Any Nebraska MO River Hunters Here?

Eric Patterson

Eric Patterson

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Staff member
I'm considering a trip in the fall to this area seeing as how Manitoba doesn't want me there w/o a guide for a period long enough to make the trip worthwhile. At Mark W's suggestion I've been looking into the NE part of Nebraska and I'm intrigued. Would love to talk to someone from the area, Iowa too.

Thanks.

Eric
 
IMO - I would think one could easily make a 7 day hunt work without a guide in Manitoba. From what I am reading--There is nothing saying you can't go up a few days before your actually hunting license begins and scout the area, ask for permission, etc. then be set to actually hunt for 7 straight days.
 
Blake

That is a good thought about going early to scout and make hunt plans before the seven day license kicks in. But all that hinges on being selected via lottery. I'm looking for a place that has minimal restrictions allowing me the most freedom to come/go as I please throughout the season. Plus this is a learning trip for future annual trips. Lotteries mean some years won't be possible. If I do this inaugural trip we are thinking two weeks off work plus the weekends that sandwich the work days.

Thanks.


Eric
 
I will be interested in seeing how many will/wont draw in future years.

From my understanding, the licensed outfitters had to fill out a questionaire but most purposely underreported the number of foreign resident clients they actually guided in a typical year simply because they didn't feel the government needed to know everything nor were the outfitters aware of why the government wanted this number. This really hurt the outfitters as the number of guaranteed licenses they were allotted were based off these reported numbers. I know the outfitter we use doesn't have nearly enough licenses to cover his hunters when the true draw takes place in 2024-- Simply based off this, there should be more licenses going to those who must draw a license and thus increasing the odds of drawing that license.
 
Blake

So you're saying folks lied and it ended up biting them in the wallet. I can't help but laugh.

I wouldn't be surprised if guides tell potential clients to put in for the draw and to use that license if drawn instead of the license they can provide in order to save them for other clients. This is one of the issues with lotteries, someone will always figure out a way to use it to their benefit to the detriment of the general pop.

Eric
 
Eric Patterson said:
Blake

So you're saying folks lied and it ended up biting them in the wallet. I can't help but laugh.

I wouldn't be surprised if guides tell potential clients to put in for the draw and to use that license if drawn instead of the license they can provide in order to save them for other clients. This is one of the issues with lotteries, someone will always figure out a way to use it to their benefit to the detriment of the general pop.

Eric
Click to expand...

The same type of distrust and deceit Blake mentioned has created a problem in allocation of Atlantic coast fish stocks. Some commercial fishermen underreported their catch of certain fish species roughly ten years ago, thinking the regulators were out to get them. Poor data collection from recreational fishermen exacerbated the undercount in some states. Then state by state quotas were put in place based on those catch reports, states with high catch reports got larger quotas. The knuckleheads that underreported are the biggest whiners. Now we're all stuck with the quotas, although I understand modifications may be coming.

So one has to wonder- if the hunting guides in question were, let's say, not entirely truthful in reporting the number/nationality of sports, how honest are they at following other regulations?
 
SJ Fairbank said:
So one has to wonder- if the hunting guides in question were, let's say, not entirely truthful in reporting the number/nationality of sports, how honest are they at following other regulations?
Click to expand...

You are right on. These actions certainly bring more doubt on themselves.

Eric
 
SJ Fairbank said:
So one has to wonder- if the hunting guides in question were, let's say, not entirely truthful in reporting the number/nationality of sports, how honest are they at following other regulations?
Click to expand...

My dealings with my outfitter is that they are definitely following the other regulations.

Blake
 
Blake K said:
My dealings with my outfitter is that they are definitely following the other regulations.

Blake
Click to expand...

I've never used a guide of any kind, but have known quite a few. Of those, when things are going well with steady bookings and enough birds to keep the sports happy, everybody is straight arrow. In tough times, a common attitude is that god helps them that helps themselves. Everyone has a pain threshold, when bills need to be paid the threshold can get pretty low. Seen it more times than I would have guessed, had you asked me 50 years ago. Not saying every guide does it, but the temptation is always there with a $ sign.

Maybe I'm too hard on the guiding industry, but the entire concept aggravates me. Hunting or fishing, IMO it's just selling wildlife. And as many have observed on this site, decreased hunter (freelancer) access is often a result of guides locking up private land. I would hazard a guess that the final duck call ever blown will be by a guide because there will be no non-paying hunters left.

Signed, a grouchy old coot.
 
SJ Fairbank said:
Blake K said:
My dealings with my outfitter is that they are definitely following the other regulations.

Blake
Click to expand...

