4 bird limit poll

[Nova]

I understand what you're saying, but how can it be wrong to lower the limit if the ducks populations are low. Sure there are other alternatives, but let's try this one and improve on it as we go. I just don't know what a person would do with more than 8 ducks(possesion limit). you would have to eat them every night. I am not saying this is an all cure by any means, but it is a start.

As far as the stamp and enhanced stamp, maybe not a bad idea, but I would like to see how much of that money actually went to the ducks and how much went to added admin costs. Any time you get more fees they seem to eat more of it than goes to the ducks.

Not looking for an argument here, but seeing the decline in the ducks the last few years I am glad they are at least taking a step.

[mwktrapper]

HD, nice post. I can tell you have put some thought into this instead of the "4 duck limit?! Heck, I can actually shoot a limit this year!" I don't want to offend anyone, but if that's your reason for agreeing with the new limit, you're in it for the wrong reasons.

What you all need to realize is that the duck populations are not low...they are just LOWER than they have been in the past several years. If you look at the populations in the long run we are still pretty high.

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I just don't know what a person would do with more than 8 ducks(possesion limit).

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I do eat them every night...and I will. I grind 'em up and eat 'em for breakfast, lunch, and supper. If you add the right spices and do enough variety...you can use duck just like beef. If the Lord gave me the time and the money, I would shoot a limit a day and eat a limit a day, for 60 days straight. You can call me a meat hog or whatever. But I figure that if they're going to give me 60 days to hunt, I'm going to use them.

I don't think people understand the reasoning behind this new 4 bird limit. It will not change the bird population. This forum is a prime example. Nearly every post stated that they never shoot a limit anyways. The harvest at the end of this season will be pretty darn near past years...watch and see. It was done to please those who keep stating that there are no birds in MN. Hobbydog has done his homework and I applaud him for that.

As for birds in the area, I have been out scouting for the past several weeks and have seen more birds in the area than we have in the past several years. Mallards, teal, geese, and woodies are very abundant everywhere.

[big drift]

I think I have made my position on this fairly clear.

60/4 No way unless it is recommended by USFWS. Biologist over bureaucrats just my opinion.

And yes there are more birds then last year, geese are all over cut grain fields. And every ditch and small pond was covered with ducks. This was from Bemidji to DL then back up through Mahnomen.

And yes I spend more time and money for waterfowling then fishing.

big drift

[Wild Thing]

Interstsing post, folks. But the problem isn't how many ducks we shoot. It's our lifestyles. It's development at any cost. It's too many roads and people. It's cabins on lakes we used to call swamps. It's continued loss of wetlands. It's politicians who pretend to support ducks at rallies and then vote to cut wetlands protections. And politicians who pose with guns in their hands and then dismantle clean water laws. It's stupid farm policy that doesn't leave marginal land in grass and still is tileing fields! It's an anti-government and anti-tax attitude that prevents enough money going into federal land acquisition programs. (The federal government is the only one that can solve the problem, even DU admits that.)

While we may have a lot of geese around because they can adapt to urban development (like deer and turkeys) the days of wild ducks are doomed. There aren't enough wild places left for them to summer or winter, or to rest and feed in between. It's over, our grandchildren won't have huntable populations of ducks -- unless there is a sea change in land management across the continent, including canada.

Personally, I do shoot six ducks in a day fairly often. I eat every duck. (anyone who doesn't like duck hasn't had mine!) I have two dogs to help. I'm glad I do most of my hunting in Ontario, which is still six ducks a day. It's not the number, it's the time out there and the retrieves and the decoying. Calling in five drakes or flagging in six bluebills is more fun than 2 or 3. I'm not a game hog, I'm just being honest.

So, sorry, feel good about reducing the limit by 2, but it won't put more ducks on the pond. It's not a bad rule, it just doesn't do anything to truly help the problem, and it gives the wrong impression to people who don't truly understand the issue that something is being done. When, in reality, all key factors are going the wrong way.

And that's the truth. Pthhhhhhhhhttttttttttttttttt.