Mon Sep 14, 2015 9:10 pm
Why is it that many of the same guys that think that YWD is ruining our duck hunting are also all for a teal season and say it won't have much of an effect on the numbers of other ducks such as wood ducks available during the regular season. I hardly think that one day of a YWD is going to have anywhere near the effect on pushing birds out of an area as a teal season for a couple weeks would.
I know I am in the minority on this site, but I don't feel it is the same throughout the state, but I am all for the YWD, and hope that there is never a teal season in the state. From what I have personally seen, after the first few days of a large number of hunters out many of the birds either leave the area, or find places that are hidden and hard to get to so they won't get bothered. I have never seen that much of a problem from YWD.
With that being said I would say over the last 10 years of hunting MN openers less than half of my bag has been teal. So I feel that I would miss out on a lot of opportunity to hunt the wood ducks and mallards that make a large portion of the bag. I say keep things the way they are and get just as much chance at the wood ducks as the teal.
Now did I benefit from YWD, of course I did. My dad took me out and I had a great time. Did he also take me during the regular season sure he did. But, like most of MN duck hunting, the opening weekend consisted of too many people, and nothing but skybusting. I had really had bad experiences with openers, and after that there wasn't much for ducks around my area. When I was able to go for YWD, there wasn't any competition, I got to see what duck hunting could be, and saw that there was actually hope. You can't expect kids to get interested in duck hunting if all they get to see is long shots, and shots that they are rarely going to be successful.
Although I will never get to hunt YWD again myself I hope that it is continued, and will continue to take other kids out so they can have the same amount of fun that I got.
I know that the majority here are going to completely disagree with most of what I said, but I also want you guys to see that not everybody wants a teal season, and some want to continue YWD.