DISMAL OUTLOOK FOR DUCKS
A FEATURE ARTICLE FROM JULY, 2002
BY MIKE THOMPSON The 2001-02 duck season was an abysmal failure in the eyes of most die-hard duck hunters.
After an early spurt of ducks in November, the remainder of the season was a disappointment to most.
Several reasons for the lack of birds were theorized. The facts paint an even bleaker future.
Most hunters wrote off the lack of ducks last season to the very mild winter. The preceeding season had yielded some record-low temperatures and with it lots of ducks. Hunters surmised the reason the duck numbers were low was the ducks were held-up farther north. They would move as soon as the first big arctic blast from the north forced them to.
As the mild season continued, hunters from all over the country were complaining about the lack of ducks. Those that didn't blame the mild weather were blaming the problem on short-stopping of the ducks. By this it was meant that large numbers of ducks were being fed grain on the many refuges scattered across the nation, keeping them there longer.
While there were good numbers of ducks on the refuges, the numbers didn't add up to previous years' totals. Short-stopping was apparently not the cause for the lack of ducks being seen by hunters.
What has been discovered is that there has now been a two-year decline in the overall duck population.
"We've lost 3 million mallards from the breeding population and Delta Waterfowl is predicting another substantial drop when the 2002 numbers are announced in June," said Rob Olson, Director of Delta Waterfowl Foundation's United States office. "If we're right, the breeding population could be as low as it was in 1994, the last year the drought ended.
"We're coming off the most prolonged wet cycle of the last century, a time when we had large blocks of nesting cover provided by the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) across the U.S. side of the pothole region. We missed a golden opportunity to expand the duck population.
"The shrinking breeding population and impending drought across the prairie pothole region are bad news for ducks and duck hunters."
Another major problem associated with declining duck population output is predator control. In some areas that don't have the thick dense grasses to help conceal and protect the nests from predators, the nests sometimes fail to produce a single hatchling.


Delta Waterfowl is a staunch proponent of predator control.
"Research has shown that predators are the main reason production is low," Olson said. "We need to control populations of fox, raccoons and skunks."

DRASTIC TIMES -
DRASTIC MEASURES
With such a dire situation developing for ducks, there may be some serious changes in store for the upcoming season. While breeding counts won't be completed until the end of June, significant population trends can't be ignored.
Most hunters would gladly accept a reduction of the limits if the number of days afield were left the same. While this would seem a viable option, it is not. Most hunters average less than two ducks per outing. In the overall scheme of things in the duck-hunting world, limits are rare.
Therefore, to make an actual reduction in the number of ducks harvested, there has to be a reduction of days hunted.
During the 2001-02 season, Central Flyway hunters were allowed a liberal season of 60 days, and six ducks per day. The option for a moderate season is 45 days and four ducks. The restrictive season is 30 days and three ducks.
The season length won't be designated until August, but duck hunters better keep their fingers crossed that the season won't be restricted.

SHORTER SEASONS
HURT DUCKS?
The average person might ask: How could a shorter season possibly hurt the ducks? There are several reasons a shortened season could actually have an adverse affect on ducks.
Firstly, with season restrictions, some less-than-die-hard hunters may actually opt to leave the sport. This would mean a reduction in the number of duck stamps sold. This in turn would mean a reduction of funds collected and a reduction in the amount of wetlands purchased to be set aside for ducks.
Secondly, as the number of duck hunters dwindles, so do the purchases of hunting gear. The taxes collected on the sale of this gear will be reduced and money set aside from this tax for wildlife will shrink as well.
Finally, the recent upswell in duck numbers has brought a lot of new hunters with it. This surge in hunter numbers has also meant an increase in the numbers of conservation organization memberships.
With the full-scale war anti-hunters have staged on law-abiding hunters, those who enjoy the outdoors and hunting need all the allies they can get to preserve the hunting tradition.


HOW TO ENDURE
Should any drastic cuts to the season or limits be made, there is a nucleus of hunters who will continue no matter what. These hunters are not in the sport strictly for the harvest. Instead, these hard-core duckers are there for the "experience" that is waterfowling.
It is said by true waterfowl addicts that nothing can compare to the beauty of a flock of ducks slowly descending from the sky as they "radar lock" on a spread of decoys. Add to that the soft duck language the birds make on their way down and you have the recipe for magic afield.
Whether or not ducks are harvested, the game can still be played. True hunters will adapt.
Back in the late 1980s and early '90s, duck hunters were faced with a restricted harvest. Thirty days and three ducks drove a lot of hunters away. For those that stayed things changed -- sometimes for the better. With a duck limit of only three, hunters could be out of the marsh quickly.
To prolong the hunting experience, hunters began to be very selective. Sometimes this meant shooting only drakes - males -- of a certain species.
Hunters would often pass on certain species -- shovelers, teal, wood ducks -- waiting on more-desired ducks.
By playing these little games to extend the hunt, some hunters actually became better in several aspects. Decoy placement, calling and getting the birds in close were all skills that became refined, making them better hunters in the process.
Some hunters recall those restricted days as some of the best in their experience. Less competition and pressure on the ducks actually made the hunting experience better in their eyes.
"Back in the low-limit days, we actually had a lot of fun," Louisiana duck guide, Captain Steve Himel of Marshland Adventures recalls. "Because of the low limits, we made a game of the hunt. We would concentrate on taking a limit of drake wigeons or maybe a limit of one drake wigeon, one drake pintail and one drake gray duck. It made us better hunters, I think.
"We also tried to get a limit in the least amount of shells. To do this you had to get the ducks really close. You needed a good blind and a good decoy spread to accomplish that."

ECONOMIC
IMPACT
The persons most affected by the possible reductions in season length and bag limits will be those involved with the sport commercially. Guide services, outfitters and the like will all be impacted by any restrictions.
States like Louisiana, Arkansas and Mississippi have all waged campaigns recently to lure duck hunters to their states. These states have enjoyed an upswing during the recent good times.
Folks paying to hunt are often influenced by bag limits. These same sportsmen may choose to spend their hard-earned dough on something else if reductions become a reality.
To combat this, outfitters will have to go the extra mile by offering customers better accommodations, fishing opportunities or maybe controlled (preserve, quail, pheasant) hunting.
Anything to fill out a day.

CONCLUSION
The outlook is not rosy. The numbers don't lie. Our duck population has taken a hit.
No matter how you look at it, the drought we have experienced over the past three to four years has had a negative affect on waterfowl populations. This is a natural occurrence and is cyclical. For the true duck-hunting aficionado the times will be tough, but we will weather the storm.
And you know what they say about storms: plenty of ducks will ride their winds -- eventually!