[Goosefoot]

Let me start by saying it is not my intension to start a pissing contest or to condone the mass slaughter of hens. If you remember the 30 day seasons point system one hen some years could end your hunt for the day. At that time the US Fish & Wildlife Service were trying to build up duck populations creating a "duck bank". More ducks especially hens that go back north after the hunting season, more ducks would come back in the fall. It didnt work, nature took care of it. Disease and limited breeding grounds kept duck numbers lower than they are today. Since implementing more liberal duck seasons and limits including allowing more hens to be harvested, duck populations are at record or near record levels almost every year since. Research it. We kill legal limits of ducks, most of the time we kill green, but somedays especially the last couple of weeks we are seeing a large number of hens. Six ducks come in five are hens. I dont know if it is because of all the green heads are getting shot at Dagmar and Cache and we're getting the left over hens farther down the river. We dont intentionally go out and try to kill hens, but sometimes there is just not enough green to shoot at. We hunt legally and ethically, we have been a club since 1920 and I dont know of any member ever cited for a game violation. Our club ajoins a federal refuge and we see federal and state wardens all the time. Again Im not condoning the slaughter of hens, but they are legal to kill.
Different subject. Where is the out rage for the AR Game & Fish re-opening deer season when the river levels are too high and all the deer are trapped on small tracts of wooded land on the edges of the flood zone. Several weeks ago I saw seven trucks hunting a small tract of woods on high ground and sixty something deer standing in the middle of a rice field at 3 o'clock in the afternoon trying to get away from them. What is ethical about that kind of hunting?

 

[factory909]

Its ok Goose, always going to be haters. I remember last year in this forum guys were getting hell for killing wood ducks and teal. This year its guys getting grief over hens, whats next year going to bring? I guess next year will be we only need to shoot banded mallard drakes, this will help the duck population because the band is weighing the foot down of the duck causing it to not fly as far, therefore messing up the migration and the breeding all together.

 

[MM]

Dude, don't take stuff so darn personal or serious.

You & your group killed some brown. So What? As you said, they are legal. If someone else doesn't that is fine, their comments to you should mean nothing unless you do feel bad about shooting the hens.

As to your justification of more liberal seasons & bags have helped the overall bag limit vs. the 30 & 3 days. The bag limits & days had little to do with the population boom we are seeing today. It is ALL about the WEATHER. The PPR for the most part has lived in a 10-15yr cycle of overall wet weather, that co existed with a boom in CRP acres (that are now declining) which lead to a perfect recipe for duck population rebound. The weather in the nesting areas leading up to & during the 30-3 days was dry, dry, & dry. Those days will come again. When they do, we will see once again that for all we BELIEVE we do for the ducks, none of it matters if weather doesn't come thru in time for the ducks. It is the cycle of life, you hope to survive thru the bad and enjoy the boom of the good.

You can save all the hens you want, but with out the grass to hide in and the water to raise a brood in they do us no good. A few can produce many with the right ingredients in place. Its a real simple formula of success....we as humans just really have little to no control over it.

 

[1553]

Seems to me that killing all greenheads wouldnt be good for conservation either. I remember those days and it was hard to shoot a drake after mid season because it seemed everything flying was a hen. Cant be good for a lady's sex life!

 

[shotgun wg]

Ashbrook island in the late 80's early 90's tried to bank turkeys. They were very strict on turkey harvest far beyond what state was. They had turkeys everywhere by the 100's. In 91 or so they started seeing turkeys dead laying in different places on the island. They contacted the biologist and had them try to figure out what was happening. They ended up finding out it was a disease taking out the birds with no chance to treat it. By time the die off was over they probly had 25% of their population left. The biologist explained they needed to increase the harvest to prevent this from happening. Their population has rebound to about 50% of previous but has maintained a healthy status.

U and I killing a leaven amount of hens on occasion is not gonna destroy the population. I am sure u as I do go for green first but when there is no green u take what u can. In my opinion both ideals compliment each other. The green only guys get there birds and the ones that don't mind a lil Suzy get theirs also. This helps keep a larger number of hens but at the same time helps prevent over population.

If a mallard hunter wants to help mallards the most he néeds to shoot some of the "trash ducks" that they seem to not like so much because they are in direct compitition for food.

Myself I hunt ducks I will take all leagel birds and not feel bad at all. I don't care if it's a gaddy woody spooner or a canvasback I just enjoy hunting them.

 

[easton]

Hens are like doe deer they need to be shot to.

 

[bloody acorns]

If its legal we shoot it - Everyone loves a strap full of green but I have seen times when I was glad to kill a mallard much less a drake. Guess must be an Anthropology thing - huh - Good Hunt Goose - keep the hammer down -

 

[hhunter]

I'm not a fan of trophy duck hunters. Sure I'll let teal and spoonies fly if mallards are working. For eating purposes, I'll take 6 teal home any day over four green headed mallards. My favorite duck to watch splash down, the majestic northern shoveler drake.

 

[Polywog]

Goosefoot just keep taking those kids hunting and do your best to keep them on the legal side of things and don't worry about what some yahoo that gets his testosterone from a keyboard says.. I've been killing hens and dink bucks my entire life and haven't had one of these internet bad boys say a thing to me face to face..

 

[bloody acorns]

I'm not a fan of trophy duck hunters. Sure I'll let teal and spoonies fly if mallards are working. For eating purposes, I'll take 6 teal home any day over four green headed mallards. My favorite duck to watch splash down, the majestic northern shoveler drake.

Shoveler make a man feel good abotu his shooting point in the general direction and they give it up - must have heart attacks

 

[jas870]

yeah...somebody rolled ole birdwilco's dooby too tight. dont let that "overeducated" get to you. keep doing what youre doing man, im sure those kids had a time of their lives.

 

[jas870]

I'm not a fan of trophy duck hunters. Sure I'll let teal and spoonies fly if mallards are working. For eating purposes, I'll take 6 teal home any day over four green headed mallards. My favorite duck to watch splash down, the majestic northern shoveler drake.

hhunter...youre a trophy duck hunter yourself....a trophy shovler hunter! you should change your name from hhunter to shovlerhunter.

 

[ARTom81]

I will shoot hens, if the limit is 2 I will shoot 2 if nothing else is flying. I prefer greenheads, but ducks are ducks. A bunch of hens can't make more ducks. I will shoot anything, i'd rather eat teal/gadwall as opposed to mallards. I've been in on some ******* beat downs, and they ate just fine.
We shoot ducks, and it is legal. It's fun and we'll kill whatever mix we want!

 

[stumpy waters]

What is ethical about that kind of hunting?

What's ethical about shooting a deer standing over a bucket of corn? Best thing to do is not worry about other folks, just do what's legal and worry about yourself. There's no end to a debate like this.

 

[getemshug]

SA44 loves to shoot hens, so I think it's ok.

 

[speedygman]

hens are like doe deer they need to be shot to.

x2!!!!

 

[kmcgaughey]

I can't believe anyone thinks ducks will overpopulate if we don't shoot some hens! LOL! I don't think the duck population is in any threat of over populating with you guys out there running around. Go kill some snow geese!

 

[TimberHog]

I think if you don't shoot your 2 hens your not doing you job . It makes lil to no difference if you do .

 

[skip1411]

Good hunt you had the other day. I'm sure it was fun especially for the kids. I would have shot everyone of them if allowed. They eat the same.

 

[mathews1012]

I try to shoot drake wood ducks only.