Mid Summer North Alabama WMA Report

Eric Patterson

Eric Patterson

Moderator
Staff member
Duckboats.net roving reporter Jeff Bowen just called me from the parking lot at Wannville and it doesn't look good. He spoke to the area biologist, Jud Easterwood, and learned the crops planted are dying from the drought. At my house we've been getting good amounts of rain and I assumed there would be excellent crops this duck season but that is not the case. Evidently these are hit and miss showers which have been missing the WMA crops. Jud commented much of the crops are so poor that hunters will assume they didn't even plant, but they did. The outlook for needed rainfall is grim. I wonder how many other hunters like me thought this was going to be a good crop year, the first in several. Hopefully the native weeds, grasses, and vegetation will act as a sufficient attractant.
 
Hey Eric - seems that every year I run into someone that talks about the "good ol' days" on the TN River system. They talk about milfoil patches that would stretch almost from shore to shore with only the deep channel being open, clear water. They also talk about the numbers of mallards and widgeon being so thick that they would rival the coot numbers there now. I realize that there are still some areas with good native grass patches, but obviously, the amounts that they describe are not there (along with the absence of mallards & widgeon). Do you know if this is from spraying efforts to control the "weeds" or a natural effect from changes in the river system?
 
thats what its from.....any hard core, dyed in the wool, AUTHENTIC Alabama Waterfowler would know that......

And if it is the spraying you can bet that its the fishermen from Georgia that forced the Alabama Guvment to do it so they could come over and kill all your fish in the summer time....

Steve, Proud to have been borned in Georgia, Sutton
 
Jon

I started hunting there in the early 80s. The real glory days were the 70s and earlier. My hunting partner, Joey Wolk, hunted it then has made similar descriptions to yours. You are correct, the millfoil was something else then. It literally carpeted the lake from Siebold dang near all the way to Bellfonte Island. The Goose Pond area was incredibly thick off the nav channel through the entire season, it looked more like it does during the Summer months now. The drought we were under in the 80s increased water clarity and the Eurasian millfoil could reach into deeper water. I'm not sure when they started spraying but to my knowledge, and I could very well be wrong, they sprayed heavily in the mid to late 80s killing a lot if it back. Now I believe they tend to concentrate on high boat traffic areas and let other areas go. I'm not out there to see what they are doing but that is the impression I'm under. One thing that has changed is a lot of what I see is Hydrilla and not millfoil. My observation is the diving ducks tend to like the hydrilla better while the gadwall opt for the declining millfoil. There has been some changes in distribution of ducks. Like you mentioned wigeon and mallards. I never really saw that many mallard on the lake proper, as they were in the swamps and flooded areas off the river, but the wigeon just have about stop coming. I wouldn't be surprised if the diver population has actually increased over the past 20 years. Cans definite;y The gadwall have always been there at some huntable level.

Having said all that the absolute biggest changes I've seen are with the shorline and utilization of the lake. The ever disappearing shoreline now boasts million dollar homes and the weekend cabins are rapidly being replaced by full time homes. The man hours of recreation utilization has sky rocketed. As the population has grown in North Alabama so has the recreational use, by leaps and bounds. The "ownership" has transitioned from summer campers, skiers and fisherman to full time residents. The days of hunting for a week and only seeing a couple other hunters are gone and that's what I miss the most.

Last but not least, let's not forget the GA hunters have ruined it forever :) In truth accessibility, prosperity, and knowledge of the area has forever changed what was but that is the natural course when population increases meet recreational opportunities.
 
So what you are saying, if I understand you correctly, is that all we need to do is stop spraying the lake, limit the availability of resident hunter access to only those that you and I approve, forbid the alien access altogether (Georgians), reclaim shoreline properties and relocate current residents - preferrably to Georgia, and things should start to return to the way they should be?

Seriously though, I share alot of your same views and have come to the conclusion that it will likely never be as good as it was the last time. It's a shame that I anticipate antics more than birds on opening day (and weekends for that matter). I started exploring new opportunities last year and I am glad that I did. I don't think I hunted up there 4 times total last year.

And Sutton - pipe down! That's enough out of you!!!
 
