My ideal duck season dates, what's your?

[cgoods17]

Originally Posted by AubreyLaHaye458

Explain


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how do you need an explanation for this?


do you honestly think a blind in a field that looks like a bullseye is better than a field that is totally opened up?

[AubreyLaHaye458]

Originally Posted by cgoods17

how do you need an explanation for this?





do you honestly think a blind in a field that looks like a bullseye is better than a field that is totally opened up?

No. Maybe I misunderstood what the first guy was trying to say. It happens.

What I understood was that he was saying that that hole in the stubble constituted the only duck "habitat" in that field.


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[B-Stealth]

Originally Posted by Lreynolds

In a state with very different large-scale habitat types, like NE vs SW Louisiana, zones are always a better choice than splits. There is no need for hunters in NE LA to have early hunting days to satisfy the guys in SW LA, AND there is no need for SW LA to have later days, when they have such good success earlier in the season, to satisfy the hunters in NE LA.

On a small scale, splits may seem better, and with 60-day seasons it doesn't make a lot of difference. But zones are a better choice, especially when season length is reduced, as Tucan pointed out.

Lastly, frameworks are not likely to be set later anytime soon. The wintering grounds serve a need for the migratory waterfowl resource beyond providing opportunity to shoot them. The shooting has to stop sometime so birds can survive, regain body weight, start pre-basic molt, and prepare for the migration north. Paired birds do that more effectively, and there is a cost of losing a mate late in winter. We also know from radio-telemetry studies that after mid-January, nothing kills a duck except hunters. Not predators, not starvation, not collisions with wires like earlier in the season. So hunting mortality after mid-January is shooting into the breeding stock; it is not compensatory mortality.

Southern hunters have been complaining that the season closes too early for decades, maybe longer. My first exposure was in the classic 1964 book, "Waterfowl Tomorrow" where starting on page 683 "A Letter to a Hunter" details the regular complaint. And in those days, the season closed closer to the first Sunday in January rather than the last.

Know that the proposed season dates for 2016-17 were presented at the January Commission meeting (I saw someone posted a link), and you have the opportunity to comment until the April Commission meeting when they will be finalized. Changes can be made at the February and March meetings before the final approval in April.

Mr. Reynolds thank you very much for thoughts and feedback, you have always been transparent and honest.

I understand the reasoning behind ending the season by mid-January, thank your for explaining.

The reason I was proposing one zone was to have 3 splits and the ability to hunt until the end on January. I believe hunters as a whole would benefit from a early November to the end of January season, but as you explained the late January dates would be detrimental to our breeding stock.

If we can't hunt past mid January then I'm not sure about a 3 split season, with a 60 day season. Maybe we can all pledge to only shoot the Caitlyn Jenners or (non-breeders) for the last two weeks of January.

What's your thoughts on allowing Speck hunting during the split?

[Top Dawg]

I think hunter numbers have something to do with our bird numbers also. The southwest part of the state is so crowded with hunters I think a lot of birds don't come anymore. And the ones that do either find refuge real quick or leave soon after arrival. With years like this when we have a mild winter the few birds here it takes a weather change to move them off their refuge sit to your blind. I'm not sure many people realize the vast acreage of ag land and food source not a very far drive north of here, with a lot less pressure, that even a cold winter won't effect. I just hope it isn't a trend.

[Dogface]

Originally Posted by Lreynolds

To answer the focal question of this thread:

I hunt the Coastal Zone and prefer:
Open the second Saturday in November and run for 3 weeks.
12-day split.
Re-open and run until 1 week before the end of the framework.

Personally I would prefer to have no zones but that's not going to happen. Other than that I would like more days in the first split rather than the second split. On our lease (we have hunted the same area over 20 yrs) our hunting really falls off the latter part of January.

[hunterr77]

After opening weekend, the see geese the bulls eye and start rising as soon as they get in the cut. That is a absolute certainty C-Goods!!! By the 3rd week of season the ducks will do the same.

