1 million more ducks

[sasqy]

I think that without the Texas Agriculture from the past nothing is really gonna help us Texas guys.

This !
Ever since the farmers left, the ducks left.

[LMiz]

I have been told that a lot of ducks are migrating “south” to the beautiful habitat Ducks Unlimited has created and then they just move east and west to stay away from frozen water. Therefore ducks aren’t coming all the way to Texas or Louisiana.
I’m no doctor but if I were a duck and had tons of food and water heaters to thaw the lake I wouldn’t leave either.

The lack of crop production in Texas due to hogs is a big factor too I think but again not a doctor

[Quackerbox]

I think that without the Texas Agriculture from the past nothing is really gonna help us Texas guys.

Disagree. Quality conservation can help anything.

What gumbo said matters more than conservation. You can change limits, seasons etc but if they ain't go nowhere to roost and eat, it's all for not.

That said, if I had a time machine I'd love to head back just 50 years and just watch birds work

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[Greenheadless]

Waterfowl will only migrate as far south as they need to. Agricultural practices all the way up and down the flyways are making a difference and imprinting is a real thing.

The change to non-favorable rice production (ricetec rice) is also had major affect on the birds on the Texas and Louisiana gulf coast. This partnered with a huge move away from rice farming or turning traditional rice fields in to neighborhoods and fallow fields.

This is just a tip of the iceberg of what if happening, in addition to the overstatement of population numbers.

[Blood Trail]

1 million more ducks

My father in law is an avid duck hunter in Wisconsin. We had this same conversation. Over the past 10 years or so, the numbers of ducks that they see have been dwindling. They might shoot a handful a season, however they limited out on geese almost every hunt.

Gonna be interesting to see how duck hunting is this year if we don’t get a good soaker. There’s a little pond right in front of the Meacham airport in Fort Worth that always hold water and ducks. It’s right off of 820. This year is the first time I’ve seen it dry and I’ve been up this way since 2006.


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[Blood Trail]

This !
Ever since the farmers left, the ducks left.

My lease is in Gustine. Duck hunting there was amazing when they where growing peanuts back on the day. My rancher said there’s no money in growing peanuts anymore so all the farmers in the area stopped growing them. Mainly cotton now.


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[eradicator]

My lease is in Gustine. Duck hunting there was amazing when they where growing peanuts back on the day. My rancher said there’s no money in growing peanuts anymore so all the farmers in the area stopped growing them. Mainly cotton now.


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true story

[Flyway12]

Pressure has had a big impact on migration and where birds go. If you look at mid winter index counts in TX you'll see that the area of the state that continues to grow is the hill country and west and south from there. Larger ranches, lots of deer hunting, minimal pressure due to those things. For years I haven't believed the counts biologists release but what do federal jobs rely on? Tax dollars. No ducks, fewer tax dollars, less funding, less pay. They need to sell licenses and they need to sell stamps. The winters are milder than ever (this will be my 30th season hunting ducks in TX), the food resources have drastically changed and with the fad of waterfowl hunting/guiding there are more people than ever doing it (at least in this state). I do believe a large percentage of the birds hang further north but I believe pressure, more than anything, affects opportunity. Oklahoma used to be the big "secret" and in the last 15 years it's gone from special to mediocrity with the influx of outfitters, out of state hunters and increase in resident hunters.

So many wildlife populations are drastically changing and I can only point the finger at ourselves. CWD is spreading, the turkeys are taking it on the chin, the waterfowl populations are declining, even the dove populations I used to see when I was younger are just not here anymore. Maybe I'm wrong but I've got to think the #1 problem here is the most common denominator. But scaling back or making unpopular decisions on management hurts the part everyone cares about... money. So while we claim conservation and management, do the powers that be really practice what they preach?

[Mexico]

Texas duck hunting has seen its best days. Nothing anyone does will help us get more ducks.

You sure right David. Field, after field covered with houses instead of prarie and rice. They ain't coming back. Especially with Arkansas in their path.

[trophy8]

What gumbo said matters more than conservation. You can change limits, seasons etc but if they ain't go nowhere to roost and eat, it's all for not.

That said, if I had a time machine I'd love to head back just 50 years and just watch birds work

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Maybe we have different definitions of conservation.

More wetlands. More habitat. More food. All that equals more ducks. Look at what RMEF and the Mule Deer guys do. Amazing things with buying land and truly improving their numbers and quality.

[friscopaint]

I hunt NW Oklahoma and it's steadily gone downhill mainly due to droughts and changing migration to the east where there is consistently more water

[CTR0022]

I hunt NW Oklahoma and it's steadily gone downhill mainly due to droughts and changing migration to the east where there is consistently more water

Funny you say that bc alot of people feel the migration has shifted west

[stevieray54]

Too much money made off duck hunting.

[bobby314]

Regardless of weather, politics, conservation, bla bla bla, I'll still be putting waders on and dragging my butt out there to sit and stare at the sky this coming season.

[txhunt7]

I don't duck hunt but this is a great conversation. I live(d) in the Katy prairie and have watched the pattern change with the development and downright sad to me. Don't see the birds. Not a fan of development in Texas. Rice fields gone to cracker boxes. Ugly c h i t
Not a good sign for anything in the ecosystem. Yes we're dry which doesn't help at all but the numbers left before the drought