is the best way to describe what happened here in North East Alabama over the past decade on Lake Guntersville. We saw it coming but there was no stopping it. Four factors had to come together and when they did the waterfowling landscape was forever altered.
Factor 1 is the DUCKs. With wintering populations of maybe 100,000 we are by no means duck rich. We have an adequate wintering population that with some effort you can be successful and enough variety to try many variations of waterfowling in a short stretch of the Tennessee River and it's tributaries. Flooded timber, you can do that. Layout diver hunting, you can do that too. Canvasbacks, some years they happen. Goldeneye, you might get lucky if you hunt the right spot. Wigeon, always a treat. Gadwall, Ringneck, Woodies are our mainstay and if they weather is right Mallards and Blacks can be found.
Factor 2 is ACCESS. With the major lakes, tributaries, and floodplain under TVA control there is significant public area. Boat launches are closely spaced and the landscape is open and diverse to the point getting lost is impossible. Simply put a guide is not needed. With a modest boat and map you can easily get around and explore the undeveloped areas where there are no restrictions against duck hunters. A freelancers dream from this standpoint.
Factor 3 is a WATERFOWLER NUMBERS. Waterfowlers in some areas of the country enjoy small populations while having wonderful waterfowl resources. Conversely we have relatively small waterfowl resources but a large human population. Specifically there is a very large population (Atlanta through NW GA, Nashville, Chatanooga, Birmingham, etc) within 3 hours. Until the last decade there was very little knowledge of the waterfowling opportunities in NE Alabama from these large population centers. The hunters living inside an hour radius were unaware of the potential for hunting pressure that existed just down the road and the hunters down the road didn't know what we were enjoying. Thus bringing us to the final critial factor 4.
Factor 4 is INFORMATION DISSEMINATION. Factors 1, 2, and 3 have been in place for many years. Long before I ever pitched a decoy. Factor 4 is the new kid on the block, the previously missing element, the factor crucial for the Perfect Storm. Who is Factor 4 you ask? It is the internet. More specifically websites that manage their content by geographical region. Southern Duck Hunter (defunct), the Refuge, ALducks, etc. It was these seemingly harmless formats, where waterfowlers from a common geographic area came together to discuss, argure, brag, share, etc., their experiences, that let the proverbial cat out of the bag. Unwittingly they conducted this dialog in an open format for the world to see. The guys in Factor 3 saw it and wanted to experience it first hand.
Factors 1-4 were all firmly in place by beginning of this decade and by the middle of the decade hunter numbers in NE Alabama on Lake Guntersville soared. The frustration of those who grew up before this era was quite evident. A lot of resentment and ill will ensued.
From my own perspective I care not where someone is from. Waterfowl are managed federally and I have no more right to a duck on Guntersville than a hunter from Atlanta does. I travel to hunt and want to be treated fairly wherever I go so I treat others accordingly. Having said that though I do find waterfowling less enjoyable than in years past and have a great dislike of state waterfowling forums and what they resulted in for me personally. The aggravation of dealing with other hunters is something I have never cared for. Solitude and seclusion are high on my list of attributes for what makes a great day waterfowling. Great days are hard to come by. Other hobbies and pursuits are now more attractive than ever.
In a Miltonesque Paradise Regained way there is one thing that gives great joy. A joy greater than anything I ever experienced hunting before Factors 1-4 collided and the masses descended. You know me well enough to recognize this joy as Thomas. I have three terriffic kids and am delighted one of them has chosen to be a waterfowler alongside me.
This past Saturday we loaded the Kayak and went to one of the prettiest waterfowling places I know. It is approximately 400 acres of flooded hardwoods. I know every inch having walked and paddled it countless times since the late 80s. There is no reason to scout it before the season. It's consistent. Nontheless I spent the day towing Thomas in the Kayak walking the entire timber stand over, from North to South, East to West. Telling Thomas everything I know about it and sharing past hunts. At the end of the day my legs were tired but spirit filled. He wants to go back and hunt it for himself. It's in this moment I realize that hunting is no longer just about me and my discontent for what it has become. Rather, it's about sharing everything I can with someone I love because what may seem frustrating to me isn't the least discouraging to them and they are filled with enthusiasm and wonder. Yes, we will be there opening day.