[hunterr77]

I cant complain about this year hunting, it was one of the best years I have had in while

[Lreynolds]

Originally Posted by cgoods17

so in other words... the same way it has been since waaaaaaaaaay before we ever thought about a coastal zone....

Those were the dates for the old West Zone since the onset of 60-day seasons (19 years), so they don't go that far back. But the second Saturday in November opening date has been the most common opening date since 1930 with the first Saturday a close second. We've generally only opened later when the season dates were 45 days or less. Until 2002, we never went later than Jan. 20.

When we split the old West Zone into a Coastal Zone and a West Zone it was the WEST ZONE that saw some changes, NOT the Coastal Zone. NOTHING changed for hunters in the Coastal Zone except the name of their zone. So the Coastal Zone ain't nothing new regulations-wise.

[cmcnabb]

Originally Posted by cgoods17

i will disagree... what about all of the crawfish ponds with all that water? how many ducks do you see on crawfish ponds? just because more hunters are now hunting does not mean more habitat..

think about all of the farmers that flood one cut and leave the other cut dry? what about the farmers that roll/buffalo a 50 yard radius, or shall i say, bulls-eye, around your blind.. that does nothing.

so your comment of more hunters creates more habitat is a joke.

Agreed. Crawfish ponds are not favorable duck or goose habitat. I have seen ducks and geese use crawfish ponds, but not often. I had a camp by a crawfish pond last year, and the geese would come in a big wave usually mid day. If you hunted it you had 1 shot and that was it. As far as the bullseye thing, that is absolutely the truth. Birds avoid that like the plague. More hunters is NOT a good thing for hunting. Regardless of how much habitat you have, if they are consistently pressured (which they are) they WILL leave and find somewhere else to be. Wouldnt anyone? Also, i think the blind per acre ratio has sky rocketed over the past 10 years. Not a good thing at all

[Lreynolds]

Originally Posted by B-Stealth

What's your thoughts on allowing Speck hunting during the split?

We did that in 2014 when the Commission set the Coastal Zone season dates a week later than we recommended. So instead of allowing the goose season to open with the youth hunt, we put 7 days of goose hunting in the 12-day split. I got a LOT of complaints from both goose hunters that wanted to hunt the Conservation Order during the split, and duck hunters that didn't like the goose hunters disturbing the ducks during the split. That's my only experience with it.

I've heard that the Commission, or at least a Commissioner, is going to propose adding 7 days to the goose season proposal to allow 88 days (the maximum offered by the USFWS) instead of 81. Because the season already runs to the end of the framework, those extra 7 days will have to be either in the split or in the front, so the goose season will open with the youth hunt. That has been the situation in the East Zone for many years, so I think I'd rather do that than put the days in the split.

[Lreynolds]

Originally Posted by Dogface

Personally I would prefer to have no zones but that's not going to happen. Other than that I would like more days in the first split rather than the second split. On our lease (we have hunted the same area over 20 yrs) our hunting really falls off the latter part of January.

How did that work out this year, when we had 4 weeks in the first split instead of 3?

I never get to hunt the first week in December because I represent the MS Flyway at the Harvest Management Working Group meeting. So, I don't have a good feel for it, and of course, it's only 1 year anyway.

[southLA]

Larry, I know about the 3 zones proposed for next year and the changes. Will the goose limits and dates be statewide again?

[Lreynolds]

Originally Posted by southLA

Larry, I know about the 3 zones proposed for next year and the changes. Will the goose limits and dates be statewide again?

Because of the longer season (81 instead of 74 days), and the apparent desire of the Commission to synchronize the split as they did this past year, we have proposed for a very similar statewide season for 2016-17. We created goose zones in case we have to drop back to 74 days because of population decline or the Commission decides to go with 74/3 instead of 81/2 or 88/2. In those cases we would probably open the North Zone earlier and the South Zone later. But for now, it's statewide.

