Move up the duck opener?

[MinnetonkaMan]

In defense of kid hunting, eight years ago I went out as a kid and shot a few ducks on the kid day. We went back out the weekend after scouting and we saw more birds then on Kids Day. If people scout the three weekends from Kids to regular opener their is usually plenty of ducks until that middle open weekend and historically we get the first cold wind then and that is what pushes out the birds. Not the kids. I have been seeing this pattern since my first kids day hunt until now. Its not about shooting limits its about the memories in the blinds with firends and other firends you meet!

[skee0025]

we get the first cold wind then and that is what pushes out the birds. Not the kids.

I agree completely. If its the kids that causes the ducks to flee the state, they must also cause all the "late season" ducks to show up early like they have this year. So maybe I should thank them for the nice Bufflehead in the taxidermist shop right now.

[goblueM]

its laughable to think that youth waterfowl day pushes out the birds. If that was happening the DNR would be overjoyed, because it would mean that the accelerating loss of hunters would be curbed and probably heading back up

[oilguy]

it's habitat. minnesota is the second most drained and tiled state in the US. Don't agree with the hunter pressure idea. there are fewer hunters every year. I had 3 boys out this morning @ 5 in the snow and wind, where were yours?

[Quackaddict9]

I don't have kids but I was out with 3 other guys 18-24 yrs old in the snow and wind...mallards were working the spread great!

[Bowfin]

Not only move it up a week, but lets open @ sunrise and shoot till sunset like the Dakotas!!!!!

I agree except let's keep it 1/2 hour before sunrise.

October is too short - it should be 3 months long!!

[Scott Stein]

it's not really about duck #'s it just plain and simple that MN is becoming less of the flyway and ducks are going through the Dakotas.

[CANOPY SAM]

Don't get me wrong, guys. I'm by no means opposed to taking kids hunting - and by the way, my 14-yr. old son has been out with me both Friday, and this morning in the wind and snow, and we've done quite well with young drake mallards and giant honkers. I love taking my kids hunting, and they love coming along.

I just know a lot of veteran fowlers out there that have observed a marked decrease in local birds (ducks and geese)immediately following the early Youth Waterfowl Weekend, for several years now. No doubt it's a great memory maker, but so can opening morning of the regular season - minus the mosquitos! Same holds true with the early goose season.

Albeit, there are roughly 300,000 geese in Minnesota at the start of the "early goose", but guess what? Early goose season accounts for almost 1/3 the annual harvest of Canadian geese in MN each year. That's 100,000 less birds for opening weekend, and the remainder are markedly more educated. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to do the math on this.

The gentlemen that posted the comment about the birds moving over to the Dakotas (as a bigger piece of the Central Flyway) is actually right on the money with this topic. I personnally witnessed it following the drought years in the Dakotas during the late 80's and early 90's. All the sloughs and potholes were bone dry everywhere across the Dakotas, and we were reaping the benefits here in Northern Minnesota. When the water returned to the Prairie Pothole region, and all the sloughs once again filled with water, the birds simply moved back over there.

But that's really off topic from where this thread began.

My original post was merely meant to bring a few chuckles and smiles in this testosterone inflamed environment. By the way, the DNR will always say there are declining numbers of hunters. That's how they encourage greater participation, and henceforth increased license sales.

Ask yourself this, when you call a resort for a fishing report do they ever tell you, "Fishing is terrible, don't come!?? Our DNR folks are extremely gifted in marketing. Don't believe all the printed numbers. Get out there and see for yourself.

I get such a kick outta all the whining....

[fish4cats]

I would actually rather see the season go past thanksgiving. Most of our ducks in our group of guys are shot the last week of the season when the miratories are moving thru. Yes they are mostly mallards and divers, but who doesnt love the opportunity to hunt a corn field in late Nov. and see hundreds of mallards form a tornado as they circle your dekes?? The best duck hunting happens when most guys have resorted to the couch and watching football games or have taken on pheasants, deer or other activities. And thats just fine by me, I will be happy to roast up a bunch of big fat mallards for myself...