Factor 1 is the DUCKs. With wintering populations of maybe 100,000 we are by no means duck rich. We have an adequate wintering population that with some effort you can be successful and enough variety to try many variations of waterfowling in a short stretch of the Tennessee River and it's tributaries. Flooded timber, you can do that. Layout diver hunting, you can do that too. Canvasbacks, some years they happen. Goldeneye, you might get lucky if you hunt the right spot. Wigeon, always a treat. Gadwall, Ringneck, Woodies are our mainstay and if they weather is right Mallards and Blacks can be found.
Factor 2 is ACCESS. With the major lakes, tributaries, and floodplain under TVA control there is significant public area. Boat launches are closely spaced and the landscape is open and diverse to the point getting lost is impossible. Simply put a guide is not needed. With a modest boat and map you can easily get around and explore the undeveloped areas where there are no restrictions against duck hunters. A freelancers dream from this standpoint.
Factor 3 is a WATERFOWLER NUMBERS. Waterfowlers in some areas of the country enjoy small populations while having wonderful waterfowl resources. Conversely we have relatively small waterfowl resources but a large human population. Specifically there is a very large population (Atlanta through NW GA, Nashville, Chatanooga, Birmingham, etc) within 3 hours. Until the last decade there was very little knowledge of the waterfowling opportunities in NE Alabama from these large population centers. The hunters living inside an hour radius were unaware of the potential for hunting pressure that existed just down the road and the hunters down the road didn't know what we were enjoying. Thus bringing us to the final critial factor 4.
Factor 4 is INFORMATION DISSEMINATION. Factors 1, 2, and 3 have been in place for many years. Long before I ever pitched a decoy. Factor 4 is the new kid on the block, the previously missing element, the factor crucial for the Perfect Storm. Who is Factor 4 you ask? It is the internet. More specifically websites that manage their content by geographical region. Southern Duck Hunter (defunct), the Refuge, ALducks, etc. It was these seemingly harmless formats, where waterfowlers from a common geographic area came together to discuss, argure, brag, share, etc., their experiences, that let the proverbial cat out of the bag. Unwittingly they conducted this dialog in an open format for the world to see. The guys in Factor 3 saw it and wanted to experience it first hand.
Factors 1-4 were all firmly in place by beginning of this decade and by the middle of the decade hunter numbers in NE Alabama on Lake Guntersville soared. The frustration of those who grew up before this era was quite evident. A lot of resentment and ill will ensued.
From my own perspective I care not where someone is from. Waterfowl are managed federally and I have no more right to a duck on Guntersville than a hunter from Atlanta does. I travel to hunt and want to be treated fairly wherever I go so I treat others accordingly. Having said that though I do find waterfowling less enjoyable than in years past and have a great dislike of state waterfowling forums and what they resulted in for me personally. The aggravation of dealing with other hunters is something I have never cared for. Solitude and seclusion are high on my list of attributes for what makes a great day waterfowling. Great days are hard to come by. Other hobbies and pursuits are now more attractive than ever.
In a Miltonesque Paradise Regained way there is one thing that gives great joy. A joy greater than anything I ever experienced hunting before Factors 1-4 collided and the masses descended. You know me well enough to recognize this joy as Thomas. I have three terriffic kids and am delighted one of them has chosen to be a waterfowler alongside me.
This past Saturday we loaded the Kayak and went to one of the prettiest waterfowling places I know. It is approximately 400 acres of flooded hardwoods. I know every inch having walked and paddled it countless times since the late 80s. There is no reason to scout it before the season. It's consistent. Nontheless I spent the day towing Thomas in the Kayak walking the entire timber stand over, from North to South, East to West. Telling Thomas everything I know about it and sharing past hunts. At the end of the day my legs were tired but spirit filled. He wants to go back and hunt it for himself. It's in this moment I realize that hunting is no longer just about me and my discontent for what it has become. Rather, it's about sharing everything I can with someone I love because what may seem frustrating to me isn't the least discouraging to them and they are filled with enthusiasm and wonder. Yes, we will be there opening day.