Numbers seem way down, not just this year but overall trend... When I look at my graduating class (small'ish school, rural MN) nearly everyone in our class hunted at some point, most would have hunted waterfowl at some point. Fast forward to 2018 and none of my kid's classmates or their parents are waterfowlers.... I remember the 4-lane both to and from places like Manitoba, Saskatch and ND being filled with boats and hunting trailers. You seem em now, but not like I remember from 80's and 90's.... I remember spending a fair bit of time in TinTown in the mid 90's. Everyone we talked to there was mid-50's and up. Everyone had kids and none of them came to hunt. Back then in my mind this was the world wide capital of waterfowling @ Delta Marsh.
I firmly believe we did this to ourselves. I fear for what's coming in waterfowl hunting, not because of the lack of ducks or anything like that. I'm scared that some pretty historic places are going to become just dots on a map and largely forgotten.