Minnesota Waterfowl Hunting

At what point will the DNR and MWA determine that there is only one membership/funding source for waterfowl conservation: duck hunters. And that increased opportunities will increase conservation $ and efforts faster than telling duck hunters they can't shoot ducks....

Just a thought as the summer begins to wane.

I agree with the concept but I am not so sure more $ = more ducks. The DNR hasn't done too much with the money they receive.

There is too much red tape when it comes to anything the state tries to do. Look at Marsh Lake. Perfect area for moist soil/flooded crops/water control, but between the state and the core of egineerdiots, it will be 10 more years of studies and surveys and paper work just to knock down the spillway, build some dikes to section off control units, and install some pumps. Build some blinds, a draw shack, and run controlled hunts like down in Missouri.

With current hunter numbers I don't think they'd even need a draw. Do numbered parking like at Talcot~ your parking spot # is the blind # you hunt.

I hunt that area a lot. Moist soil management along that corridor could also help divers by providing some deeper, cleaner pools. Marsh is a silt pond. Many of the sloughs in the area once provided a lot of krill. Used to pull decoy lines covered in the stuff, now, now so much. Water control structures to keep water fresh/oxygenated along the water shed would be huge in that area of the state.

The DNR might not be able to do more, nor the MWA, but encouraging hunters to take less, odd telling them all that the population of hunters can't be trusted to manage more liberal frameworks seems like the MOST passive-aggressive MN thing ever.

For god sakes would they communicate with states like Kansas, Missouri and Arkansas about what can be done to attract and hold birds.

That's easy.

1st. Provide more opportunity.

2nd. Thin out the gotdam regulation book.

3rd. Lower the license fees.

Bullet21XD wrote:That's easy.

1st. Provide more opportunity.

2nd. Thin out the gotdam regulation book.

3rd. Lower the license fees.

Yup.

There is absolutely no comparison between MN & MO or any states south of MO.

The flyway is a funnel- wide at the top, narrow at the bottom
Rivers get wider down south- HUGE flood plains conducive to moist soil mgmt
# of Ice free days during the season and qty of birds in state during season

Our birds "arrive" in April & depart largely in October, a little in November, and the pittance of birds here in December ain't leaving unless they absolutely must. No matter how good the habitat & low the pressure is, ducks will migrate by day length. Ducks leave Canada and Dakotas throughout sept & oct

They essentially have birds from sept teal through the last day, except in years of rare hard freezes.

Given the expense of waterfowl mgmt & relative number of people who hunt waterfowl, mn spends a ton of $$$$, but there's only so much that can be accomplished. Eleventy billion dollars ain't gonna bring ducks back because there's only so much land, contractors, managers, engineers, etc. Big Ag ain't gonna let us buy back the prairie or even manage all the sloughs on public land because even that effects their drainage. We kinda hafta play the cards were dealt, including "getting our share" when FWS offers us opportunities.

There's plenty that could be done with little effect on farmers. There is cost involved but I don't think that is the only hindrance, it's leadership. When Tom Landwehr started bucking tradition and leading with the things he did early in his carrier, people barked but have now shut up about the changes made. If we could get some leadership and forward thinking in the waterfowl management roles, moist soil management could not only be a possibility but our future reality. It is possible. Along with accepting expanded opportunities being allotted by the Fed's.

Tap in we have no good collaboration or waterfowl hunters organization, and Ron Shara and Dennis Anderson really are not waterfowl hunters at heart, we are left with no front man to carry the torch. We need a well versed, charismatic Bill Clinton type to lead. If you look at the few moist soil areas this state has they are redonkulous with ducks in the fall. But we can't hunt them. Opportunities are handed to our states leaders. And they lead, by passing on them. That's not leadership, that's avoidance.

Our state has so many areas that could be managed much better for migratory waterfowl and opportunities to hunt them.

From;

Thief Lake WMA

Roseau WMA

Lac qui Parle WMA

Sherburne NWR

Tamarack NWR

The Upper Mississippi NWR

The Minnesota River NWR

Carlos Avery WMA

Mille lacs WMA

Big Rice Lake

Orrwell WMA

Talcot Lake WMA

Gores Pool WMA

Swan Lake

Heron Lake

Just to name a few major ones. But they are mainly left to their own devices and to rot basically.

Quack wrote:There is absolutely no comparison between MN & MO or any states south of MO.

The flyway is a funnel- wide at the top, narrow at the bottom
Rivers get wider down south- HUGE flood plains conducive to moist soil mgmt
# of Ice free days during the season and qty of birds in state during season

Our birds "arrive" in April & depart largely in October, a little in November, and the pittance of birds here in December ain't leaving unless they absolutely must. No matter how good the habitat & low the pressure is, ducks will migrate by day length. Ducks leave Canada and Dakotas throughout sept & oct

Sure there are plenty of birds that migrate based on calendar/light. But there are also plenty of birds that only go as far south as they need to based on food availability. That was pretty much proven to anybody who witnessed the clouds of flooded grain ducks in western MN in the mid 90's or 3 years ago in SD. Provide more food in the waters we have, and less ducks will move on. Obviously MN isn't going to shortstop the brown duck migration into December, but there isn't much incentive for a duck right now to fly down US hwy 59 when US hwy 81 has better food and healthier water. A series of managed refuges with managed hunting opportunity down the west side of the state would change things. Maybe not right away, but put food in the water, remove competition for that food (rough fish) and ducks will respond.