It's time to make a difference!!!

[lumbertick]

A lot of enthusiasm is being generated by Dennis Anderson to gather duck hunters, outdoorsman, fisherman, and environmental groups, to rally at the capital in hopes of getting the government to move forward on improving the conditions of the states wetlands and waters. We all have a lot at stake when it comes to these issues, better duck hunting is just one of them. Tell everyone you know and e mail Dennis a note of support. Believe me, if we can rally on this issue we can make some real progress. Heres the address...spread the word!!!

Title; Duck / Habitat Rally

Subject; I would like to attend the Duck / Habitat Rally at the Capital.

Dennis Anderson is at;

[email protected]

[Evenflow]

Done... Thanks for the reminder...

Can you imagine how much noise we could make?

Thousands of duck hunters dressed in camo blowing on their calls?

It's time to make ourselves heard.

Evenflow

[Dean Schellinger]

Lets do it up. I will be there. We gotta do soemthing soon or we are not going to to have anything to talk about on this site anymore Everyone spread the word!

[snowgoose]

Your right!

It is time to do something! I have been corrected on my thoughts of waterfowling here in Minnesota by a few of you on this sight. I want to thank you for that! It is time to get back to my roots where it all started for me! I want to give back to Minnesota what it has given to me.

I'm in!

Please take the time to support this effort.

[PikeTipper]

When is this going to happen?

[FOOT]

Not to tick anyone off and I agree something needs to be done BUT, I like many others are more than a little skeptical of anything Anderson does. Is he really concerned or is he looking for a Pulitzer again !?

[Evenflow]

I've been a long time critic of Dennis too. I think he is a bit too much "the sky is falling". This years season was bad for many people for a variety of reasons, standing water in fields, slow crop harvest in Canada, unseasonably warm weather, etc... He makes it sound as though Minnesota duck hunting has gone south in the last 5 years, when really our resources have been screwed up for a long time, it's only now that ducks have adjusted their flight routes west to find better food in the wet Dakotas. But what I do agree with him about is that our shallow lakes and water management in MN is very screwed up and has been for a long time. The DNR has been catering too much to minnow dealers, walleye stockers, shallow lake land owners, and farmers that tile seasonal wetlands and drain small permanent wetlands. We're aerating ponds that should winter-kill every year so we have fatheads to fish with, we're raising water levels so we can boat for recreation and we're dumping farm chemicals and fertilizer into our wetlands while ducks go elsewhere to find food. The bottom line is if this rally can increase the quality/quantity of the duck habitat in MN then regardless of Mr Anderson's motives, it will be a good thing.

Evenflow

[duckbill]

Evenflow-

I agree with you about Dennis. I have to question his real motive but at the same time just him bringing up the topic is making people aware.

I agree with a lot of what you said. I know that walleye stocking in ponds and small lakes hurts waterfowl. These millions of small walleye can eat a lot during there growing period that would usually be there for the ducks.

I have seen a lot of lakes that the divers used to come into that but now are over run with minnow trappers all year round. Rough fish in small water is another big issue. Killing off these rough can help vegatation grow in smaller waters. When you have the carp swimming around in 1-2' of water making it muddy it hurts the production of grow that the ducks would eat. Habitat and food are the two most important factors in my mind.

The idea of DU and MWA joining together might be a good idea. We need to go to the government in mass but have a plan ready. Both organizations do good things but together they could maybe make more of a big uprising out of this issue.

We also need to educate the young coming up and get them involved. This year my daughter and I put out 6 woodduck house that produced over 40 eggs. It is fun for kids to see the ducks climbing into those houses right in the yard. I know that it doesn't do much for the overall picture but we do have a lot of woodducks in the area. Every little bit helps.

Duckbill

[jblabsnduck]

Just thought I would post this here also.

The MWA BOD has announced the MWA will be taking the role as the lead group to support the Dennis Anderson Duck Rally at the capital and the upcoming meetings to map out a plan of action to improve duck hunting in Minnesota.

For now, the MWA Board has asked the staff to contact all chapter officers and committee members across MN to begin the planning of contacting of MWA members and duck hunters to get ready for the rally.

Begin talking to local elected officials and let thm know the local chapter is behind the rally and will take part.

Future meetings will be hosted by the MWA to lay out a plan of action with all the concerned groups and agencies to start the process of restoring duck hunting in Minnesota.

More to come, info will also be posted on the MWA web site.

[jblabsnduck]

no unauthorized link please.

[swampman]

Evenflow, while I applaud your passion in this matter I would like to know where you get some of your information, to say the dnr caters to the bait industry is laughable,obviously you have never been in the bait buis because I can assure you that isnt the case. Also the amount of ponds that are areated in the winter for suckers almost soley ,not fatheads, is minascule to the total amount of duck type waters, besides ponds dont die out everyear anyway one in 3 or 4 maybe it depends but severe die offs dont happen real often, at least with the winters we have had the last 10 yrs. or so. Duckbill I live near you, you said that you have seen alot of lakes the divers used to come into but are now run over with bait dealers year round. what exactly is your point? My family was in the bait buis for over 50 yrs myself included my dad has retired and I quit about 10 yrs ago during that time we proably trapped minnows in some of the lakes your proably talking about. I am just wondering what your correlation is betwwen the bait guys and the divers not being there anymore or is it that you just dont like to have to share the water. the guys in the bait buis are being pushed into less water all the time do to alot of people building on slough type lakes and deciding to do a little private stocking of there own so they can live on a fish lake too. this is a huge problem and not just for the bait industry. I also think the states walleye stocking and rearing pond management could use some major tweaking. I like ducks too but I would just like to here some facts to back up the statements some people are making.

