Hunter Decline

[tucker80]

Interesting article talking about hunter numbers are declining. What's yalls thoughts?

Waterfowl Hunter Numbers Continue to Decline - Delta Waterfowl

Fewer people hunted ducks and geese last year in North America than during any season in the past 60 years.

deltawaterfowl.org

 

[king killer delete]

It’s the plan

 

[jNick]

We had a HUGE surge of young hunters start duck hunting after that Duck Dynasty show. Hopefully some of them are starting to give up and go back to running dogs.

 

[buckpasser]

For my area, we went from very acceptable and available hunting locations and populations, to a very poor opportunity environment. The wood ducks are still around, but the public areas that provided diver ducks and decoy spreads all really blow! If that’s true in more areas than just mine, it’s no wonder numbers are down.

 

[MudDucker]

I've heard that and DNR says that, but boat ramps and ponds don't say the same.

 

[Dustin Pate]

I've heard that and DNR says that, but boat ramps and ponds don't say the same.

100%. I'm all about getting folks in the outdoors, but it wouldn't hurt my feelings any for the numbers to fall around here.

 

[jdgator]

There is also less public habitat and less flyway activity than at any time in my memory. Hard to get a kid hooked on empty skies.

 

[jNick]

There is also less public habitat and less flyway activity than at any time in my memory. Hard to get a kid hooked on empty skies.

Do y’all gave the same problem in Georgia as we gave here in Fl with every bit of hydrilla being constantly sprayed?

 

[jdgator]

Do y’all gave the same problem in Georgia as we gave here in Fl with every bit of hydrilla being constantly sprayed?

Not in Georgia but in Baldwin County, AL. We are an outlier in that we have actually have decent marsh habitat and hold some birds now that a significant part of the Mobile river delta WMA is off limits to internal combustion engines during hunting season. You can get those ducks but you'd better be prepared to work for them.

Growing up in Tallahassee, Lake Jackson, Lake Iamonia, Lake Miccosuckee were great. Now their shorelines are becoming developed and the ducks face constant pressure.

 

[tucker80]

Imagine if individuals put the effort into waterfowl management that they do into deer. Everyone is quick to blame dnr for not managing public, but there always other options.
Of course there has to be participants to do so.

 

[jNick]

Imagine if individuals put the effort into waterfowl management that they do into deer. Everyone is quick to blame dnr for not managing public, but there always other options.
Of course there has to be participants to do so.

Managing your own 300 acres for deer and going to a government lake management meeting where your opinion is not wanted to make suggestions on how a public waterway should be managed are two totally separate things. I do my part.

 

[kingfish]

I can say that I honestly don't believe the hunter numbers or the fall flight numbers. Duck hunting is a thing now and for a place low on everybody's totem pole, Florida has an over abundance of hunters. To be a real duck hunter, you have to be dedicated to it. The trend I'm seeing is the quota hunts. There are a bunch of really good places to kill a limit of birds that are all quota. On top of that, you can have 6 different species of ducks in your limit. The amount of applications to all the quota hunts went up between 500-1000 new applications for every location. All the young guns want is an easy hunt and to post their "beat down", "smash" or whatever other cool term they use on social media. Then they can not smile, wear their hat backwards and talk about being on all the Pro Staff's they're on. Not going to lie, Florida public land is a challenge, but after doing it for 51 years, I go regardless. Some seasons are just better than others.

 

[HermanMerman]

I sold my duck boat in 2011 and haven’t hunted waterfowl since. Too many times I would be the first at the ramp, ride out to a spot and set up, sit in the dark for a few hours only to have someone coast in fifteen minutes before legal shooting light and set up within 100 yards of me. And taking trips west like we used to and paying a mortgage payment to hunt private land isn’t something I can afford anymore. I hate it because I used to love it but it is what it is.

 

[Throwback]

We had a HUGE surge of young hunters start duck hunting after that Duck Dynasty show. Hopefully some of them are starting to give up and go back to running dogs.

Lol I was going to post this. It got INSANE around here during that time. These people weren’t duck hunting to duck hunt they were duck hunting to “be In” for the most part IMO.

 

[Throwback]

There is also less public habitat and less flyway activity than at any time in my memory. Hard to get a kid hooked on empty skies.

If I lived in a duck state I’d probably duck hunt. But it’s hard to get excited about going through all that effort, time and money to see two wood ducks and then go home.

With that said—my long term plan for our farm includes waterfowl habitat management but no waterfowl hunting. I want them to have a safe space. My pond at the house is a no hunt pond. I’ve gotten old and into bird watching rather than bird hunting.

 

[killerv]

We had a HUGE surge of young hunters start duck hunting after that Duck Dynasty show. Hopefully some of them are starting to give up and go back to running dogs.

yep, sure been seeing a lot of gently used nice waterfowl clothes and gear for sale lately

 

[killerv]

If I lived in a duck state I’d probably duck hunt. But it’s hard to get excited about going through all that effort, time and money to see two wood ducks and then go home.

With that said—my long term plan for our farm includes waterfowl habitat management but no waterfowl hunting. I want them to have a safe space. My pond at the house is a no hunt pond. I’ve gotten old and into bird watching rather than bird hunting.

I've got a son that has gotten into it. He doesn't care, we ran across a pair last year on a small hole and he spent the rest of the day talking about them and wanting to go after them the next morning. So I got up early, got dressed, drove 45 minutes, they ended up on another hole, spooked them when we left, loaded up, drove another 45 minutes home, and then was tired and lazy the rest of the day.

 

[killerv]

Imagine if individuals put the effort into waterfowl management that they do into deer. Everyone is quick to blame dnr for not managing public, but there always other options.
Of course there has to be participants to do so.

Deer eat better....

 

[kevbo3333]

I have hunted all over the country on public land and there are way more people hunting nowadays vs 10 years ago, I would say double the amount of hunters at a minimum. Not sure where these survey guys are looking!!!

 

[WOODIE13]

Youtube and social media hasn't helped, now wf hunting is the cool thing to do and WV is not a duck mecca by any means. Used to hunt and only saw one other person, now the same spot you see 6 or 8 bunches.

There is a fall off in hunters, but seems like more are waterfowl hunting.