Game Farm Mallards/Duck DNA Results

[Eric Patterson]

I hate to admit it but hunters in my own state has been releasing mallards for years. Alabama Waterfowl Association (AWA) has released tens of thousands of mallards for more than 35 years. Jerry Davis started this program and has defended it for many years in the face of criticism from hunters. The ducks, known as "Jerry's Kids" by hunters that dislike the practice, are banded and released primarily in north Alabama. I just checked and they are banding 1,300 farm raised mallards today for release. The below links provide more info. Of particular interest to me is the "study" of their release program they did. Not exactly the type of research that would make it in The Journal of Wildlife Management. Their argument for the program can be summed up by a quote from their research paper. "AWA’s mallard project and other state mallard projects data has shown that the released ducks that do go back north have shown evidence that they bring other migrating mallards to traditional southern over-wintering grounds." They contend the released mallard recruit wild mallards to our area. Many of these ducks are shot on the duck clubs where they are released as a substitute for wild ducks.

For your reading pleasure...

AWA announces 36th annual mallard banding & release | The Clarion Newspaper

5-year Band Study

Alabama Waterfowl Association | Scottsboro AL

Alabama Waterfowl Association, Scottsboro, Alabama. 2,491 likes · 3 talking about this. A STATE VOICE FOR ALABAMA WATERFOWL HUNTERS, CONCERNING THE WATERFOWL HUNTING SEASON AND THE FEDERAL MIGRATORY...

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Mallard Restoration Program

 

[Eric Patterson]

From the https://www.alabamawaterfowl.org/bandreport/5 yr band study.htm I mentioned above.

"Over 98 percent of the participates reported that they could not tell any difference from the AWA reared mallard, from the ones from the prairie pothole of the wild mallard production areas of the United States and Canada."

There you have it folks, 98 percent hunter observation proves the released mallards are no different than ones from the historical breeding grounds.

 

[Brad Bortner]

My memory is vague but I believe the Pacific and Central Flyway have had strong statements opposing release of hand reared birds. The Mississippi has been opposed on principle but I don't believe they have been outright opposed because there is at least one organization with a history of releasing hand reared mallards. The Atlantic has several states that have organizations releasing hand-reared birds so they have not issued a policy statement opposing release on hand reared birds.

There is an egg salvage program in California in which eggs from wild mallard nests are salvaged during agricultural operations and released after the ducklings are able to fend for themselves. There is a strict disease protocol for the program. This program is run by volunteers and even with eggs from wild birds shows relatively high cost per bird recovered by hunters.

all of the analyses I am aware of show relatively high cost and relatively low survival. But obviously a few birds survive to pass on their genes. The genetic and disease risk to wild birds is pretty high but the release programs have high levels of support. Its pretty much put and take bird hunting.

Eric, I am not even going to try to point out the shortcomings of the program you've mentioned.

 

[Shannon kelly]

Not to sidetrack the conversation, but many state agencies would release pen raised "game farm " turkeys with disastrous results ,they didn't last long in the wild and the ones that did crossbred with wild game resulting in offspring that was less resistant to natural fluctuations in weather cycles and diseases...I think Pennsylvania was mentioned ..I have hunted all over Georgia..and "one "particular area of Georgia and we killed several gobblers there too ...turkeys are different everywhere you go ,but was told by old locals that folks were releasing game farm birds decades prior ...I could instantly tell the difference...but I can tell you 95 percent of turkey hunters would never know

It's one step forward ...and 10 steps backward with releasing game farm birds

Problem being once you pollute the genetic pool with game farm birds , they will always be A trace ....

With today's issues with bird flu , and similar related issues ...I know that decision making agencies will be suseptible to the "bird flu card" and I would use that as a main tactic , besides any disease released into the wild could wipe out another species like a song bird etc..

 

[greg setter]

On a similar note, Chronic Wasting Disease, which is a problem in several states in the deer herds, came from game farm deer and elk I believe.

 

[Dave Horvath]

I wonder if there are quality photos of black duck speculum correlated to genetics? I'd specifically like to see the genetics on wings with a faint white border on the trailing edge of the speculum. The trailing white makes me suspect hybrid, as it seemed to become more prevalent in recent years. Or maybe we're just getting more immature feathered birds. I know other folks believe faint trailing edge white to be a full black duck trait. Hoping for genetics for a definitive answer.

SJ Fairbank, this is the wing from the Black Duck I submitted for the study, with the genetic, certificate. In the study at least for me I believe only the first two ducks you were asked to submit pictures with the sample when you entered it into the app. It might be beneficial in the future to submit wing photos for all the samples submitted.

 

[Kevin Layne]

I'm on the west coast and don't really know if it's legal to release pen raised birds. If it is legal, I can tell you that it's a very rare occurrence. There is one hunting club that releases mallards from the upper end of a small canyon and they fly down to a pond at the bottom end where the shooters are waiting. Missed birds are gathered up later and taken back to the upper pond for the next shoot. I'm sure some escape but not many. I also hear that there is one guy in a club near me who releases a couple hundred mallards toward the end of the year. But most of them get shot and it's a tiny number compared to the wild population.

