Waterfowl hunter numbers on the decline in both the U.S. and Canada

SJ Fairbank said:
Jeff,

I hunted ducks last week in the NW area of the state, Thursday and Friday before bird season. I was shocked to not see one duck hunter in several spots I hit. I know the duck hunters are concentrated along the coast, but not one other hunter? Not for lack of birds either. One location in particular had so many ducks I didn't shoot for fear of spooking them from the area, until the big flock departed. Had four groups of geese come by so close I could have touched them with the gun. The season being closed, naturally. Gunner was not amused by such sportsmanship that morning, and I was only back in his good graces after collecting a pair of blacks and a couple of teal. I have to conclude lack of ducks was not to blame for low hunter numbers those days.

Then came Saturday and our early predictions of poor grouse numbers seem pretty accurate. Not good. I suspect some road hunters will run out of fuel before they fire the gun. Did see a nice buck, a couple moose and a cat. Bobcat or Lynx, it was too far away to tell.
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Remember, all of Piscataquis County only has 16,000 residents. Bodies are spread thin up there. (They only concentrate to chase landlocks and brook trout on the Roach, East Outlet, and Moose!) Big numbers of duck hunters in Aroostook County potato and broccoli fields, all along the coast, and inland from north of Bangor down through the Penobscot, Kennebec and Androscoggin valleys. But statewide I think Maine only sells around 11,000 duck stamps a year.
 
Definitely only two people working CEFS in CT. Upside, the training Program within one year doesn't seem to apply for new instructors. I started my "training" back in 2019, Covid hit, and work, and now I'm just finishing up my training.

As Mike said, our two guys do the basic courses, as well as a host of other courses like venison butchering, turkey cleaning, etc, to really help people hit the ground running. They even team up with CT waterfowlers association (I think) and do a duck hunting day.

I will say it would be a bigger grab to have younger folks instructing, and not just men. Mile can verify, but my wife is probably a very large percentage of the female instructors in the state.

That coupled with the stupid multi-use everything is really driving the numbers of both birds and bird hunters down. As I stated before, I never heard anything about waterfowling when I was a student. Mike and I have inserted some into the courses, but like all hunting the students need a mentor, and that can be tough to find.

This coupled with my bias opinion that most kids, my own included, are just as happy to be inside than outside, makes for a tough upswing. My oldest (11) will be taking her Hunter safety course later this month, she is probably the only girl, if not only kid, in her grade interested in hunting. Once they hit the regional middle school the numbers may change a bit. It is great to see the friends come over and look at all the taxidermy waterfowl. Much cooler than a deer they've told me.

Also agreed on the development of land. We catch a lot of flak for forestry in CT, yet no one blinks an eye at development. In addition, firearms are become more and more demonized, you need to be 21 to purchase anything other than a shotgun (maybe that's included too now), and need a permit to do so, as well as to buy ammo. Not sure how younger hunters are supposed to "stay afloat" in that environment. I am very curious to see how the ever smaller deposits from Pittman Robinson plays a role in the future of management
 
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Jeff Reardon said:
I'm relatively new to waterfowl hunting. Started ~15 years ago as an adult, after growing up mostly fishing and doing a little partridge and woodcock hunting. It's a hard sport to break into if you don't grow up with someone who introduces you to it.

And it would not take a lot more crowding than I see on the more popular waters around me to make me give up on them and spend all my time at more difficult walk-in or paddle-in spots that keep the pressure down. I already avoid them on holidays and weekends. I can't imagine trying to hunt in an area with a much higher population density combined with much more restricted access.

I love November, when most of the duck hunters go Bambi chasing and leave the water to me and a few other cranks.
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My Health Is Better In November - Havilah Babcock, 1898 - 1964

Required Crank reading. [wink]
 
As someone who still considers themselves to be young (late 30s) but in reality not that young... and have been going since I was eight years old I realized a few years ago that everything I took for granted is a very steep learning curve for those who have not had the mentorship that I have. I started taking a fishing friend of mine a few years ago who was always an upland and deer hunter. He quickly got the bug and I got him all outfitted with everything he needed, nothing he didn't. And the last two years he has been very frustrated on hunts when I am not with him as a guide. Bird identification, tides, setting decoys, knowing when the call the shot, there is such a steep learning curve in waterfowl hunting.

I get a lot of questions via my YouTube channel, instagram, etc. that I try to give helpful, detailed answers to people because it took me training a fellow adult friend to realize just how much I took for granted.

I also think there's a huge factor to the internet and social media making the well known places more crowded and the off the beaten path places more easier to find. So while it may seem like hunter numbers are up, it is most likely just in the area that is being put on blast on the internet. We've seen it in the fishing community now for years, nobody works during the week if the bite is on.
 
I agree,I think the tidal hunting learning curve is very steep. I think it is a constant stream of new hunters, most of which give up before they ever actually figure it out. My brother and I got skunked or shot very little on a good number of hunts before we started putting it together. When I explain it to new hunters, I typically say you need to be uncomfortable to be successful. Whether that means extreme cold, long sits through tides in a cold boat, pushing the boat a couple hundred yards or much more to get past a sand bar etc. If it is easy and you are comfortable, you are not likely to be successful.
 
Guys (and Dani),
I have, for the most part, stopped duck hunting.

I can't believe I just typed that sentence.

I am 69. I have hunted ducks since I was in 7th grade. My first duck hunt was peddling my bike 4 miles each way to my uncles pond only to miss my only opportunity at a pair of mallards. The gumption to get up at dark o thirteen 7th grade and ride my bike to duck hunt continued through most of my life. When I was in my mid 50's I would still drive 45 minutes home from work, pack up my car, leave home at 9:00 pm and drive and two hours across the border to Ontario to hunt Mitchell's Bay for one day and then drive back home to go to work the next day.

