Waterfowl for tomarrow.

[Liberty or death Jr.]

Where do you guys think waterfowling is going to go in the next few years? I read in the DU magazine today that they are plowing a lot of duck habitat, and MT and another state are going to turn waterfowl habitat into crops. I also read that DU is coming up with a 1.7 billion dollar project to protect some of the waterfowls crutial breeding grounds. Just curious on the subject.

[MOwaterfowler]

I see it getting real bad millions of ducks concentrated on state and private hunt clubs just like the states and DU want it so they can control all duck hunting.

[tucker301]

MOwaterfowler pretty much summed it up.
Welfare half-tamed ducks raised on flooded grain will dilute the general population and migrations will be a thing of the past.
Waterfowl doesn't migrate because it wants to. It migrates because it has to.
As these impoundmnents continue to outperform nature in providing habitat and food, the ducks will stay year-round.

This has already occured with Canada Geese.
Until the 80's, it was unheard of to see geese in these parts in the summer. Golf courses, lakeside developments and turf farms have anchored them here and established a resident population that has no clue what a migration is.

One year of dust bowl drought conditions will cut their numbers at least in half as they sit there waiting for the water to come back, no longer imprinted to migrate anywhere.

High concentrations on these projects will also amplify the effects of communicable diseases and will decimate populations in entire regions.

[Liberty or death Jr.]

So what are we doing about it? Its either impoundments for ducks or destroy the natural habitat and slowly kill off the ducks in our country. I also read they are trying to preserve their natural habitat. I didn't read anything about an impoundment.

[tucker301]

What I'm doing is not supporting DU, but supporting Delta.
I don't know what you're doing.

I'm also beginning to actively and agressively lobby for changes in baiting laws that will outlaw the growing of grain for the sole purpose of attracting waterfowl.

[Liberty or death Jr.]

Whats Delta? Being 16, I don't support DU either but I don't know really what to do.

[tucker301]

http://www.deltawaterfowl.org/home/mission.php

[Liberty or death Jr.]

Thanks Tuck. I took a quick look at it. Are they also conserving habitat? I'll look more into their site. I think I'm going to sign up.

[tucker301]

They do conserve habitat, but they're primarily about maintaining current habitat and managing the predators on the Canadian breeding grounds.

[TMAC]

I know what you mean about seeing ducks and geese that have no natural reason to migrate. Here in Wisconsin there are many places built to view and protect waterfowl and they have become nothing more than year round safe havens for waterfowl to spend the rest of their lives. Some of these places have such high concentrations of waterfowl that the lagoons created to protect them are so polluted with their waste that they must be drained, dredged, and the waste disposed of like toxic waste.

These sanctuaries are nice to show your kids a few ducks and for photographers to take nice pictures, but to me it does nothing to help sustain a healthy waterfowl population. These local birds bombard local golf courses with crap, feed heavily on urban farm fields, and basically never leave the vacinity because even after freeze up the local sanctuaries are kept open by aerators. These birds are almost un -huntable because they seldome leave the larger metropolitan areas which support them.