Jon

You've got it. In fact what we need is a Guntersville Czar. One who has total control and all must come before him for permission to do anything. I nominate Squash Futler. Nobody has greater knowledge, respect, or uses better judgement.
 
I don't know who that is, but if that is who you nominate, he has my full endorsement.

What next? Do we need to swing by the Home Depot to get our AL-GA border fence construction crew?
 
then clearly you were standing atop the Green Egg so that it didn't "go over your head".....

Here's the FUNNIEST PART OF ALL of the "complaining" about Ga. hunters swamping that area to me.....My brother, one of the heinous Georgian trouble makers lives closer to where Eric hunts than do you......yet by the mere fact that you have Alabama tags on your vehicle you "belong" and he "doesn't" even though you are further away and contribute NO MORE to the upkeep of the lake than does he....seems "funny" to me......

If you are successful in banning the Ga. trash you might find that you'll get to hunt more with Jason since you won't have to worry about him being committed that week to hunting with his brother, who, although he is "from" Bama now lives in Ga......

All of the above presented with a swolled tongue firmly implanted into my cheek......cause we have the same issues here only we decide who "belongs" and "doesn't belong" based on which side of the mtn crest you live on.......sort of two states in one and "you stay in your own damned state" as it were...

Steve
 
Rain has been much more plentiful down on the coast this year, especially compared to last year.
By November last year, the saltwater had pushed well up into the Mobile Tensaw River Delta and killed most of our fresh-brackish grassebeds (ie: duck food) back to the roots. The places with grass remaining had plenty of hunters too. Ducks that did show up didnt stay long.

Luckily, with the rain we've had since late winter, it appears that the grassbeds are rebounding. Most freshwater/brackish species leave a good seed bank in the sediment that is viable for years. So, unless we get into another drought, they should come on strong as the summer progress. We are getting ready to fly our grassbed/seagrass survey imagery as soon as we get some calm mornings & clear water. I'll have some good data on coverage by early fall.

If rainfall keeps up, especially in mid-AL, then our grassbeds we should be OK and we should hold more ducks this year. That is if all the birds dont get shortstopped up north (as in along the TN River) by Eric, John, Jeff, DU and the black helicopters spreading corn in the milfoil patches. :)
 
Jon,

I too started hunting the lake around 1980 or so. When we hunted around goose pond we shot mostly mallards and wigeon with some green wing teal, etc. mixed in. The lake was all milfoil. Sometime in the mid 80's TVA almost completely wiped out the milfoil. The ducks and fish for that matter decreased. Now TVA has an agreement to spray the areas around docks, etc. and they leave the rest of the lake natural. Some homeowners get together each year and pay for additional spraying out of their own pockets.

As Eric stated more and more each year the hydrilla is choking out the milfoil in many areas. I too think that is why we are seeing the increase in Can #'s. I feel that due to the increase in pressure and never being left alone to rest the Gadwall are slowly leaving the lake. I'll bet some days in the second half of the season last year we saw twice as many Cans as we did Gadwall. If you would have told me that was going to happen 10 years ago I would have told you to have your brain checked.

It is interesting to see what each new season brings out there. I don't let it bother me, because it takes away from my hunt and free time.

The WMA areas look pitiful. I thought the corn that was planted was just your normal field weeds (for a lack of a better term) until Jud said nope that our corn crop.
 
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Steve - you should know, as well as anyone, that I travel a good bit to hunt. I really couldn't care less about the dreaded Georgia hunter. I just find it amusing how twisted up folks get over the whole "where you live" situation and I throw gas on that fire more often that I should.

Sometimes you just have to laugh.

Take opening day last year -- I lauched the boat at 2:30am from a full parking lot and proceeded down river. I was amazed at the constant barroge of Q-Beam spotlights that were quickly focused on me from about every 100 yard stretch of shoreline. After discovering that location choices 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 were already taken, I said to heck with it and found a nice big ol' patch of grass out in the middle. Threw out about 4 dozen decoys and anchored the boat right out in the middle amongst them. After sitting through the constant gunshots that went on for 28 minutes, legal shooting time finally came. With it, came the birds to our spread and we got our share - including a nice drake widgeon. We picked up and motored out right past all of those spotlight shiners.