We took a little heat from Todd Masson at NOLA.com for not sticking to our 74-day/3-bird recommendation that we made in August in his article at: http://www.nola.com/outdoors/index.s...ly_propos.html

That was my call based on 1) the discussion/outcome at last August's meeting gave little indication that 74/3 would pass this year, and 2) the only new information since that August meeting was the fall staging survey in SK, which showed a 4% decline in WFG populations.

[Dogface]

Originally Posted by Lreynolds

How did that work out this year, when we had 4 weeks in the first split instead of 3?

I never get to hunt the first week in December because I represent the MS Flyway at the Harvest Management Working Group meeting. So, I don't have a good feel for it, and of course, it's only 1 year anyway.

The first 2 weeks of the season were our best hunting. The entire first split was better than the second split. Also, I wasn't suggesting opening earlier than the second Saturday, just have more days in the first split.

[B-Stealth]

Why does the E Side hunt until January 31st when the LDWF knows hunting into late January hurts the breeding stock?

[Matt G]

Originally Posted by Dogface

The first 2 weeks of the season were our best hunting. The entire first split was better than the second split. Also, I wasn't suggesting opening earlier than the second Saturday, just have more days in the first split.

This was pretty much how our season went. I was pretty skeptical about opening as early as it did, but it worked for outer lease. Second split was pretty much a crap shoot. Some days the birds were thick, other days we were watching coot and blackbirds. I think the warm weather and high water played a major part. I would definitely like to see a longer 1st split.

[southLA]

Thanks for the info!

[Lreynolds]

Originally Posted by Dogface

The first 2 weeks of the season were our best hunting. The entire first split was better than the second split. Also, I wasn't suggesting opening earlier than the second Saturday, just have more days in the first split.

I understand. I struggled with that in making the 2016-17 proposals. In August, the Commission moved the opener to the first Saturday in November AND put 4 weeks in the first split. Since nothing has changed since August with regard to duck regulations, I considered proposing the same structure but with a second Saturday opener. However, with a 12-day split, that would put us opening the second season on Christmas Eve and having the season closed when all the kids get out of school for Christmas break. That left me the choice of accepting that or using a 3-week first season, or a 5-day split and closing the second season on January 15 instead of the 22nd. So we decided to go with the traditional 3-week first season, a 12-day split, and running to Jan. 22.

[Deadly D]

Originally Posted by Lreynolds

I understand. I struggled with that in making the 2016-17 proposals. In August, the Commission moved the opener to the first Saturday in November AND put 4 weeks in the first split. Since nothing has changed since August with regard to duck regulations, I considered proposing the same structure but with a second Saturday opener. However, with a 12-day split, that would put us opening the second season on Christmas Eve and having the season closed when all the kids get out of school for Christmas break. That left me the choice of accepting that or using a 3-week first season, or a 5-day split and closing the second season on January 15 instead of the 22nd. So we decided to go with the traditional 3-week first season, a 12-day split, and running to Jan. 22.

How about north south zone like 190 to split the zones. Open south zone 2nd weekend or 3rd weekend of November and run a straight 60 days?

[Lreynolds]

Originally Posted by B-Stealth

Why does the E Side hunt until January 31st when the LDWF knows hunting into late January hurts the breeding stock?

Because the USFWS allows it, the duck population is at high levels, hunters want it, and the East Zone has traditionally closed on the last day of the framework. As you have seen from the harvest data, a fairly small % of our season kill comes from the last 2 weeks in January (about 15%), so the risk to the population is small. When the population declines to the point that we have to restrict hunting regulations, the closing framework date also goes back to the Sunday closest to Jan. 20 instead of the current last Sunday in January.

Also remember that the last time the framework was extended to allow earlier hunting in the northern states and later in the southern states, it was done via legislative action (an add-on to an appropriations bill) not through the cooperative flyway-based regulatory process.