[goblueM]

so let me get this straight - ducks aside, you're complaining that there aren't enough geese on opening day, by arguing that they all get shot in another season. so whats the big deal? just go hunt early goose

and thats [PoorWordUsage] about "ducks abandoning the flyway". one person's observation? it has nothing to do with ducks moving into another habitat, it has to do with drought, loss of habitat, and yearly weather patterns. the dakotas simply PRODUCE more ducks, they don't up and decide to leave minnesota to fly over to the dakotas.

[CANOPY SAM]

With all due respect, GoBlue, this thread isn't about me. I'm not complaining. You're putting words in my mouth. I just don't agree that moving the duck opener up a week or two would make any "positive" difference - other than to a few people who enjoy pursueing small migratory birds.

Nor did I say there weren't enough geese on the opener. I simply stated that there are 100K fewer due to the early goose season, and the remainder are much more educated due to early hunting pressure.

My observations are based on 25 yrs of time spent in the field hunting both Minnesota and North Dakota. I've hunted with, and talked to hundreds of other waterfowl hunters over those 25 years, and read libraries of literature on the topic. None of the reading holds a candle to actual time afield observing trends and movements. When you're out there enough you learn to read the birds temperment pretty well.

You're mixing topics when it comes to hunting pressure vs. birds shifting migrational routes from Minnesota to the Dakotas. Believe me, there is little doubt that the return of the water to the Dakotas back in the mid-90's caused an epic shift of migratory waterfowl from Minnesota (Mississippi Flyway) about 200-300 miles west to Central and Western North Dakota (Missouri Flyway). If I hadn't seen it, I wouldn't be saying this.

The vast majority of our flight come from Manitoba and Alberta, which sit geographically north of the Dakotas. When there was no water in the the Dakotas a great many more birds flew over this way traveling south.

The Dakotas do produce more ducks than MN. That's not the debate. The debate is about how sustained hunting pressure affects migrational patterns. Less hunting pressure in Canada allows the birds more time to hang around. Less hunting pressure in the Dakotas - same situation. That, coupled with the ideal resting habitat creates opportunities for a slower, more sustained migration.

In Minnesota we've devestated the natural resources ducks and geese depend on for nesting, feeding, and resting. Add to that reasonably intense hunting pressure and guess what, the local birds peel out pretty darn early into the season. Then we wait for the big flights to start coming from Canada - which sometimes doesn't even really get started until (like the gentleman said in a previous post) quite late into the season, and most hunters have already thrown in the towel.

Nope, I'm with the earlier post about big fat northern birds cookin' in the pot. Don't mess with the seasons, and if you do, move em' back if anything. Swarms of big northern mallards get the heart racing like nothing else. I can't say I've ever witnessed thousands of Teal or Wood ducks spiraling into a flooded corn stubble field!

[Farley]

Didnt read through the whole thread since I'm at work, but I say, if anything, move the season back. When the lakes freeze over and the birds are keeping a hole open, that's when it's on. That's when it's easy. Everytime I go hunting I see enough birds to shoot a limit. They dont always come in and thats hunting. Just because you cant walk out to your honey hole at any time of the season and blast away doensnt mean we need to change everything around. If you want to see thousands of ducks a day go to NoDak just like if you want to catch a bucnh of walleyes a day come to MN.

[Scott M]

I wouldn't be opposed to doing it like Iowa does...open it up in late September, give the birds a break in middle October, then open it back up until the first part of December. You still get the late season ice up diver and red leg mallard hunts and you can actually shoot something to start the season.

The birds just aren't here, and while some of you say that's off topic, it's still the crux of the problem. Until you see some major changes to our agricultural landscape (pigs flying or productive lands being turned back to wetlands, which will happen first?) things are going to stay the same or get incrementally worse. While that happens, less and less people are going to hunt and Minnesota's waterfowling tradition will be a relic of the past, just like our wetlands and resident bird populations.