They were upset and cussed.

We were content and laughed.

Really is a touching story, don't you think?
 
for the rest of the season the "spotlighters" fought over that same patch of grass in the middle, and every other one just like it.....

There are two States that I thoroughly dislike because of thier "attitudes towards out of staters" those being North and South Dakota....they're welcome to that attitude when it comes to their Deer and Phesants but when applied to Ducks and Geese it really pisses me off. At least the complaints coming from Alabama are from disgruntled individuals who "think" that the reason their "favorite point" that just happenes to be the closest one to the ramp for convinenance sake, is "over run", and that everytime he can't get it first its because of "assholes from Ga", are just that, individuals, and not the Legislature thinking that they should exert States rights over a bird that is "owned" by all of us....

Like you though I do enjoy joking about the situation which most often is equate to solidly kicking the wasps nest.

Steve
 
Guntersville is my home lake. I have been hunting the lake for ducks since 1974. In those days NOBODY duck hunted. For the guys who hunt Guntersville, think about going to Siebold Creek launch on opening day and nobody being there. Mallards were easy to kill daily. But, duck hunting clothes and equipment sucked. One major change in the area for duck hunting was the 90's when Gann's Outdoors opened and Cricket Hall Sporting Goods both centered on duck hunting. Clothes were better and people could handle the cold weather better. People who had never duck hunted became interested and tried it. Duck hunting was still good then, but not like the seventies. At some point during the same time period, major newspapers ran stories of the great hunting on Guntersville and we saw people coming from out-of-state. Last year was real bad for out-of-state-ers due to no water in Georgia. But, I guess the people in Arkansas fill the same about us.
As for the grass, TVA in years past, would drop the lake level to try to kill the milfoil, of course, this would just allow the milfoil to grow in areas where it had not been growing due to the water being to deep. I actually would plant jap millett when the water was down, it would mature and TVA would then flood it back ( blue winged teal loved this ). The milfoil was not over poisoned by TVA, the year the milfioil was wiped-out was due to several very heavy rains which washed the soft dirt and seed from the shallow areas during the winter months. TVA divers said that the humps along the river which usually held 6" to 12" of soft dirt where hard clay, thus the seeds were washed away. Mother nature is catching back-up but it would help if TVA would start dropping the water level again.
Bottom line is, there is a whole lot more of us looking for areas to get away from everyday life. Deer hunting has already became a got-money-rent-a-spot sport, forcing more people to look for other ways to get out. The TVA area is open to all, thus duck hunting has became more popular. The only good side of bad seasons is that more and more people quit hunting due to not good days. ( those are the duck hunter want-to-bees ) JUST GET RID OF THE BASS FISHERMEN, damn guys its duck season and 20 degrees outside, bass ain't biting!!!
 
I too grew up waterfowl hunting in N.E. Alabama (my wife and I still do), specifically from the Goose Pond Colony area up north past County Park, Jone’s Cove, Randall’s Chapel, and up past Coon Creek WMA. In fact our female Chesapeake Bay Retriever’s name is Carolyn’s Coon Creek Kyla – Call Name Kyla. I have several thoughts on the cause of the degraded waterfowl populations within the Lake Guntersville Waterway System (from the Guntersville Dam up to the Alabama/Tennessee Line near Bridgeport/South Pittsburg. There is no doubt the waterfowl hunting is not what it once was “Back in the Day”. For the Lake Guntersville Waterway System, the loss of habitat due to drought conditions, urban sprawl, and poor ecosystem management practices are at the top of my list as leading contributors. Of these three influences, we as waterfowl hunters/conservationists essentially have control/input on two of them, urban sprawl, and ecosystem management.

The urban sprawl can be controlled through Zoning Enforcement; a concept which I believe is unknown to most Jackson County residents. A few months past, I read a Scottsboro newspaper article in which a resident of a newly formed community in the Goosepond Colony area was complaining of being woken up by what seemed to be a war-zone on the morning opener of duck season this past year. Well, welcome to the outdoors. What exactly did he think would happen when he bought land and built a house smack dab in the middle of one of the more popular duck hunting areas in Jackson County? This individual wanted to introduce legislation to the City Council to ban waterfowl hunting in that area. Good luck on that one.

