ODFW will recommend a 107 day duck season....

Lured In · 07-31-2003, 02:32 PM

Waterfowl seasons and 2004 angling rules to be decided Aug. 8

ASTORIA � The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission will adopt the 2003-04 game bird and waterfowl seasons and the 2004 angling regulations at its meeting Friday, Aug. 8, at the Astoria Red Lion Inn.

With reports of improved breeding conditions during the past year for North American ducks, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife will recommend the Commission adopt a liberal 107-day hunting season for most species of ducks and geese. Wet weather in south central Canada led to good duck production.

A 107-day duck season, the maximum allowed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, would be consistent with the number of hunting days allowed in recent years.

In northwest Oregon, ODFW is proposing to make cutbacks in check stations in the Northwest Permit Goose Zone, but all private lands are expected to stay open to goose hunting during the allowed season. ODFW also is considering reducing the number of open hunt days during the week from four to three. These cutbacks are the result of the loss of federal funds to assist with goose depredation issues in the region. Check stations are required to determine the harvest of the rare dusky Canada goose.

The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission is the rule-making body for ODFW. The seven-member panel meets monthly to adopt rules and set policy for ODFW to implement. The Commission meeting will begin at 8 a.m. at the Red Lion Inn, 400 Industry Street, Astoria.

The night before the meeting, the Commission will host an informal reception beginning at 7 p.m. at the same location.

Tilla · 07-31-2003, 05:45 PM

I'm there!

[img]graemlins/applause.gif[/img]

Gooseman · 07-31-2003, 07:13 PM

While I enjoy the opportunity to hunt 107 days, I wish that the governing body(USFG) would look into new ways to calculate the daily bag limit & number of days. The length of season & bag limits are taken from a predetermined chart that flyway managers vote on. Their methods are out of date by 25 years or more. They do not take into consideration any accurate counts or nesting studies.
When's the last time you have consistently bagged a limit of ducks? I don't mean 1 or 2 times in an entire season.
As usual, ODF&W picks too early of a start date, and too early of an ending date. How many of you have had to chase ducks out of your goose spread during the extended goose season. The last few years, I've noticed a large influx of ducks the last week of January, or the first week of February.

willametteriveroutlaw · 07-31-2003, 08:19 PM

Gooseman I agree with you 110% getting consistent limits in the valley is damn near impossible on public land (private alot of the time too). But during late goose season they are thicker than theives.

Crashin' Bait · 07-31-2003, 09:30 PM

What are the start and ending dates? I'm not sure about this but, didn't USFWS revamp thier management strategie to something called "Adaptive Harvest Management" (AHM) a few years back? I read something about it in DU magazine. It's a relatively new strategie that builds on its past experiences whatever that means.

Lured In · 07-31-2003, 10:26 PM

Gooseman...while I too question the management philosophy at times, you have to keep in mind that bird biologists don't control the weather or the days you are in the field.

2 years ago we had one of (if not) the largest mallard populations in recent history. Yet here in Oregon, hunter harvest was down. Last year was another good year for duck numbers, but harvest dropped again here in OR. So why is that?

The #1 issue is weather. If it ain't nasty enough to push them south, they are going to stay put. Issue #2 (my biggest pet peave), the best days to shoot ducks (cold, windy and raining sideways) I can't go.

As far as accuracy of nesting counts, etc. I think you need to do a little more up to date research. While certainly not perfect, the fact that the rumor was a 60 day season for much of the spring should indicate something more up to date than 25 years ago.

As I see it (and based on the USFWS report) the challenge is not one of being up to date, it is one of funding to make the observations/science relevant to the individual flyways. For instance, not all the ducks in the prairie potholes stay in the central or mississippi flyways. The same holds true for ducks up toward Alaska.

So, to be fair they have to use a "best guess" based on observation and banding reports to estimate where the ducks are going to land. (pun intended :grin: )

Personally, I would rather see a smaller bag limit than a shorter season, but what do I know.

Crashin' Bait · 08-01-2003, 12:20 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Lured In:
Personally, I would rather see a smaller bag limit than a shorter season, but what do I know.

<font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helv">Some of my most enjoyable hunts were when the limit was four birds per day. :smile:

Drakeblake · 08-04-2003, 02:54 PM

I am also wondering about the methods the DFW uses to determine hunting seasons. At the end of last season rumor was that the season may be shortened by 30+ days for this season! I am definatly in support of the long season with a smaller bag limit because rarely do I every kill a limit of ducks.

If things really got bad I would choose to have a long season with small bag limits say 2-3 birds a day rather than shortening the season and having large bag limits. Its not about killing birds its to me its about being in the field as much as possible.

-blake

1pump · 08-07-2003, 11:09 PM

Quote:

When's the last time you have consistently bagged a limit of ducks? I don't mean 1 or 2 times in an entire season.

<font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helv">The 95-96 season. I had a lot of vacation time, so I hunted my arse off. For some reason, my mojo was really hot that year. I was a mallard magnet.

Plus, we got a lot of rain, and the water was really high from November on. That helped.

Quote:

As usual, ODF&W picks too early of a start date, and too early of an ending date.

<font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helv">Gooseman, I want to shake your hand. I've been screaming about the early October (2nd Saturday) start date for 15 years. I could never, ever get a straight answer from anybody at ODFW or another hunter as to why they keep doing this. Typical opening day- 70 degrees, no water, no wind, no birds. Don't forget your sunscreen and lawn chair.
Weather patterns have been changing- Balmy, dry Octobers, nasty cold and wet Mays. I don't even bother taking a jacket or long underwear with me when I hunt in October. Plenty of bug repellent, though.
I'd like to see a mid Nov opener, with the season running through Feb. Currently, a third of the season is wasted waiting for northern birds to get pushed south. WHY?