Duck Hunters Thread

short season and 3 or 4 bird limit might. especially if farmers wanted the same outrageous prices to lease. duck numbers are down because of habitat lost mostly.
 
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Never duck hunted, always wanted too. But not if numbers are in decline.

Arent ducks and geese Federally managed? Seems as migratory birds it would be incumbent on USFWS to manage them properly.

Yes they are bigtime. They set the bag limits & seasons.
If they lower the limits & seasons less duck stamps sold. It's like the fox guarding the hen house
 
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During hunting season when I was a kid we had about 80 head of cattle. My father use to go out and spray paint "COW' on both sides of all of them. People hunted on the property next to ours and about once a year some jerk would cross the fence hoping to get a big one that was "out of bounds". We had duck, goose and pheasant hunters cross the fence as well. My father would get his shotgun and went out to have a little "chat" with these guys.

Sometimes a few cows would quit giving milk during hunting season.
 
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we average mid teens in our rice field. killed 500 in 27 hunts few years ago
Oh some are still good & always have been.

Problem is every farmer has his hands out for $8000 & has put a pit in every field in East Arkansas & every new duck hunter with daddy's money & a new $2500 Sitka wardrobe has leased them thinking they will kill 500+ & 8 out of 10 fields don't produce & never will. The added pressure is too much the last 20 years.
 
our field is 80 acres. In the same tract of land is our field, a 40 acre field, then another 80 acre field. all in a straight line. the other 80 acre field hasnt killed 50 ducks combined in 5 years.
 
A few years ago we leased a field that we didn't kill 200 & the field one big levee over was guided on everyday & they shot like 1200. We hunted ours like 30 days. Got disgusted & moved to another area maybe 4 miles away the next year & shot like 600
 
Another year we leased the most beautiful 100 acre rice field you ever saw that borders a well known river in East Arkansas in the heart of the flyway. Couldn't even see another pit near us. We were so excited....well the guy we leased it from didn't tell us the Canales of Memphis Budweiser millions had like a 400 acre field next to use of unharvested dwarf corn they didn't hunt as a resting area for their near by timber tract they hunted. We wasted $7500 & killed maybe 25 spoonies & that's all. We watched thousands pour in & out of that corn field till we were sick

You just never know
 
Ducks love the peanut fields of Oklahoma

Yes rice fields have stunk & will continue

Lucky to get 4-6 good hunts from one a year. You better be there those few days or your season will suck
Thats my problem and the reason I quit leasing. I do a few guided hunts a year now and hope I hit some good days. Its too tough for me to drop everything and head out when I get the call that the ducks are there (I figure those calls are less and less frequent though).
 
Thats my problem and the reason I quit leasing. I do a few guided hunts a year now and hope I hit some good days. Its too tough for me to drop everything and head out when I get the call that the ducks are there (I figure those calls are less and less frequent though).

Arkansas isn't what it once was for sure I promise you

1. Tooooo much pressure. Too many hunters
2. Mud motors everywhere scaring off ducks in WMAs by kids with $$$$
3. GPS & Google earth access
4. Social media
5. Farming for ducks by the mega rich that hoard them all for themselves under the auspices of stewards of conservation
6. Improved outter wear allowing you last longer in the elements
7. The ridiculously low price for out of state hunters to hunt Arkansas
8. Robo ducks
9. Too much pressure
10. Too much pressure

Just my opinion based on 35 years duck hunting
 
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Arkansas isn't what it once was for sure I promise you

1. Tooooo much pressure. Too many hunters
2. Mud motors everywhere scaring off ducks in WMAs by kids with $$$$
3. GPS & Google earth access
4. Social media
5. Farming for ducks by the mega rich that hoard them all for themselves under the auspices of stewards of conservation
6. Improved outter wear allowing you last longer in the elements
7. The ridiculously low price for out of state hunters to hunt Arkansas
8. Robo ducks
9. Too much pressure
10. Too much pressure

Just my opinion based on 35 years duck hunting
I agree with every one of your points except #7. Id also add something in there about refuges along the flyway.
 
almost game time. just now pumping our field today. have a lil cold front coming Thursday
I’m about 15 miles NE of you. We are brushed. Boards in. And going to pump end of the week. Decoys go out next week. Almost time. I can’t wait.
 

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