Special youth waterfowl hunts were open this past weekend in various northern states. As expected, the jet stream brought cooler temperatures and even some snow flurries to North Dakota. As additional migrants arrived on these favorable winds, so did that hard-core feeling that duck season is here.
Hello folks, and, as always, welcome to Waterfowler.com
The nation’s first youth waterfowl hunts were held this weekend in various states and we remind our readers that participating in these special hunts is vital to the future of waterfowl hunting. According to national surveys, over 85% of all hunters are introduced to hunting by a family member. In short, if you don’t take a kid hunting, there is no future for waterfowl hunting. Period.
Unlike other sports that have widespread support from schools, local park districts, television and massive marketing campaigns from sporting goods manufacturers, hunter recruitment remains a grassroots effort. Unless each and every hunter makes a dedicated effort to introduce friends or family into the sport, our numbers will decline. Current studies also show that the majority of kids today would like to try hunting if given the opportunity. While video games cannot present introduction to the sport, the success of Cabela’s console games have sure done their part to create interest. As a group, we must take the initiative to capitalize on this interest and extend a hand to future and simply ask a kid, “Would you like to go hunting?”
The coming weeks will provide a rolling wave of special youth waterfowl seasons and many states have made an effort to provide special apprentice licenses that allow for kids to participate in an introductory hunting season before deciding to take hunter safety and continue in the sport. While Waterfowler.com believes that hunter safety classes should be a requirement for hunters, we also believe it is a huge barrier to recruitment that other sports do not have. Apprentice licenses and programs are a great way to provide a safe introduction to the sport and we commend states like Illinois for taking the steps necessary to make long-term recruitment easier. If your state does not have a one-time, apprentice license program, now is the time to contact your state officials and have them create one.
On September 3, 2010, the NRA-ILA reported the Environmental Protection Agency issued a press release August 27th announcing that it had rejected a petition filed by radical environmental groups to have lead ammunition banned under the Toxic Substances Control Act. The Center for Biological Diversity and others attempted to make a case that language in the Act exempting shells and cartridges did not prevent the agency from regulating lead or other components of ammunition. EPA rejected that interpretation, but left open the second part of the petition that demands a ban on lead fishing tackle. This event is another example of why the hunting community needs support in the legislature. Without our own watchdog groups, attacks like this would go unchecked.
Waterfowler.com would like to welcome Delta Waterfowl Foundation and FA Brand as participants in our National Migration Mapping System. The field staff from Delta Waterfowl and the Pro Staff from FA Brand will be providing migration data for the map throughout the season, to aid in our migration tracking efforts. Of course, the map will continue to rely on reader input as well, so be sure to post your reports daily.
ATLANTIC FLYWAY:
Resident goose seasons have wrapped up in the northern portion of the flyway and hunter success was good to excellent in most areas. Blue-winged teal are present from the top of the flyway into Georgia and Alabama. Hunter success during the early teal season varied in the north and is fair to good at this time in Georgia.
MISSISSIPPI FLYWAY:
The Youth Waterfowl Seasons in WI and MN were open this past weekend. Blue-winged-teal and wood ducks provided the bulk of the primary bag along with local mallards. Reports are indicating that wood duck numbers are excellent across the northern portion of the flyway. The first split of the general waterfowl season is underway in IA. Blue-winged teal, wood ducks and mallards were also the primary bag and hunters are reporting the best early opener in years. Early teal seasons are wrapping up in the south. Hunter success was varied, with overall teal numbers fair to good for this time of year, with many of the teal concentrated in very large groups on refuge areas.
CENTRAL FLYWAY:
Blue-winged teal are present from the top of the flyway to the Gulf Coast. As hunters in the Dakota’s prepare for the coming opener early goose and crane hunters are reporting excellent conditions and numbers of waterfowl. Teal hunters in the central and lower portion of the flyway reported mixed results, with hunters in Colorado, Kansas and Texas producing the most consistent bag limits.
PACIFIC FLYWAY:
Hunting is underway in Alaska and reports are good to excellent at this time from Cold Bay to Anchorage. Hunters in the Pacific Northwest are scouting and preparing for the regular season. Duck numbers are slightly above average for this time of year and habitat conditions are good, with southeast Oregon, northeastern California and Nevada experiencing abnormally dry conditions.
Until our next report, plan to take a kid hunting during the youth waterfowl season in your area.
