I've been very tempted to start shooting eagles. I think I'm going to where we deer hunt....behind a locked gate, in the middle of nowhere....had one gliding at even height of me while walking the ridge last time I was there. Could've shot it and thrown it on one of the fires and burned it in short order.....I actually know a dude who does that.....farmer who rents to an old restaurant buddy. He's got a little lap dog so whenever an eagle shows up within range of his deer rifle from his kitchen he shoots and then makes a fire. Way too many of them. It makes you wonder how much it impacts duck migration and reproduction in MN. In the 80's it was rare to see one. I remember driving to the cabin when i was in 2nd-4th grade and there were ten to a dozen vehicles stopped on the side of the road like at Yellowstone. Dad pulled over to let us all stretch our legs and see what people were looking at....Half of them had nice to super nice cameras for the time. A pair of eagles about a hundred yards out in a white pine caused all the commotion.
Now if you hunt any of the rice lakes up here for ringers.....they're lined in the tree line fifty yards apart at most, and at least a couple will have the balls to come take a look after you shoot to try to steal a duck from you. You float any creek for a mile or two stretch and you'll usually see a half a dozen.
Being that they eat birds.....yeah, they'll eat fish, rodents, small pets, roadkill, and the like.....but birds of prey eat birds. First and foremost in their diet is other birds. Between the eagles and the swans constantly harassing and trying to kill any other waterfowl.....there's an impact.....I'm guessing it has to be fairly significant to substantial. There's much less ducks here than there was a decade ago. I'm not trying to do my best h2ofwlr impression by sounding like an old timer talking about the glory years, but I moved back from a decade in ND and although expecting an obvious decline in opportunities.....I was presently surprised by how many ducks there were. One opener I shot twenty-six, cold-cocked over double that dead as a door nail and couldn't find them....and I was hunting with a girl. My then girlfriend who later became my ex-wife had never duck hunted....that being the good part of the relationship I brought her and didn't shoot until after she got her first duck....an unusually well plumed out drake woodie she got by flock shooting on like the 4th or 5th flock of 25-50 wood ducks that bombed in and landed in the decoys. Once that bird was bagged and pictures taken I then started shooting. About as leisurely hunting as it gets I still shot 26 between the rest of that hunt, the next morning, and jumps hooting a creek. On the jump shoot I had a 400-500 woodie flush that I dropped five out of stone dead.....the only one I found was a banded hen. I wasn't used to dropping birds back in East Central MN scrub but these were dead ducks that I dropped close.....the type of shit where you're waking around in sparse knee high grass right where the thing dropped Falling on it's back.....shooting least sixes and a much better shot than my out of practice azz is now.
As always I'm rambing....but point being.....there's a night and day difference between how many breeding ducks and offspring there was a decade ago to now, and it isn't me just being lazy. You can still shoot some wood ducks but you're limiting out and getting your three only if you're not blowing any opportunities, and they're all going to be adult mature ducks. I'll see maybe one or two hen woodies with a brood. My main spot would have five hundred hens and ducklings on it every year....a few years back I baited it and scouting it the night before opener there was a total of nine wood ducks.
I think West Nile might have done a number on them but all the eagles, other birds of prey, and fukcing swans.....if the DNR was actually useful instead of a bunch of liberal bureaucrats pushing bullshit and using climate change as their excuse to close seasons and not do shit......it'd be some very useful research to look into the predatory effect of having like a thousand times the amount of eagles as 20-30 years ago. But silly me....dumb to even throw such a notion out there.....the DNR actually doing something.
MN DNR Staff, half of which works in a Saint Paul office building = 4,000
ND Game & Fish = 178 employees
"The bureaucracy is expanding to meet the needs of the expanding bureaucracy."
^^^one of the greatest quotes ever...can't remember who said it offhand but it's fukcing brilliant....and explains perfectly why we're fukced as sportsmen in this state. The DNR exists to serve the DNR. Higher state wages, netter benefits, and fatter pensions....oh, and circle jerking each other over PC liberal crap. That makes up most of their day. Any you ever interview for a DNR or state job? One of the most fukced and bizarre scenarios you'll find put you put yourself into. Pronouns, race, gender equality, DEI diversity shit or whatever they call it.
Did you guys hear they changed the titles for all their brass? Brad Parsons for instance....Chief of Fisheries......now Section Manager of Fisheries I believe. "Chief" was apparently too offensive for some phaggot in the the department whose job is to think about what might be offensive.....guarantee they employ a team of 'em.
Anyways, the only thing I liked about the eagles nesting on the lake is that they killed five of six trumpeter Cygnets last year.....and they weren't small. They made it to freaking August and were basically fully grown and then they started disappearing. Six became five....five became four....and until I saw an eagle get one I never considered them being the heroes....I mean, culprits. Figured some bobcat got a taste for them or something.
So in summary.....I agree it's high past the time we all tell the DNR to suck a dick, quit buying licenses and giving them money, and kill every eagle & swan possible....and fuggit
...i might start tagging some loons just out of spite. About the only thing more annoying than a loud ass loon is a loud ass trumpeter.
P.S. the duck decline I'm referring to is just East Central MN. The Ag....South & Western portion of the state where there isn't as many trees or eagles are doing great.
P.P.S. not totally done, but petty close....need to clean it up a bit and add a couple fish hitting cranks....but you get the idea.....
"Still Poaching on Lake Mille Lacs"