You've probably seen the press releases by now but if you want to read the actual reports.
Waterfowl harvest and breeding population reports are now available
- Thread starter Brad Bortner
- Start date
don novicki
Active member
Pa. picked up an additional 9000 hunters from 22 to 23. That's a huge hunter increase. Additionally Pa shot over 6000 more mallards than 22. Sorry but I'm having a hard time believeing these numbers.Also the goose numbers are astronomical. An increase of over 60,000 more birds shot than 2022. That's crazy. How do they get these numbers anyways, since we don't call in kill numbers or species and HIP just records the number of ducks reported when you buy a license? I get suspicious when I see a zero in any column esp. when you look at Redheads,Golden Eye,both of which, I personally know people that shot them last year. According to their statement these are just preliminary numbers and their data might be compromised.I'd say they are correct about that.
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Paul Taylor
Active member
What does this mean? "we made changes to our survey methodology and our online harvest survey application due to external security mandates and our ongoing efforts to enhance data collection processes."
Are the survey's being conducted more accurate than previously?
It would be awesome to have a web based / 1-800-NUMBER for EVERY migratory bird hunter to input their daily harvest, species, State, etc? Many folks already do that with hunting apps for their personal record. States are already requiring self reporting of harvest for deer, turkey, fish, etc. Could this potentially replace the cost of hunter wing surveys with selected hunters taking photos of one outstretched wing from each duck harvested for identification and aging? I would think AI could learn to ID, sex and age each species vs having wing bees and such. I'm not a tech guru just thinking aloud.
Are the survey's being conducted more accurate than previously?
It would be awesome to have a web based / 1-800-NUMBER for EVERY migratory bird hunter to input their daily harvest, species, State, etc? Many folks already do that with hunting apps for their personal record. States are already requiring self reporting of harvest for deer, turkey, fish, etc. Could this potentially replace the cost of hunter wing surveys with selected hunters taking photos of one outstretched wing from each duck harvested for identification and aging? I would think AI could learn to ID, sex and age each species vs having wing bees and such. I'm not a tech guru just thinking aloud.
Paul Taylor
Active member
What is interesting to note is the increase in licensed hunter number increases in two States I hunt. SC jumped from 20,000 to 31,000 and LA from 35,700 to 55,300. I know we need more duck hunters but I wonder what triggered this increase in duck hunting.
don novicki
Active member
Isn't SC one of the worst places in the U.S. for duck hunting? If it's so bad why would there be so many additional hunters?
Harvest numbers are calculated using hunter intercepts and statistics.
From year to year, the numbers can jump all over the place.
If you look are year-to-year changes, it will leave you laughing or scratching your head.
The most important thing is to look at the trends over time. That is where the real story is.
From year to year, the numbers can jump all over the place.
If you look are year-to-year changes, it will leave you laughing or scratching your head.
The most important thing is to look at the trends over time. That is where the real story is.
Vince Pagliaroli
Well-known member
Just got back from the Post Office got my new "Duck Stamp" just like every year since 1965. Now I'll do the HIP thing and be ready to go.
If the year to year info will leave ya scratching yer head how can the "trends over time" gathered from short term info be better. Confused is a normal state of mind in waterfowling is what I've learned over the years. Roll with it.
Buy the "Duck Stamp". Do the HIP thing, abide by the Laws, and Go Hunting. It's as simple as that no need to complicate things.
my 2 cents
If the year to year info will leave ya scratching yer head how can the "trends over time" gathered from short term info be better. Confused is a normal state of mind in waterfowling is what I've learned over the years. Roll with it.
Buy the "Duck Stamp". Do the HIP thing, abide by the Laws, and Go Hunting. It's as simple as that no need to complicate things.
my 2 cents
Rod VanZile
Active member
I just received my wing collection envelopes in the mail yesterday and am more than willing to provide the data for the Fish and Wildlife Service. I don't know why I was chosen again this year as it is the fourth year in a row.You've probably seen the press releases by now but if you want to read the actual reports.
Have a safe and enjoyable season everyone.
RVZ
Paul Taylor
Active member
I'm asking myself the same thing!
According to the USFWS data we went from 20,000 ('22) active duck hunters to 31,000 in 2023. 2022 total harvest was 150,000 ducks in 2022 and 298,600 in 2023! These numbers blew me away. According to harvest data, the number 1 duck harvested is our Wood Duck, with a harvest total that jumped from 56,000 in '22 to 145,841 in 2023! That's a LOT of Wood Ducks!
I work over 40 duck nesting boxes so it warms my heart to think a youth here in SC, or elsewhere might have killed his / her first duck that hatched and jumped from one of my duck boxes.
don novicki
Active member
Nice work on the nesting boxes Paul. All we see here in NW Pa. is Wood ducks anymore Paul, and I'm grateful for that.
