Open water waterfowling

[Todd Caswell]

Late season fishing that didn't exist 25 years ago has a HUGE impact on birds that used to raft up on our bigger bodies of water, Leech, winnie, LOW, ect. 25 years ago people didn't fish untill freeze up now they do...If you don't think it has an impact your crazy..

[Roosterslayer05]

I agree Todd, it has a HUGE impact. That's why I'm against open water hunting. I feel like duck hunters these days see a refuge or open water hunting and think "only if I could hunt there I could shoot allot of birds". Well if you could hunt these area's the birds wouldn't be there in the same numbers.

Gordie- Yes if you shoot a feeding pond the birds don't come back to that pond but that doesn't mean they leave the area. That's why I cited my spots that are within site of the roost because I can physically see them go back to the roost. On the water bodies open NOW mallard disturbance won't be an issue but if other water bodies open it WILL be. I cant count the number of times I've seen massive rafts of Mallards in open water late season that fly to the cornfields on heavily pressured lakes. If open water hunting was legal they wouldn't be there for longer than a day before someone shot them up.

The thing waterfowlers need to understand is that the more ducks in an area the better the hunting is for everyone. Even if they are roosting on a refuge the birds use other area's outside the refuge. More disturbance = less birds = less opportunities for all.

[duckster]

The reason we don't see rafts of ducks is the fact the we don't see the migration of divers any more. The bluebill, redhead, canvasback populations are not near what used to be.

Duckster

[Todd Caswell]

The reason we don't see rafts of ducks is the fact the we don't see the migration of divers any more. The bluebill, redhead, canvasback populations are not near what used to be.

Duckster

I agree , so why would we want to take away the last non rufuge santuary they have left?? Terrible idea by our state..