Earlier Duck Opener?

[Maxxed Out]

Fellas, after our spring trip to Sodak for snow geese, I know understand why so many say they don't even buy a MN license anymore. WOW. It is amazing out there. Where I hunt (lac qui parle) you may see a pot hole with an occassional mallard pair or some teal. We were out by Clarke and in every pothole mallards with the minority, they were filled with pintail, cans, and piles of blue bills.

It was my ah-ha moment. I now know what the "good ole days" of MN looked like after being out there for three weekends. Which goes back to why are we talking about a longer season when we should be talking about improving habitat.

[MaskedMallard]

This might work for me itwould only be 8 extra days in the late season but thats 8 days extra we dont have now.

[Gordie]

Fellas, after our spring trip to Sodak for snow geese, I know understand why so many say they don't even buy a MN license anymore. WOW. It is amazing out there. Where I hunt (lac qui parle) you may see a pot hole with an occassional mallard pair or some teal. We were out by Clarke and in every pothole mallards with the minority, they were filled with pintail, cans, and piles of blue bills.

It was my ah-ha moment. I now know what the "good ole days" of MN looked like after being out there for three weekends. Which goes back to why are we talking about a longer season when we should be talking about improving habitat.

Yea MOG that was my feelings about SoDak as well 2 years ago when I went to Lake Sharp for some eyes. every fenceline had pheasants and every place that held water had waterfowl in it. Not just one or two ducks either hundreds upon hundreds of pintails,bills,teal,cans you name it we saw it.

The best line from the whole trip was my son Joey's when we pulled into Peirre he says "Dad we gotta get mom to move out here" that put a smile on my face the rest of the trip. well I still dont live there but the thought still crosses my mind about every other day.

[brittman]

You can only have one (maybe two) closures in a split season. You can not open the season for say five days and close two over the coarse of the entire season ... to try extend overall season length and "refuge" stock birds.

Dakotas have true shallow wetlands that are under a couple feet deep. Add in all the flooded fields last fall ... puddlers find them and stay.

Most MN wetlands are too deep and/or nutrionally void to keep waterfowl around very long. Most shallow wetlands have been drain tiled away in MN. The deeper wetlands have too many carp and/or are used for minnow propagation. This changes the ecosystem ... no sago, celery, etc... ducks spend the night, but soon leave in search of fuel for the migration.

Ducks also transmigrate ... that is they can move east and west along the flyway(s) ... the do this within the Dakotas (county to county) and interstate depending upon habitat conditions in the fall.

Minnesotans often think WATER, but it is what is in the water that keeps ducks and allows the fall population to build.

[LandDr]

Exactly. Does everyone know why all the ducks are out in the Dakotas?

Here is an annalogy...

Say there were grocery stores in the Dakotas and there were grocery stores in MN. Back in the "good ol'days", the grocery stores in MN held as many people as the ones in the Dakotas...maybe even more.

Not too many years ago, the some of the grocery stores in MN closed...others had less food in them and the food was not as good. There were still "some" good grocery stores in MN however and the people kept going to them...but most of the people moved west to go to where the food was in the Dakotas. Today, most of the grocery stores in MN have disappeared but the ones that are still present only have small amounts of food or poor food. A few people stop by these stores and then move on. But the stores in the Dakotas are packed with people getting large amounts of food and good food.

Now of course people have more needs these days than just food and staying alive, but you can understand the annalogy. The water we have in MN is not good..."ducks like water, but they like food in the water even better".

A few years back I restored a 15 ac. pond of mine with Wild Rice. I also restored another shallow pond with Sago Pondweed. I now have thick stands of wild rice on the 15 ac. pond and solid Sago on the 10 ac. pond. I always have the opportunity to shoot a limit of ducks and sometimes there are so many ducks that I set my gun down to watch them all.

