 |
|||||
Fishing Information
|
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently approved a 60 day and 6 duck season for 2002. Individual states will set their respective seasons in the near future, within these limits, and most states should be expected to structure their seasons as to obtain the full benefits of these liberal guidelines. The question is - Are these limits looking out for the long term health of the North American duck populations?...Or, should they have scaled it back a little for preventive measures? Anyone who spent many days duck hunting in this area last year, must have noticed the lack of ducks. It was another year in a developing trend of fewer and fewer ducks being harvested in every major flyway except the Central. Whether it is from a smaller duck population or from the lack of cold weather we experienced this past season is open to debate. I'm no biologist, but I've been through the slow years of the 80's and early 90's and want to do whatever is necessary to make sure those numbers aren't ever seen again. The 60day/6duck season, or actually 50 here in Tennessee, has been great for avid waterfowlers like myself. The more time I get in the duck blind, the happier I am. But, I want to see a few ducks while I'm there and am just not sure that it will continue if we aren't careful. On Reelfoot this past season, the duck numbers on area refuges were down significantly from historical marks. Usually the large flocks will come through, then there may be an extended freeze and the refuge ducks will leave out for points farther south, only to be replaced by the next wave. This year they never arrived. Mid-way into the season, while refuge numbers were extremely low, I asked a local wildlife official if he had ever seen a year in which the ducks just never made it down here at all. The answer was no, but that can never be said again, because they never made it down in last season. As mentioned, you can factor the mild conditions into this equation and maybe that's the only factor involved. But, what if it's not? What if the harvest last season was the major indicator of the duck population? If so, 60 days and 6 ducks might be pushing it a little. Here are a few possible scenarios: The ducks came through early - This one doesn't seem to hold much water, as large numbers of ducks will hardly ever migrate through this area before Christmas. A case like this would also mean banner years for states farther south and that assuredly wasn't the case. The ducks never made it this far south due to warm weather - This is the one we're hoping for, because if not then we may be in for some slow years ahead. Last season did see much warmer temperatures than normal, with Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa recording record warm weather from November through January. The remainder of states in the Mississippi flyway recorded much warmer than average temperatures through these same months, though not experiencing record highs. It should be noted that the Central flyway, which had an increase in ducks harvested, also experienced temperatures much above normal. The duck numbers are significantly down - This is the one that no one wants to talk about and the worst case scenario. There is not much debating the fact that duck numbers are down, but how much. Waterfowl surveying and flight forecasting are inexact sciences at best. The area that must be covered to predict the state of duck breeding grounds is extremely vast and to get a precise number is almost impossible. Through years of experience, the ability to gauge the success of these breeding grounds has had to improve, but it is still an enormous undertaking and only years down the road can this information possibly be validated. It was also suggested by the Delta Waterfowl organization that the fall flight index, a formula which was used in combination with the various surveys to forecast waterfowl populations, was grossly inaccurate and might have even been off in recent years by as much as 50%. For more information on this controversy, read this previous article. In an article published in July from Ducks Unlimited the spring waterfowl pond counts were down to the second lowest levels in the U.S. since 1974 and the lowest recorded ever in Canada. As mentioned by Dr. Scott Yaich, DU's Director of Conservation Planning, "It's likely that the seasons will be more conservative than last year, which most hunters anticipate when populations decline." Yet when the seasons were set shortly after this article was published, there was no decrease in days or ducks. It just doesn't add up. Maybe there's something we don't know about or understand in the grand scheme of duck populations. I hope so. It looks like this year will reveal a lot about the present state of duck hunting and whether the right measures were taken. However, if harvest rates decline this year as they have in the last three years, then something must be done. The more days I get to duck hunt the better, but not at the expense of the long term welfare of these glorious birds. Note: There is some good news in the waterfowling world. Goose populations continue to thrive and harvests continue to rise.
In
the upcoming weeks, we will focus on the statistics behind waterfowling
trends in the Mississippi flyway and North America, including the
consequences of drought. Make sure and check back. |
|||||
| Questions and Comments: Email the Webmaster Here  Phone: 731-286-NETW 828 Granger Circle Dyersburg, TN 38024 Page designed by
: The
Hometown Network |
|||||