[jblabsnduck]

Maybe you should allow the link since it is a very big issue that needs attention?

Or let me know how we can get it put on.

[duckbill]

Swampman,

I understand that everyone shares the water. I was kind of thinking about just the ducks and not the whole picture. I agree that the bait trappers should have just as much right out on those lakes as the everyone else. I am sure that I buy your bait if you supply to local shops.

Sorry for the shot on bait trappers. We need you too.

Duckbill

[lumbertick]

Swampman, I have no problems with you making a living trapping bait. The problem comes when the bait, bullheads, carp, walleye...etc. are stocked into a shallow water ecosystem. The foriegn invaders change everything...increased turbidity, less invertabrates, chew up the vegatation...which equals no duck food. It would be stupid to say that bait dealers were the only problem, but it's irresposible to say that they are not part of the problem. We ALL have a share in this. It's time to figure out how we can ALL fix the problem.

As far as Andersons intentions...who cares...if it helps fix the water, wetland, duck problem (which I think it might) he can be awarded Grand Puba for all I care.

lt

[swampman]

As I wrote in my post I am no longer in the bait buis and have no financial interests in it. So I am not looking to protect my interests here. I have no idea what most of you do for a living nor do I have any experise in most of your professions but there are alot of half truths and statements being made by people who I dont think have any idea of what most bait dealers do or dont do, Other than what some of you may have read somewhere. the vast majority of bait dealers dont even raise minnows they trap the wild bait that has been here as long as the ducks. the ones that do stock ponds are using them almost exclusively to raise sucker minnows. this has been going on for well over 50 yrs. I dont know about you guys but I remember some awful good duck hunting in that time. The state made the statement awhile back about fatheads being part of the problem I didnt buy it then and I dont now. if that were the case then why are the dakotas full of minnows and ducks now.

[lumbertick]

I can only go by what I have seen, which may be a mistake, but I have heard reports like mine from other hunters and biologists so I think there is something there. I used to hunt a pond that was pretty good for ducks year round. A bait guy started trapping..the weeds dissappeared and there are hords of fatheads now...you can see them when you set the dekes. Did this trapper introduce the fatheads?? Don't know for sure, but he pulls a lot of minnows out of that pond that I don't ever remember seeing before. Maybe you can explain it to me??? I only hunt early geese on the pond now, don't have to worry about scaring the ducks...there aren't any!

lt

[Jackpine Rob]

I hunt a fair bit in the BWCA area - and the lack of ducks there is scary. There are no bait guys running around the place - no carp - plenty of water - plenty of rice - normal amounts of predators - but BIG decline in duck populations.

While we're all busy pointing our fingers at everyone and their brother, we might be missing some other factor(s) that are contributing to the problem.

I will buy the fact that we have lost a lot of habitat, that water systems have been changed by stocking, manipulation, etc., and that there are steps we can take to correct things a bit. I think that the time has come for us to demand that the State and the FWS own up to the reality that many of us have been experiencing, and take some positive measures. The rosy forecasts and inflated numbers just aren't believable any more.

[swampman]

Lumbertick I wont argue with what you saw, does it mean the minnows had a adverse effect on the ducks maybe, maybe not.most of these smaller lakes will go through cycles same as big water. some of the lakes we used to trap might only have minnows in them once every 10 or 20 yrs. if there were a bunch of ducks in other ponds around the area from where you were hunting that didnt have bait in them I can see your argument. All I know is from what I have seen too, I do know that one of the best duck lakes that I used to hunt on was also our best fathead lake. And I am just not saying that. I also watched the blubills that used to migrate through everyyear diving and eating the minnows, watched this several times. I s it possible the bait guy you saw seeded the pond I suppose it is ,mother nature might have too I dont know. I am not trying to tick anybody off on here I just took exception to alot of the blanket statements that have been made here. I just didnt want a lynch mob mentality to start with alot of claimes that may not be accurate.

[lumbertick]

Swampman, no offense has been taken on my part and I hope that you feel likewise. Like I said in an earlier post, I don't think we can blame the entire bait business on the demise of waterfowling in the state...are they a part of the problem...I believe yes...I just don't think they alone are a very big part of the problem. If I would pick a #1 problem it would be drainage and destruction of habitat. I think part of the problem is the bait dealers are getting lumped in with fish introduction and aeration problems. Which in my eyes boils down to the government for allowing such practices to continue and not making steps to improve the PUBLIC waters that we have and trying to restore wetlands instead of destroy. They have been sitting back too long...that is why I chose to get involved in this movement and post thread here.

Here's another bait question for you though...when you trapped fatheads and they were in an up cycle as you saw how long did it last?? Did you notice a vegetation change? Just asking, because you were right...there isanother pond, 300yds away that we moved to that all the ducks are using...it's weird deal???

[swampman]

Lumbertick , none taken I was a little worked up for awhile but I am fine, I know everybody just wants to see the ducks back. As far as your bait cycle question I cant give you a good answer, not because I dont want to but there are just to many variables, water levels, winters,how hard the lake is getting trapped etc.2-5 yrs if I was pressed for a general answer. as far as water clarity and weeds they are different from lake to lake to from what I have seen. the good fathead lake that I mentioned earlier in another post usually got so weedy in the summer that it was almost impossible to set a trap, yet the lake was full of minnows, this is also common on alot of the lakes we used to trap. imo carp and bullheads do alot more in the way of poor water clarity in shallow lakes, especially carp in the way they tend to root up vegatation.