I have been all around the US working with landowners on waterfowl enhancement. From what I have seen, MN has some of the greatest opportunities for waterfowl enhancement...however it has been like pulling teeth to get people to do anything. Out East, down South and out West...the "norm" is to plant crops and then flood them in the fall. The problem at these parts of the country is that having a way to flood the crops is VERY difficult. The land contours don't provide easy means of holding water back and in many places there are isn't available water or water is controlled. HOWEVER...look at Minnesota! We have the perfect contours all over the place...EASY water control to flood crops in the fall. We also have an abundance of water and it is often just a shallow pump away for use to flood crops in the fall...or just the simple installation of a solid stand pipe in a tile drain...or a stop log near a culvert intake. There are so many simple ways to accomplish this in MN.

I am out in the Dakotas on a regular basis working on habitat projects and I see all the ducks out there...yet I have never bought a waterfowl license in the Dakotas. I know I can go out to my ponds and shoot 4, 5 or 6 ducks just about any day I want to during the open season. I might not see the numbers of ducks that one can see in the Dakotas, but I certainly can shoot at a limit of ducks a lot cheaper in MN.

I encourage each of you to start one project this spring for waterfowl enhancement...just one. We need some demonstration sites out there and the waterfowl hunters need to lead by example. I am more than happy to help with advice or reviewing aerial photos of your property for some possible options.

Land Dr

[MaskedMallard]

You can only have one (maybe two) closures in a split season. You can not open the season for say five days and close two over the coarse of the entire season ... to try extend overall season length and "refuge" stock birds.

Doesn't Maryland & Virginia have 3 seasons, along with no hunting on Sunday? I was just trying to suggest a way to extend the season. Also, with the decline in hunters, the DNR should start getting creative in getting more hunters out in the field. I realize the Fed's have the over all say, but those rules & regulations were wrote a long time ago, & I'm just suggesting some amendments to suite the current times.

[Maxxed Out]

I think splitting the season is pretty easy. They've been doing it out at Lac qui parle for years. You just sacrifice a 5 days of hunting during the week. Doing it twice really wouldn't be difficult. That being said that will never happen.

[brittman]

Virgina does have three seasons (two closures). Any one aware of a Mississippi flyway state that has three separate seasons (two closures) - not including Youth WD?

When it comes to duck and goose hunting each state must conform to the Federal guidlines. If the state is within the Federal framework, they can do what they please. If they do not like the Federal framework, they can lobby for change - but cannot ignore.

Not sure if the Sunday closure extends the season length or if they simply lose days. In that case it is not considered a "split" season.

If MN decided to have zones in the state and splits they could extend out the number of hunting days by a bunch. Not an easy concept to employ without much research.

[pulleye16]

I kind of like how its set up... usually small game, two weeks later duck opener, two weeks late pheasant opener, then two-three weekends its deer opener. Gives me a chance to hunt them all without having to decide. What ever they decide I'm sure I'll still find time to hunt!

[carpshooterdeluxe]

Pawlenty vetoed the bill containing language allowing for an early duck season start....and in my opinion, rightfully so.

[BrdHunter01]

Pawlenty vetoed the bill containing language allowing for an early duck season start....and in my opinion, rightfully so.

I don't usually agree with Pawlenty on many issues but he gets a high five from me on this veto! Not only the early duck opener but all the other b-s that was shoved in that bill. He did the right thing there.

[fishface]

How about two or three options on your individual lic.? Pick your own 60 day season. but just one. Early? Mid? Late? Doesn't S. Dak. Make non Res. pick two weeks, N. Dak too? Not sure any more, quit following water fowling much. I was fortunate enough to hunt a lot starting in the late sixties through to the early ninties. Very sad what's happened in this state. W F management has been... Turned me into a fall angler. Sorry, shot through the heart. but I did die hard.

[Gordie]

fishface I think thats the best idea I have heard yet and what a concept let the hunter choose his own time to hunt. the only problem I see with it is and I couldn't care either way is that your opener wouldnt be the same as the other guys and alot of flack would be generated because of this.

[tweedlap]

Elwood,

I like fishface's idea, too.

There shouldn't be any complaints. If you want to hunt the early season

and hunt for 60 days pick the early option. If you want to hunt the

late migrators and cornfields pick the late season. It is the hunters

choice.

This, at least, gives us an option. For those that don't like it;

shut up and stay home. These guys would FemaleDog if you hung em with

a new rope.

tweed