 

[SJ Fairbank]

SJ Fairbank, this is the wing from the Black Duck I submitted for the study, with the genetic, certificate. In the study at least for me I believe only the first two ducks you were asked to submit pictures with the sample when you entered it into the app. It might be beneficial in the future to submit wing photos for all the samples submitted.

Thank you Dave. The photo isn't clear on my screen, but it appears your bird has a distinct white trailing edge. Very interesting, I didn't expect that a bird with that speculum would be 100% black duck.

 

[Dave Horvath]

Thank you Dave. The photo isn't clear on my screen, but it appears your bird has a distinct white trailing edge. Very interesting, I didn't expect that a bird with that speculum would be 100% black duck.

You are correct it does have a white edge on the speculum. I agree it would interesting to see the correlations between the results from other black ducks and their speculums.

 

[greg setter]

If you look at old black duck decoys from the east coast, you will see that many had a white edge under the speculum. That goes way back before anyone around today was born. I have never been convinced that is a marker for a hybrid black duck. I have also shot many over the years with a very faint white edge, including when I did wing surveys, none of which came back as a hybrid blackXmallard.

 

[Jeff Reardon]

I hate to admit it but hunters in my own state has been releasing mallards for years. Alabama Waterfowl Association (AWA) has released tens of thousands of mallards for more than 35 years. Jerry Davis started this program and has defended it for many years in the face of criticism from hunters. The ducks, known as "Jerry's Kids" by hunters that dislike the practice, are banded and released primarily in north Alabama. I just checked and they are banding 1,300 farm raised mallards today for release. The below links provide more info. Of particular interest to me is the "study" of their release program they did. Not exactly the type of research that would make it in The Journal of Wildlife Management. Their argument for the program can be summed up by a quote from their research paper. "AWA’s mallard project and other state mallard projects data has shown that the released ducks that do go back north have shown evidence that they bring other migrating mallards to traditional southern over-wintering grounds." They contend the released mallard recruit wild mallards to our area. Many of these ducks are shot on the duck clubs where they are released as a substitute for wild ducks.

For your reading pleasure...

AWA announces 36th annual mallard banding & release | The Clarion Newspaper

5-year Band Study

Alabama Waterfowl Association | Scottsboro AL

Alabama Waterfowl Association, Scottsboro, Alabama. 2,491 likes · 3 talking about this. A STATE VOICE FOR ALABAMA WATERFOWL HUNTERS, CONCERNING THE WATERFOWL HUNTING SEASON AND THE FEDERAL MIGRATORY...

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Mallard Restoration Program

I hate to admit it but hunters in my own state has been releasing mallards for years. Alabama Waterfowl Association (AWA) has released tens of thousands of mallards for more than 35 years. Jerry Davis started this program and has defended it for many years in the face of criticism from hunters. The ducks, known as "Jerry's Kids" by hunters that dislike the practice, are banded and released primarily in north Alabama. I just checked and they are banding 1,300 farm raised mallards today for release. The below links provide more info. Of particular interest to me is the "study" of their release program they did. Not exactly the type of research that would make it in The Journal of Wildlife Management. Their argument for the program can be summed up by a quote from their research paper. "AWA’s mallard project and other state mallard projects data has shown that the released ducks that do go back north have shown evidence that they bring other migrating mallards to traditional southern over-wintering grounds." They contend the released mallard recruit wild mallards to our area. Many of these ducks are shot on the duck clubs where they are released as a substitute for wild ducks.

For your reading pleasure...

AWA announces 36th annual mallard banding & release | The Clarion Newspaper

5-year Band Study

Alabama Waterfowl Association | Scottsboro AL

Alabama Waterfowl Association, Scottsboro, Alabama. 2,491 likes · 3 talking about this. A STATE VOICE FOR ALABAMA WATERFOWL HUNTERS, CONCERNING THE WATERFOWL HUNTING SEASON AND THE FEDERAL MIGRATORY...

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Mallard Restoration Program

Setting aside any evaluation of whether it works, it's a bad sign when the supposed premise of a "conservation" program is to get wild birds to do things they wouldn't do without human "help." If the purpose of these programs is just to provide local birds to shoot, why not say that? We do with stocked fish and pen raised pheasants, but we have also have policies with those programs intended to minimize their impacts on wild fish and birds. My own feelings about stocked birds and fish are pretty strong. I will go out of my way to avoid fishing for stocked fish. Last week I walked past a pond full of big rising trout that are routinely promoted by guides as "native Maine trout" (which may not technically be a lie . . .) to fish for much smaller trout another half mile up the trail. A couple of seasons ago a friend's springer when crazy over a bird in a bush next to an abandoned railroad track that simple refused to flush. My buddy finally walked in, identified it as a chukar (probably escaped from someone's dog training, but who knows?) and then flushed it. My rational brain said "non-native bird, kill it to prevent further damage", but I could not bring myself to pull the trigger as it "flushed" to the next available bush 25 yards down the track. The poor dog seemed similarly confused.