I've never used a guide of any kind, but have known quite a few. Of those, when things are going well with steady bookings and enough birds to keep the sports happy, everybody is straight arrow. In tough times, a common attitude is that god helps them that helps themselves. Everyone has a pain threshold, when bills need to be paid the threshold can get pretty low. Seen it more times than I would have guessed, had you asked me 50 years ago. Not saying every guide does it, but the temptation is always there with a $ sign.

Maybe I'm too hard on the guiding industry, but the entire concept aggravates me. Hunting or fishing, IMO it's just selling wildlife. And as many have observed on this site, decreased hunter (freelancer) access is often a result of guides locking up private land. I would hazard a guess that the final duck call ever blown will be by a guide because there will be no non-paying hunters left.

Signed, a grouchy old coot.
Click to expand...

I guess my point was simply that not all guides are bad people and do bad things. Definitely not all licensed guides on board with this new deal in Manitoba.

IMO - A hunter or group of hunters leasing a pit/field for the day/week/season etc. has the same effect as guiding as they have locked everyone else out. Am I 100% for guided hunts and leased pits/fields?-no. Are there some reasons a guided hunt or leased field/pit makes sense?-yes.

Just to be devils advocate-I own land and don't allow others to hunt on it thus effectively locking up private ground for myself. I guess then it is no different than guiding in a sense as it decreases hunter access.

Trust me I love to freelance, too.
 
Blake K said:
I guess my point was simply that not all guides are bad people and do bad things. Definitely not all licensed guides on board with this new deal in Manitoba.

IMO - A hunter or group of hunters leasing a pit/field for the day/week/season etc. has the same effect as guiding as they have locked everyone else out. Am I 100% for guided hunts and leased pits/fields?-no. Are there some reasons a guided hunt or leased field/pit makes sense?-yes.

Just to be devils advocate-I own land and don't allow others to hunt on it thus effectively locking up private ground for myself. I guess then it is no different than guiding in a sense as it decreases hunter access.

Trust me I love to freelance, too.
Click to expand...

I agree, the majority of guides, and hunters in general, are good folks. The money thing turns me off, and the loss of do it yourself experience. Doing it all myself from planning, organizing gear, boat handling, decoys, and dogs is more important to me than whacking a tailgate shot. Guys in a pit with a guide are pretty much just shooters.

I guess I'm spoiled by having places to hunt for free. But it's all good, today was just a nice day to vent.[:)] Tomorrow, family shows up and expects to go fishing. Time to gear up, fuel the boat, food, drinks, bait and check the weather. I need to get up early to guide....er...accompany them to the fishing grounds. [;)]
 
That was great, got a good laugh. The entire dialogue was funny but my favorites were "bear hunters may leave" and "our escort service will be fine."
 
Tod & SJ

At first I thought I could throw out a bunch of quips for cheap laughs. But as I started writing the only thing I could come up with was a grossly exaggerated dialog to show the absurdity of the whole situation, and the possible abuse of limited outfitter licenses and lottery freelance licenses.

Thanks for watching.

Eric
 
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Eric Patterson said:
Tod & SJ

At first I thought I could throw out a bunch of quips for cheap laughs. But as I started writing the only thing I could come up with was a grossly exaggerated dialog to show the absurdity of the whole situation, and the possible abuse of limited outfitter licenses and lottery freelance licenses.

Thanks for watching.

Eric
Click to expand...

Truth hurts.
 
may i ask why NE, i have done a decent amount of traveling to waterfowl, and have studied most states that hold waterfowl, NE has very little public land and if i remember correctly their laws are "the land owner owns the land under the water which makes placing decoys a no no.( i could be remembering wrong). I have also been told that freelancing is not really a thing because the locals know what they have and they use it, but like i said, no personal experience. i was always interested in freelancing the platte in the heart of winter, maybe someone has better info than what i recieved.
 
Matthew

Nebraska has ducks and geese in substantial numbers. Hunters have nearly unlimited access on the MO River. Unlike nearby states Nebraska hasn't gone to to a lottery or restricted days for non-residents. Nebraska has beautiful scenery, much unspoiled. Nebraska has WMAs with minimal regulations and access restrictions. In my mind it offers a lot to the freelance waterfowler.

Yes, it is true that interior rivers are private property. However the rivers that border other states, like the MO, are public, and that represents a lot of hunt-able area where a guy can roam and look for ducks and a place to hunt. I've spoken to several that live and hunt there and am told this is the case. They say it is more crowded than 15 years ago but there is good opportunity.

Sometimes a guy wants a challenge, adventure, and some freedom to move about. I think Nebraska or perhaps Iowa offer what I'm looking for. You know what they say, you don't know until you go.

Eric
 
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