What's with the weird bluebill limit?

G

Gordon Bartlett

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I have read that the newly announced framework (Mississippi flyway) calls for a 2 scaup limit for 45 days of our 60 day season. A one scaup limit applies for the other 15 days. As I read it, each state can allocate those 15 days for any time during the season as it sees fit. Seems like species restrictions on other ducks are constant throughout the season. Why are bluebills treated differently? Why not just make it one or two and leave it at that, like they do with all the other ducks? Just curious.
 
I can remember in years past here in the atlantic flyway that we have had a one bird limit on pintail and canvasbacks for 30 days of the 60 day season and closed for the other 30 day seasons. From the reading I have done on this subject it pretty much seems that bag limits are tied to hunter participation. Basically higher bag limits means a higher chance someone will deem buying a hunting license worthwhile. Because of this the USFWS tries to do what ever possible to keep the bag limits as liberal as possible with out sacrificing the health of the resource. I think its great that they are thinking outside the box and being creative with their bag limits to do what is best for the hunters and the resource
 
I could see the ?higher bag=greater participation? for puddle ducks, but do that many people set out specifically for scaup? If they are down, why not just offer a 1 bird bag limit for all 60 days? Every state will just stick their 2 bird days at the end of the season when the birds are around. It?s like the change is to say we did something without doing anything that mattered.
 
The count was low so the scaup harvest strategy calls for the restrictive package of regulations nation wide. I agree that it is strange to have 2 bag limits within a season. I am sure that the 15 day segment is an attempt by the states to avoid having a closed season on scaup while the rest of the duck season is open. This could result in some hunters violating by mistakenly shooting a scaup. In the Pacific Flyway they balanced the need to maintain bag limit for diver hunters by closing the season within the regular duck season and keeping a higher bag limit on scaup for the shorter scaup season. The states adjust their scaup seasons to provide opportunity when scaup are present while still meeting the harvest reduction goals.
 
Michael McCord said:
I could see the ?higher bag=greater participation? for puddle ducks, but do that many people set out specifically for scaup? If they are down, why not just offer a 1 bird bag limit for all 60 days? Every state will just stick their 2 bird days at the end of the season when the birds are around. It?s like the change is to say we did something without doing anything that mattered.
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I often set up specifically for scaup. I enjoy hunting them quite a bit
 
I hunt divers on open water: bluebills, redheads, and canvasbacks. Thinking back on all the hunting I've done, in the marsh and on the open water, I guess I'd have to admit that bluebills have been my favorite.
 
I am a bluebill guy too. Out on the big water or off of a point.

I like the venue, that is part of the reason for going after them.. Being there in that wild place.

I'd still want to go to those wild windblown places even if I couldn't hunt the bird, but everybody'd think I was even crazier than they already do.




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AfrikaansAlbanianAmharicArabicArmenianAzerbaijaniBasqueBelarusianBengaliBosnianBulgarianCatalanCebuanoChichewaChinese (Simplified)Chinese (Traditional)CorsicanCroatianCzechDanishDutchEnglishEsperantoEstonianFilipinoFinnishFrenchFrisianGalicianGeorgianGermanGreekGujaratiHaitian CreoleHausaHawaiianHebrewHindiHmongHungarianIcelandicIgboIndonesianIrishItalianJapaneseJavaneseKannadaKazakhKhmerKoreanKurdishKyrgyzLaoLatinLatvianLithuanianLuxembourgishMacedonianMalagasyMalayMalayalamMalteseMaoriMarathiMongolianMyanmar (Burmese)NepaliNorwegianPashtoPersianPolishPortuguesePunjabiRomanianRussianSamoanScots GaelicSerbianSesothoShonaSindhiSinhalaSlovakSlovenianSomaliSpanishSundaneseSwahiliSwedishTajikTamilTeluguThaiTurkishUkrainianUrduUzbekVietnameseWelshXhosaYiddishYorubaZulu





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Seems no different than how the black duck/ mottled duck season is closed until November in NC. Plus it's also like the rock fish (striped bass) limits here in NC that will change during the season without notice if the population changes, seen it start out where you could keep 2 and then 1 and then they closed the season early.
 
Brad Bortner said:
The count was low so the scaup harvest strategy calls for the restrictive package of regulations nation wide. I agree that it is strange to have 2 bag limits within a season. I am sure that the 15 day segment is an attempt by the states to avoid having a closed season on scaup while the rest of the duck season is open. This could result in some hunters violating by mistakenly shooting a scaup. In the Pacific Flyway they balanced the need to maintain bag limit for diver hunters by closing the season within the regular duck season and keeping a higher bag limit on scaup for the shorter scaup season. The states adjust their scaup seasons to provide opportunity when scaup are present while still meeting the harvest reduction goals.
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Michigan's 2020 proposed scaup season: Opening day- the 15th day of zone season a one bird bag limit per day; remainder of season in the zone will have a 2 bird a day bag limit.
 
This is the liberals plot to ban hunting. Dont let the "science" ploy fool you. They're all tied in lining feds pockets. Less less and less.
They can't take our guns so they want to make us miserable.
 
Interesting. I haven't seen anything posted in IL DNR site yet suggesting a change from a 3 per day limit. I don't see many Bluebills in my area thought. We mainly have Golden Eyes and Buffys when they come through. Of course I don't target them so I'm no authority.
 
This limit makes more sense than the one pintail for part of a season and none after that we had years ago.
 
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