Brant limit is 1??

[David Stern]

Hello:
Did the Brant get hit that hard that last few years? On Long Island, the limit is 1 and the season is only 1 month long. Do you think this will continue?

 

[Carl]

Reproduction is down.

http://www.flyways.us/sites/default/files/uploads/statusreport2015_final_7-23-15.pdf

Page 29:

"Atlantic brant have had three years of low juvenile production, and below-average production was expected again this year."

 

[David Stern]

Thank you. Do you think this is a long term trend?Someone is offering me their old Brant decoys. They are pretty nice but I already have 4 and another 6 Silos. Don't know if I want to make the investment in a Brant rig if they are going to keep the limit at 1.

 

[Frank Lopez]

David,

The problem is predation in the artic. Right now there is an over abundance of predators there. The way it's been explained to me is that the Brant nest in a couple of smallish colonies with two other species of geese. These other two species are much more,aggressive than Brant and put up quite a ruckus defending their nests. The Brant, on the other hand, particularly the hens, are pretty passive. The foxes can be seen studying the nesting colonies and singling out the Brant. They're getting a twofer because the hen just sits and is killed, the they get the eggs,too. Last year, I'm told the nesting success rate was at an all time low. Worse, we can expect the season to remain this way for the next two years because they're not doing surveys annually anymore.

The good news is that predator populations are generally cyclic, lagging slightly behind fluctuations in the prey species populations.

Frank

 

[Carl]

I believe that they will do annual surveys, but will base seasons on the previous years survey and harvest trends.
Maybe Brad will jump in on this to clarify.

 

[tod osier]

David,

The problem is predation in the artic. Right now there is an over abundance of predators there. The way it's been explained to me is that the Brant nest in a couple of smallish colonies with two other species of geese. These other two species are much more,aggressive than Brant and put up quite a ruckus defending their nests. The Brant, on the other hand, particularly the hens, are pretty passive. The foxes can be seen studying the nesting colonies and singling out the Brant. They're getting a twofer because the hen just sits and is killed, the they get the eggs,too. Last year, I'm told the nesting success rate was at an all time low. Worse, we can expect the season to remain this way for the next two years because they're not doing surveys annually anymore.

The good news is that predator populations are generally cyclic, lagging slightly behind fluctuations in the prey species populations.

Frank

Frank, can you give us something to read that explains the predation angle, since I have not been seeing it in the USFWS pubs I've read that attributes the poor recruitment to weather.

 

[tod osier]

I believe that they will do annual surveys, but will base seasons on the previous years survey and harvest trends.
Maybe Brad will jump in on this to clarify.

They do a midwinter survey and monitor the annual production in the arctic and base it on that from what I've read.

 

[Frank Lopez]

Tod, I have no written source other than the information we were given at the Long Island Zone Season Setting meeting and a couple or three emails to people that I know that were there and actually saw the foxes. The NYSDEC website listed the pending seasons with the caveat that due to several consecutive seasons of poor breeding success the brant season may be closed. That posting was taken down when the season was set at thirty days and the bag at one per day.


Frank

 

[SJ Fairbank]

This may not be the authoritative study, but I think it's along the lines of what Frank read/heard.

http://www.udel.edu/udaily/2015/jan/atlantic-brant-012615.html

So sad to see the brant numbers down for whatever reason.. Such an elegant bird.

 

[Brad Bortner]

See page 47, basically a long term decline due to low productivity for lat 10 years. http://www.fws.gov/migratorybirds/p...on-status/WaterfowlPopulationStatusReport.pdf

 

[William Nelson]

They aren't the smartest birds either...... they will decoy into rubber tires while the hunters say GLEEE GLEEE GLEE

 

[Kevin B]

Frank is correct ,coupled with back to back hard winters on the east coast, sea duck production is down as well. This could be the last year for Brant until things change. Expect more changes to Sea duck limits if we have another winter like this past one.

 

[David Stern]

I fear for the Bufflehead. If Sea Ducks and Brant get shut down those little Butterballs are going to get slaughtered. Even more than they do now.

 

[Bob M]

Frank is correct ,coupled with back to back hard winters on the east coast, sea duck production is down as well. This could be the last year for Brant until things change. Expect more changes to Sea duck limits if we have another winter like this past one.

The length of season for hunting sea duck will be shortened no matter what the winter brings !

 

[SJ Fairbank]

Frank is correct ,coupled with back to back hard winters on the east coast, sea duck production is down as well. This could be the last year for Brant until things change. Expect more changes to Sea duck limits if we have another winter like this past one.

The length of season for hunting sea duck will be shortened no matter what the winter brings !

Grim, just grim.

 

[george w]

Sea ducks to go to 60 next year. Best to get on your state council's butt and be assured that it will NOT open when the birds are NOT here. The cash cow has finally shown wear and tear. Too bad noone thought about consequences a lot earlier.
As for the atlantic brant, if you cherish the resource, you will treat it much like the black duck, not just something to shoot because it is "easy".

 

[Kevin B]

Agree