Vince Pagliaroli
Well-known member
Mr. Taylor,
Yes that IS a lot of Wood Ducks. Do not get me started about raising the limit to 3 per day. ALL of which can be Hens. This makes NO sense to me. Wood Ducks were on the brink before to think it cannot happen is again is ignoring history. To say that I like Wood Ducks to hunt, eat, paint, carve decoys of, and just to Know they are here is a understatement.
"Over the trees like a meteor...." John James Audubon
Thank you for your nest box work. Yer a Good Man.
Best regards
Vince
just a few of many over 42 years of painting and carving Wood Ducks
Yes that IS a lot of Wood Ducks. Do not get me started about raising the limit to 3 per day. ALL of which can be Hens. This makes NO sense to me. Wood Ducks were on the brink before to think it cannot happen is again is ignoring history. To say that I like Wood Ducks to hunt, eat, paint, carve decoys of, and just to Know they are here is a understatement.
"Over the trees like a meteor...." John James Audubon
Thank you for your nest box work. Yer a Good Man.
Best regards
Vince
just a few of many over 42 years of painting and carving Wood Ducks
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William Reinicke
Active member
Idk but SC hunters travel.... A LOT! Im way out here on the west coast and seeing lots of SC plates every season. Also, went way north last year on the border of Canada. Pulled into first area to go scout and what do I see... trucks with SC plates. I apologize now... but can SC stop embarking on everyone elses places to hunt? If enough people keep traveling outside of SC, im gonna travel to SC and find my own places to hunt. Appears no one wants to hunt there. Havent been to Kansas in years, dont plan on going back anytime soon, but from the folks I know there, many say there are more SC hunters in Kansas than actual Kansas hunters. I don't think SC is the place to be as a duck hunter
I know our hunting populations fluctuate quite a bit based on who gets stationed in our air force bases. Seems everyone in the air force is a duck hunter. Cannot see that being the reason for influx in hunter numbers, but I know it contributes quite a bit here where I am at.
Paul Taylor
Active member
I don't blame you brother. I cringe telling folks I'm from SC when it comes to duck hunting, they don't always have a good reputation.
I've lived in SC for nearly 40 years and we used to have ducks up until the late 90's when millions of grass carp were introduced into our lakes completely annihilating invasive hydrilla (50-60,000 acres total on several man made lakes). We went from wintering thousands of ducks to next to nothing quick. Then Arkansas was the place most SC folks would go to chase mallards but that has changed over the last several years. SC boys now drive 1000's of miles in search of ducks. I met a fella here last night who said his crew averages 3500 miles chasing the freeze line on his duck hunting trips to KS, NE and OK. SC guys are buying cheap fixer upper homes in KS, OK, etc for duck camps. It's truly insane.
I have hunted Louisiana for the last 25 years and have a camp there. I'll take hunting ducks, geese, hogs, rabbits and world class fishing at our camp versus driving 3500 miles in a week, living out of hotels, motels just to chase a duck. LOL
William Reinicke
Active member
This is where I struggle to understand the mindset of these SC duck hunters. When I talked to those guys up by the border, they had been driving most of the day previous, all night and were launching a boat. I thought to myself, they have to be on some good stuff. I guess I am just not that mentally tough to chase a duck. No way I'd drive that much to try my hand at a limit of mallard. I soon just not hunt ducks lol. And shame on your local biologist and gov't for allowing the carp. They're a real problem. Yall need to introduce muskies in those lakes. We did that with a lake out here that had a goldfish problem. It was world renowned muskie fishing for about 5 years. It got the goldfish population under control in about 2 years, but then our game and fish kept stocking rainbow trout to try and make a lake that had both... that didnt work well. So they ended up starving out the muskie. It was pretty sad. This fish in the pic was 45” but only 18lbs. All head and skinny body. The one my buddy is holding was 43” and 27 lbs. She was by far the healthiest fish we caught.
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jode hillman
Well-known member
Lol I believe it. If the number of Pennsylvania license plates at Jersey ramps are any indication. L O L
Carl, I expect that it'll be liberal again but I haven't seen the AHM report yet. The pintail model was changed this past year for implementation in 2025. In the Atlantic I believe you'll be have 3 pintails with no sex restriction for the next 3 years or until the new model is evaluated. I don't have that model or regulatory options in front of me either.
Paul, I think they were able to conduct additional follow-up contacts with hunters and sample at a higher rate this year. Therefore, I expect that the results are both more accurate and more precise. But this points out the need to improve the response rate. Only 20-30% of hunters respond to the requests to provide information on their hunting activity and harvest. That's better than a lot of surveys but still you'd think hunters who are interested in long term management of waterfowl would participate in the surveys. Only 2 hunters in 10 bother to provide information, we should do better than this.
I'd love to have a single method of hunters registering for HIP or an app for recording and reporting harvest information. Unfortunately, we aren't there yet. Some of us have been thinking about it but it'll take money and political will.