Ecosystem management is questionable (to me) in the Guntersville Lake Waterway System as well. There are two rather large refuge systems in place in the Guntersville Lake Waterway System, one on the southern end, and one on the northern end. There are also several WMAs in place as well. I question the funds distribution and utilization of both (funds generated from the sell of WMA permits and State Waterfowl Stamps and how those funds are distributed). Ducks Unlimited has assisted with some past projects on the WMAs, and I believe future projects are planned as well. But I just don’t see the logic in Ducks Unlimited creating a 15 acre(ish) flooded corn field within a several hundred acre WMA that is hunted everyday out of the week, from sun-up till sun-down during waterfowl season. How does one expect to sustain a decent (if any) duck population within the WMAs during duck season if the ducks are swatted at every day out of the week, all day long? If the thought process is one of “migrating ducks won’t know the difference”, then some folks need to be educated a little more on animal survival instincts. “Good Seasons” are “Good” because there are bunches of yearling ducks who have not been around long enough to A). Be educated by other ducks, and B). Get educated by themselves. Set hunting restrictions for the WMAs (days of the week and time of day) allowing a rest period for resident and transitional waterfowl.
In addition to the DU projects, there are several areas flooded during waterfowl season to essentially “create” a wetlands habitat where a food source has been planted and then flooded. This is where I question funds distribution and BMPs utilized within these WMAs. I’m not familiar with how funds generated from the sales of WMA permits and State Duck Stamps are distributed, but it seems to me the only logical distribution process would be based solely on the level of hunter activity. For example, if WMA Permits are sold within Jackson County, then the proceeds from those respective sales need to remain in Jackson County. Same goes for sales of the State Duck Stamp. State Duck Stamp sales should be earmarked or identified in some fashion so the money generated is allocated to the locale of the sale. I can think of several ways to do this, it can’t be difficult, even if they are Internet sales. If the funds are currently distributed in this fashion, then someone somewhere needs to seriously consider auditing the program to see where those funds are going, because from what I see on the consumer end, it isn’t going for the ducks.
Regarding BMPs within the WMAs themselves; if drought is an issue for crops during the growing season, then pump in irrigation water. If crops can be grown in the middle of the desert, than growing corn or millet or rice in a WMA that parallels the Tennessee River should not be a huge undertaking. If I as an individual land owner have the resources to dig a well down into one of the largest underground aquifers in the Southern Region and flood a 15 acre shallow pond planted w/a food source and create an attractive habitat for waterfowl, then the Alabama DNR ought to be able to do one hell of a job with the resources available to them (monetary and personnel) to create and sustain an ecosystem for waterfowl. If the Alabama DNR can’t accomplish this, then it is because of limitations imposed upon them by a bureaucratic process and incompetence on their part.
And lastly, my thoughts on “Out of Towner’s” hunting the Guntersville Lake Waterway System is “Your Welcome Anytime.” Sales of food, gas, hunting supplies, lodging, etc., etc., etc., go directly back into an already struggling economy in northern Alabama. If hunter “overcrowding” is an issue that needs to be addressed, then incorporate it into ecosystem BMPs. It’s a management thing, Stupid!

Cheers!
 
David

There is just no way to turn back the tide of hunters is there. Population increases, people with disposable income, and information readily available for anyone who knows how to use a mouse. In my mind the question is when do we hit saturation. When will today's new generation say forget it. Maybe never because they don't know any different and it is every bit as exciting for them as it was me or you. Certainly the kids you grew up hunting with would be shocked at the hunter increase if plucked from the 70s and dropped in today. You've seen it evolve for even longer than I but I bet you'd agree with me its accelerating. However, last year I actually saw useage go down. I think lower hunter success and unfulfilled expectations has doused the desire of some, especially non-residents. Who knows what it will be like when my son Thomas is a high school graduate. Looking back I do have one thing I would do over, I would have hunted with Herman the German when he offered. Foolish me didn't consider the stories a German Rocket Scientist who had hunted the WMAs since they were opened could tell.

