So what think

[Gordie]

About this weather and do you think it should effect the waterfowl season next season.

I know that predicting the weather is impossible at least for the weather man but do you the season should go later into the year.

I know I know why do I ask ....cause I have too

[fishuhalik]

this is just me thinking, but if there's no snow, there's much less water out west, which could mean more ducks for us. also, why not extend the season? what's the advantage to closing it early?

[strait-meat]

Who decides on the length of the season for Ducks here in MN? I know the feds allows the maximum but the State can shorten it. Does anyone know what is the maximum amount of days MN has to hunt ducks from the Feds? Just wondering how states like Montana can have a seasons that starts on Oct 1st and end some time in January.

[Gordie]

Who decides on the length of the season for Ducks here in MN? I know the feds allows the maximum but the State can shorten it. Does anyone know what is the maximum amount of days MN has to hunt ducks from the Feds? Just wondering how states like Montana can have a seasons that starts on Oct 1st and end some time in January.

I think its based on Flyways and the Feds I belive are in charge of it

[Maxxed Out]

We get 60 days to hunt ducks and 90 to hunt honkers. And while yes we have had a very mild winter remember that this time last year it was crazy cold and we already had gotten an insane amount of snow. Most of the duck and geese pushed out in early December.

[carpshooterdeluxe]

Just wondering how states like Montana can have a seasons that starts on Oct 1st and end some time in January.

Different flyway, different flyway council.

[Maxxed Out]

I thought it was that way (60 & 90) everywhere. You get some opportunities for hunting later in the year due to breaking up the state into zones (that's why Rochester hunts until Jan 1. They hunt the same 90 days the rest of the state does they just shut down for 10 days after Thanksgiving weekend. I could be mistaken because I'm not a council member but I'm guessing the state is either broken up into zones and those zones are shut down for a signficant chunk of the year allowing them to stay open later but the number of days is the same.

[strait-meat]

Well even in the same flyways there are different states that have different lengths of seasons and also different bird allotments. If geese and ducks are migratory why not have more across the board rules?

[otterman91105]

Yea i think it's going to be dry next season. Lot's of the potholes out west will be low or have no water. Guess we'll have to see what summer brings.

[carpshooterdeluxe]

there are 4 administrative flyways in the US. Each flyway's seasons are determined by the councils. Each council selects 1 of 3 sets of regulations; Restrictive, Moderate, or Liberal. Framework dates are determined by what regulation is selected.

Page 15 gives a good table on how season dates and bag limits are determined.

http://www.flyways.us/sites/default/files/uploads/2011_ahm_report.pdf

[HugoBox]

Interesting question on the weather and wet VS dry. I'm no biologist so I can't say what's best for ducks but I remember the late 80's and early 90's when all the limits were lowered and season shortened and split because of the dry conditions. There just plain weren't enough ducks (across North America). That being said, in parts of MN there were plenty of birds because that's where the water was. Fast forward about 10 years to the early part of the 2000's and we kept hearing about the 100 million duck flight. There are still pockets of good hunting in MN but hardly a week goes by that you don't see another post about the lack of ducks in MN.

So I guess the real question is do you just want more ducks or more ducks HERE? I do think there is plenty of eveidence to suggest that heavy precip in the winter can set us up for good nesting conditions in the spring. I guess selfishly I'd love a drought and for all the ducks to come to the lake I hunt on - but with the bigger picture in mind, the more ducks the better, even if they don't fly over me.

As I understand it, upland guys and deer guys are already pretty optimistic that their prey has had it relatively easy so far.

[Gordie]

HB I read a artical yesterday about how Nation wide the whitetail deer heard is down across the board along with about every other kind of game.

I didnt get to finish reading the whole artical so I cant go any deeper than that. Makes sense more people more urban sprawl the less habitat for animals. everyone can blame everything they want for the cause but We All have to take a good hard look in the mirror to find the real answer.

[SledNeck]

there should be a spring honker hunt

[dan z]

the less water the less places to hide for ducks and the harder it is to get out becuase of the lack of other pot holes so every tom Richard and moe re going to be going out the first two weekends and then the lakes will be home free to us "true duckers". I just hope that there is a wet spring in order for better nesting sites.

[Stringerless!]

I am with you on the spring honker hunt sled.