekends, and 1,000 is pretty easily done.

Yup, and when you are lucky enough to have bird numbers like that you have no trouble finding people waiting in line for their day to join in.

Best year ever, 1999/2000 in a 60 day season we killed 2101. And to woody and whomever else it offends that we kill that many, I'm sorry. I do this for a living. Look at numbers at some big hunt clubs. It's unreal.

blockmaker wrote:Best year ever, 1999/2000 in a 60 day season we killed 2101. And to woody and whomever else it offends that we kill that many, I'm sorry. I do this for a living. Look at numbers at some big hunt clubs. It's unreal.

Ehrmahgerd! MURDERERS!!!

But seriously, that is a shitload of birds. I can't even begin to imagine how much time you spent cleaning birds that year!

That being said, I understand where you are coming from, seeing as how it sounds like you guide for a living, but any other way, numbers have little to no impact on my year. This was one of my favorite years of hunting so far, and I only ever killed 1 goose in Nebraska in 2014 (killed plenty elsewhere, just none in my home state). We had one mallard field hunt that would have made my year by itself, and we only walked away with 22 birds. Same thing for last weekend, when we only killed 4 geese and twice let a large group of mallards pass several times in hopes for a better shot for everyone. Never pulled the trigger on them, but watching them work and respond to the calls was worth every second of freezing my ass off hauling an entire trailer of goose decoys into a muddy field with a 4 wheeler.

blockmaker wrote:Best year ever, 1999/2000 in a 60 day season we killed 2101. And to woody and whomever else it offends that we kill that many, I'm sorry. I do this for a living. Look at numbers at some big hunt clubs. It's unreal.

No problem with a guide taking a hundred people out to kill that many, but if one guy kills 300 that's where I draw the line... If every hunter kills 300 a year there won't be any birds in short order. It's just being responsible.

Why shoot any birds??

Just taking up the slack for those that don't shoot many birds, just not this year. I thought it was impossible to be worse than last year, but I was wrong. The early cold front effed everything up, early migrators blew through and left us stale mallards for a month.

I shoot very little Dan shoots them all, it's all gravy in the end.

DeadEye_Dan wrote:Why shoot any birds??

ok

Woody wrote:

blockmaker wrote:Best year ever, 1999/2000 in a 60 day season we killed 2101. And to woody and whomever else it offends that we kill that many, I'm sorry. I do this for a living. Look at numbers at some big hunt clubs. It's unreal.

No problem with a guide taking a hundred people out to kill that many, but if one guy kills 300 that's where I draw the line... If every hunter kills 300 a year there won't be any birds in short order. It's just being responsible.

So your saying someone that crosses YOUR line, makes them unethical? Each state sets limits within the Federal Guidelines. Some guys travel all over the US and Canada in one season. If they're not breaking the law, how is what they're doing unethical?

Don't worry. The USFW sets limits and takes Hunter mortality into consideration when setting bag limits, and they know some guys will kill 300 and some will kill 3 and that there will be a whole lot more 3's than 300's.
It's really difficult for me to feign concern when I can take a 5 minute boat ride and go from a total of 6, but no more than 4 mallards and no more than 2 hens, 2 redheads, 3 blue bills, 1 can, 1 pintail, 1 black, 3 wood ducks, or any combination thereof not to exceed 6 birds total -to, fuck it - kill 6 of whatever you want.

I got three ducks so yeah this year's been a bitch.

Woody wrote:

blockmaker wrote:Best year ever, 1999/2000 in a 60 day season we killed 2101. And to woody and whomever else it offends that we kill that many, I'm sorry. I do this for a living. Look at numbers at some big hunt clubs. It's unreal.

No problem with a guide taking a hundred people out to kill that many, but if one guy kills 300 that's where I draw the line... If every hunter kills 300 a year there won't be any birds in short order. It's just being responsible.

That's nothing but liberal feel good logic. No difference in who kills the 300, which is a drop in the bucket, as long as they take their six a day. Shooting 1000 birds as a group is a far cry from EVERY hunter shooting 300 birds. Nothing to do with being responsible and I enjoyed time with friends and nature all while doing it.

Bufflehead wrote:

Woody wrote:

blockmaker wrote:Best year ever, 1999/2000 in a 60 day season we killed 2101. And to woody and whomever else it offends that we kill that many, I'm sorry. I do this for a living. Look at numbers at some big hunt clubs. It's unreal.

No problem with a guide taking a hundred people out to kill that many, but if one guy kills 300 that's where I draw the line... If every hunter kills 300 a year there won't be any birds in short order. It's just being responsible.

So your saying someone that crosses YOUR line, makes them unethical? Each state sets limits within the Federal Guidelines. Some guys travel all over the US and Canada in one season. If they're not breaking the law, how is what they're doing unethical?

Lots of legal things are unethical. If you are looking to the government for your moral boundaries, then you're not looking in the right place.

So, why kill any of them then?

If the birds are there and working, I am going to legally hunt until I kill/down my six........it's that simple.

Funny thing is, I am not like that with fish......only keep what I will eat over the following few days.
But I get to fish year round.

If you wife could only shop sixty days a year, and could only buy two, or three or one of a certain thing a day would she be immoral is she "limited" every day?

Woody wrote:

Bufflehead wrote:

Woody wrote:

blockmaker wrote:Best year ever, 1999/2000 in a 60 day season we killed 2101. And to woody and whomever else it offends that we kill that many, I'm sorry. I do this for a living. Look at numbers at some big hunt clubs. It's unreal.

No problem with a guide taking a hundred people out to kill that many, but if one guy kills 300 that's where I draw the line... If every hunter kills 300 a year there won't be any birds in short order. It's just being responsible.

So your saying someone that crosses YOUR line, makes them unethical? Each state sets limits within the Federal Guidelines. Some guys travel all over the US and Canada in one season. If they're not breaking the law, how is what they're doing unethical?

Lots of legal things are unethical. If you are looking to the government for your moral boundaries, then you're not looking in the right place.

You have no idea what my moral boundaries are and I damn sure didn't need any help from the government to establish them.


Have you ever killed your limit in one day? If so, why did you do it?

Woody wrote:

blockmaker wrote:Best year ever, 1999/2000 in a 60 day season we killed 2101. And to woody and whomever else it offends that we kill that many, I'm sorry. I do this for a living. Look at numbers at some big hunt clubs. It's unreal.

No problem with a guide taking a hundred people out to kill that many, but if one guy kills 300 that's where I draw the line... If every hunter kills 300 a year there won't be any birds in short order. It's just being responsible.

Get real! If someone chooses to shoot 300 birds in a season that's their choice. If you don't think 300 is ok doesn't mean everybody else has to follow your rules. This kind of crap gets old. There are way to many variables to come to a conclusion of those sorts.
It's okay if a guy is making a buck on it but not okay if a guy is filling his freezer or even sharing with his friends or family?

There are some places that shooting 50 birds a season may hurt and some places that you can't even touch the population by shooting thousands

DeadEye_Dan wrote:So, why kill any of them then?

To quote DeadEye, "they make more every year"