Eric
 
I have not been on in awhile. Saw this and had to jump in since I hunt with or around three or four of you. I agree with David on this one. My understanding of milfoil is that it will only grow in depths of 8 ft. or less. I could be wrong. Water levels go down= more watering areas that are 8 foot or less. Big storms a few years back not only swept the lake of grass, but islands,docks, blinds, etc. As for the number of hunters, what do we expect. 1989-90 we went to 3 ducks and thirty days. Must be more ducks if the feds say we can shoot 6 ducks for 60 days. With longer seasons and liberal bag limits, it allows the hunter to stay on the water longer. Result here is ducks do not get to rest as much, maybe changing there habbits, etc. I remember hoping to shoot a 3 duck limit. We would kill two and pack up and come home. Crap, now we stay out there until we have out of shooting time,tornados and all. I always wonder what the Arkies and Mississipian residents say about the out of towners coming in shooting their ducks, and running up their duck leases. Not much we can do about somethings, We can do alot with our own attitudes. Hunt smart,scout hard, and smile. If it is not enjoyabe, take a break for awhile. As for the wigeon, I saw more last year than ever. Had them in decoys or worked some almost every hunt. Look at the refuges, that is where the Wigeon are.
 
JD, we may want to keep a watch on the homeowners wanting shut down hunting in certain areas. The 100 yard law came about because of the lake home owners society. Yes it is real. They are the ones who got this law . I went to several meetings of theirs and ones that game and fish set up regarding this issue. The lake home owners society are organized and willing to stand up for what they want. They even had a recorded message with support from Gov. Riley. We as hunters are not organized. We get on forums and complain about people trying to shut us down. Heck, we complain about each other. Someone in that area needs to get involved with the game and fish as well as with the lake home owners group to try and put that fire out. All it takes is one.
 
Mr. Russell,

I concur. I do believe we have a conservation award winning Alabama Waterfowl Association that calls Scottsboro its home. Seems to me an award winning outfit like that should be able to provide some representation of the waterfowling community during these Home Owner’s Society or Association meetings. Like you said, it's all about becoming organized and getting some kind of political backing to provide momentum (as in the case of Gov. Riely, whoever the hell that is……I'm so far removed from Alabama politics right now having been working in Iraq for the past 2.5 years, it's pathetic). I'm not opposed to the 100 yard law; it is a good safety mechanism for those who don't understand fields of fire and ballistics. However, I am opposed to banning hunting in an area where it is possible to abide by the 100 yard law and still lawfully (and safely) pull the trigger. I'm sorry if it wakes the Urbanites up early in the morning, but I look at as providing them an opportunity to watch the sun rise, and if they don’t like the Sound of Freedom, then they can move. Not to stray off course here, but there is one thing I have noticed when I am back “home” on my breaks from insanity, and it is this: Scottsboro hasn’t changed much since I left 25+ years ago. Folks really just don’t give a damn unless it impacts them personally. There isn’t a whole lot of vision there. Scottsboro is an “old money” town, and if you aren’t from there (hell, even if you ARE from there) but you aren’t in with the “Boys”, you might just as well be a Yankee from up North (which is not representative of my feelings, just my opinion on what I have observed when I’m at home, and I rub shoulders with some of the “Boys”). So that being said, I’m not sure who is scratching whose back with the 100 yard law or any other future restrictions on hunting in those newly formed residential areas, but in the end, money will be driving the train. Small town politics are strange…….

Cheers!
 
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JD and Jason

The 100 yard rule is a state law penned by our G&F. The state, at the urging of wealthy G'ville homeowners, was contemplating a much more restrictive law, 250-500 yards, when the G&F saw that would be devastating to much of the hunting we do they wrote the law and had it passed. It is a reasonable law that in actuality gives us something to stand behind when someone calls the cops. The one gray area I cannot get a good answer on is the legal definition of a "dwelling" in relation to the 100 yards closest distance. Is a boathouse a dwelling? Seems to me like a dwelling implies someone could occupy it meaning plumbing and a boathouse wouldn't qualifiy. I have asked Game Wardens what the definition of a dwelling is and the answers are usually vague or inconsistent.
 
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