Don't Give Up!

Posted on January 15, 2004 by J. Tackett 

The last three to four years for waterfowlers below the Mason Dixon line has been tough. We have had record harvests. Unfortunately they have been record lows.

I have spoken with many hunters and they have great concerns about the future. And as well they should, as we have never seen it like this. Especially those of us in the lower Mississippi flyway. It's creating some fear, and lots of opinions. I have heard theory upon theory and most make pretty good sense. There are three major theories.

There is the pressure factor: It's true there are probably more serious waterfowl hunters in recent seasons than ever before in history. In the state of Arkansas, ducks have very few places they can eat and or rest without feeling some form of hunting pressure. There are some extremely large rest areas/refuges but they pale in comparison to the overall "legal hunting" areas. This pressure was created by success. Duck numbers got up and hunting became good again. Therefore many more hunters hit the fields, marshes, rivers, lakes, and woods. Many have said it has become "trendy" to be a duck hunter. If you look at the sheer stamp sales in Arkansas you can become pretty astounded in the growth the last 5 to 7 years. Furthermore, just look at little ol' Mack's Sport Shop in Stuttgart, AR. For 50 years Mack's was a nice little place to buy hardware, hunting supplies, and a crappie jig or two. It now is well over 60,000 square feet of duck hunting retail space, and many, many more thousands of feet of warehouse for their waterfowl catalog that goes out to well in excess of a million hunters throughout the nation. In Arkansas pressure is immense on these migrations.

The weather factor: Yes, it's not as cold as it has been in the past. Snow and ice has not blanketed the upper mid-west like it has in years past. Pot holes, marsh ground and lakes do not freeze 6 inches solid like it did in the past by late October. In the past ducks had no choice but to head south. Very simply; if they did not move south they would literally starve to death. Not anymore. As long as there is an clean field with a little waste grain left, the ducks seem to be very content in toughing out the cold in states like South Dakota and Iowa.

Seasons close early up there (November/December), and once that happens hunters are purely waiting on weather to slingshot the birds south. No weather , no ducks!!

The great northern refuge theory: This is without a doubt the debate that creates the fire. This is the fuel behind the "us against them" mentality. Our donations and stamp purchases have created the monies to put these places together. Large tracts of land/habitat, that the federal government and conservation organizations have purchased and developed to hold ducks. Yes, they feed them on many of these refuges.

They are doing just exactly what they were intended to do; give waterfowl a place to refuel, rest and become strong. The problem is they are staying in these areas until spring, not giving the ethical hunter a chance. This is great for the overall waterfowl population. As long as the refuge system is working, our populations should stay fairly strong.

But, what happens when hunters become dissatisfied with their harvests and quit hunting, quit buying stamps, and quit donating their dollars to the conservation organizations?

What is the Answer?
These are all factors that are important and are all reasons for the short stop. I'm afraid we are going to give up down here. If we give up, we all lose; northern hunters, southern hunters but most of all our children. I hear many say that they believe that Ducks Unlimited, Delta Waterfowl, and the United States Fish & Wildlife are really non-hunters. That they want our dollars to create the refuges, and build huge populations of waterfowl, but they are not interested in our taking of these animals. I think this is primarily frustration coming out. We all need to blame something or someone.

Understandable, but we must realize that these organizations and their leaders understand that without the hunter's dollar they will be without jobs. I believe they want us to do well. I think there have been some unforeseen mistakes made, primarily in the refuge system. Once that was coupled with intense pressure and weather changes for the warmer we ended up with harvests like we have seen the last three years in the southern states.

I am no biologist, just a guy that loves to hunt ducks. In the eighties we were in much worse shape than we are now. We had a three duck limit, and things looked bleak. Hunters banded together and turned things around.

You have to let your voice be heard. Get in touch with the leaders of your organizations, or stand behind the ones that are doing well. Become educated; don't rely on rumors. Take the good with the bad. Nobody likes a fair weather hunter.

Lots of hunters love to claim how they remember how they hunted before everyone else, how they hunted when you had to love it, because the hunting was slow etc. Well here's your shot to show how much you care.

We may be in for a couple more tough years before we can get some changes made, and things get better. Enjoy the hunt for what it is. Don't forget the fellowship, laughs, the dogs and the little guys learning about the outdoors. Take solace in the challenge that hunting in Arkansas has become. You'll be a better hunter when the rebound falls. It'll come back if we don't give up.

There are very few things to a real waterfowler more disturbing than a kill dependant hunter.

I'll continue to support D.U., and Delta. I'll attend the game and fish meetings. It'll turn around, history has taught us this.