I still have that kind of gumption and physical energy, but I find the opportunities to deer hunt near my Raleigh home dramatically more preferable than the Gaza-like crowding of duck hunting on our game lands here.Thus I have put the gumption of my youth into deer hunting. Occasionally I will bang a wood duck in some local creek.

Next year I may do an October destination hunt back to the managed areas of Michigan just to see a nice group of mallards sweep around a marsh. Michigan guys complain loudly about getting a bad draw and sky busters, etc. But they don't know how good they have it compared to public hunting opportunities in NC.

I don't know about trending duck hunter numbers in NC, but the trending number of public places with water here in central NC is definitely trending down.

Location. Location Location.

Larry
 
Where I used to hunt was the Lower Columbia river, and if you had a decent boat and knew how to run it in the conditions there, there were plenty of places a guy could set up and hunt.


I haven't got a dog anymore to hunt with, and because I bounce back and forth across the Pacific, I can't really have one because it wouldn't be fair to the dog to leave it for months at a stretch. For me, working the dog and being with the dog was just as important as getting the birds.
Let's face it, a lot of folks don't have the scratch to have a boat, and a vehicle to pull a boat, and a dog, and the time to work a dog, and a place to go that is huntable. It is a pursuit that only a few lucky ones get to enjoy. With the way things are in the world today, I don't know that people have the freedom and ability to line those factors up realistically. It is a shame that this is so. People have been reduced to slaves, just to have a roof over their head and food on the table.
 
Latest press release on this years waterfowl season outlook from ADCNR indicates Alabama set a third straight year of record state duck stamp sales. Over 38k. And it's electronic, so it's not collectors buying them.
 
I also would like to say that we now have developments everywhere in NJ with a retention pond hooked to each one. They are always loaded with ducks creating mini refuges dotted all down the coast. I have even seen black ducks or hybrids potentially being fed by human hands.
 
Josh,

The lake in the Bayside development near Assateague Island seashore was filled with canvasbacks last year. Noticed a few Mallards in our pond . Most ponds have strings over them to prevent geese and duck from landing.

Rick
 
Richard Lathrop said:
Josh,

The lake in the Bayside development near Assateague Island seashore was filled with canvasbacks last year. Noticed a few Mallards in our pond . Most ponds have strings over them to prevent geese and duck from landing.

Rick
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Why do people want to discourage wildlife from using those ponds?
 
Mostly fecal matter causing issues. They also are know to paint goose eggs to prevent them from becoming a year round nuisance. There is a resident who drives around checking the ponds.

Rick
 
Carl said:
Latest press release on this years waterfowl season outlook from ADCNR indicates Alabama set a third straight year of record state duck stamp sales. Over 38k. And it's electronic, so it's not collectors buying them.
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I saw Seth's report and read that too. Kind of surprised me. I wonder if the increase is outpacing the state's pop growth (4-5% annual), or merely keeping up with it.

Eric
 
Richard Lathrop said:
Mostly fecal matter causing issues. They also are know to paint goose eggs to prevent them from becoming a year round nuisance. There is a resident who drives around checking the ponds.

Rick
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I get the goose issues. Those resident geese are a real PITA. I suspect landscaping might be an effective way to discourage them. Some folks up here have had good success eliminated mowed lawns or other low ground covers near the waters edge and replacing them with taller vegetation to be pretty effective at keeping geese away. Apparently they are not comfortable once vegetation is high enough to interfere with their sight lines. A bunch of lake front properties here have moved from mowing to bush hogging once or twice a year and pretty much eliminated their goose-crap issues.
 
Given the local fox population that may be a good idea but not sure homeowners will like the tall grass obstructing their view of the pond

Rick
 
Better than goose shit!

The state and local lake associations up here have a really good voluntary outreach program called Lake Smart. No need to convert to trees or tall shrubs. A lot of ground cover plants and low shrubs are attractive landscaping and not goose feed. Low bush and high bush blueberries are a common suggestion.

https://www.lakes.me/lakesmart
 
Very good question.
Given that most of the growth is taking place in the two areas of the state with the best waterfowl hunting, it would make sense if that it would track with population growth.

There was a report on AL.com last week about Mobile County recruiting another 1,000 jobs to the area. My first thought is what the heck are they thinking??
 
Carl said:
Very good question.


There was a report on AL.com last week about Mobile County recruiting another 1,000 jobs to the area. My first thought is what the heck are they thinking??
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My family lived in Dothan for about 18 months when I was 2-3. Dad was finishing his post-Vietnam years to pay for his ROTC scholarship as an instructor pilot at Fort Rucker. I was uprooted from my grandparents rural farm in cool New Hampshire where Grandpa had boats and dogs and a big garden and near unlimited time to entertain his only grandson to live in a Dothan trailer park and then in a cramped little house on the base. I remember hot, humid, fire ants, warnings about rattlesnakes on the clay bank behind our house on base, and warnings about water moccasins on the beach at Lake Tallaco. We fled north as soon as Dad's active duty service was up.
 
Jeff

The Dothan area is one of the last places I'd choose to live too :) Living in Huntsville isn't like living in the south you found in Dothan. We do have the snakes and bugs, but given the number of transplants in the area the folks are not quite the same as other parts of the deep south. Alligators are of concern to duck hunters with retrievers, but then again you guys evidently have great white sharks to worry about.

Community stunned after shark kills dog in Nova Scotia waters - YouTube

Eric
 
If I ever move back, Mobile or Huntsville are the only two places in Alabama I would consider.
Mobile is like New Orleans, but safer, with a beach.
Huntsville has mountains, rocky rivers and rockets. And good German food.
 
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