national survey of waterfowl hunters

Brad Bortner

Brad Bortner

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A new report is out on the attributes of the waterfowl hunting community. You'll see that HIP played a role in identifying hunters. The attachment for this post is pretty long and involved at 67 pages (and about 100 more pages of supporting material), but I thought some of you might be interested in the results. I am wondering if any of you were surveyed and participated. This report was produced because migratory bird managers across the country want to understand the who, what and where of waterfowl hunters. I'm interested in hearing your thoughts about the survey and results.

My own summary of the report is 40,000 hunters were contacted, about 25% participated by answering the questions. The average age of waterfowl hunters are 47 years old, they started hunting at age 20, a majority of hunters hunted 12 or fewer days and harvested 20 or fewer ducks and 11 or fewer geese. Most are generally satisfied with current regulations, they want maximum number of hunting days and felt less strongly about bigger bag limits. They wanted the largest possible waterfowl populations over simple regulations or bigger bag limits. Clearly hunters want more places to hunt with less crowding and pressure. Generally the majority did not travel too far from their homes to hunt or go overnight. Again this is my quick summary of what caught my attention.

Enjoy the reading. I look forward to hearing your thoughts. https://nawmp.org/sites/default/files/2021-03/National Waterfowl Hunter Survey.pdf
 
This caught my eye: "They wanted the largest possible waterfowl populations over simple regulations or bigger bag limits."

As prep for a rewrite of their statewide fisheries management plan, Maine did an angler survey of randomly selected licensed anglers. Top management priorities were "health of native fish populations" and "health of endangered and threatened fish and wildlife even if it impacts recreational fishing opportunity."
 
Brad, I did a similar survey which I thought was for the state of Michigan. It might have been the one you posted because the questions seemed similar to the highlights you offer. I also participated in the wing survey for the second year. It's good to see the interest and data gathered for our great resource.

RVZ
 
Thanks for posting this Brad. I look forward to reading through it more thoroughly than the quick skim I did. I remember FWC sending out a survey similar to what you described and that I participated in.
 
Thank you for sharing. We had another survey here in NY a few months back. Lots of questions about the mallard limits and hunting on public land . There was one question that stuck in my mind. "If the Mallard season were to be closed would you still go out ot hunt other ducks"? Then they asked a series of questions about preferences of hunting mallard/ numbers. based on those questions it looks like the mallard take will be cut again, to one bird per day, possibly closed or a split of one bird for 40 days and two birds for 20 days. I can't remember who sent out the survey Cornell of NYS?

Zane
 
We also got the questions about mallards and would we still hunt ducks. We get so few true mallards in FL that no one in FL would duck hunt if that is what we were after.....
 
Dani said:
We also got the questions about mallards and would we still hunt ducks. We get so few true mallards in FL that no one in FL would duck hunt if that is what we were after.....
Click to expand...

In Maine, we are all ecstatic with being able to shoot more than one black duck, and most of my hunting buddies have always seen black ducks as the primary target species once the tastier wood ducks and teal have mostly headed south. It has required retraining for many of us to switch gears from picking out the mallards and avoiding black ducks after we have one in hand to doing the opposite.

The hen mallard/black duck distinction can be tough in low light or foggy conditions--especially for new hunters.

From a conservation perspective I admit to feeling a bit of whiplash after decades of "our problem is too many mallards screwing up black duck genetics". I wish that change in management framework could be better explained, especially in the northern end of the Atlantic flyway where mallards have been described in terms similar to what we use for invasive species.
 
Mallards are also seen as an invasive species in Florida and the rest of the mottled ducks range!
 
Brad,
Thanks for sharing this. I just completed a survey on the Mallard population issue here in the North East,
Mine was sent from the Head Biologist in Connecticut. I also get a survey sent to me every year from the
USFW service in regards to my harvest for the year.
 

Mallards have been a invasive species in the Atlantic Flyway since stocking programs, game farms, clubs, and shooting preserves way back when, and into current times. Cause for SAVE THE BLACK, duck back in the day.

Who da thunk a 2 bird Black Duck limit, and a 1 bird Mallard limit?
 
Interesting point, Vince, I would have assumed they would move to suppress mallards due to eastward miration and hybridization with blacks issues.
 
RLLigman said:
Interesting point, Vince, I would have assumed they would move to suppress mallards due to eastward miration and hybridization with blacks issues.
Click to expand...


RL,

It appears as if that ship has past, and no longer trying to deal with the "migration" and hybridization is the new course of action.

When the reason for increasing the Black Duck limit is due to less hunters, and not increase in Black Ducks, it makes a person wonder...



The poster has hung in my carving shop since the day it came out. Anther that is pristine is rolled and in a poster tube.

The pamphlet was given to all hunters in the public area where I hunted, when in western PA.

These are from the days when there was hope to prevent the further loss of the Black Ducks.


VP





View attachment Black Duck poster.JPGView attachment Black Duck front regs.jpgView attachment Black Duck regs inside.jpg
 
Vince, I was still squeezing fish back in the mid-1980s, living 300' off the Big Munuscong River about a half-mile from Munuscong Bay. From November on to ice-up the only duck you would see were blacks. We would jumpshoot the length of Sand Bay jumping hundreds of blacks to shoot two per person; then one. Now, less than 2% of the birds I see in the marshes and wetlands adjacent the river channel are blacks and hybrids.
 
We will have a 2 bird mallard limit in Ny again this year ,one can be a hen. Canada Goose is going to one bird(30 days) With the Matrix now setting the season in Ny you will see early October openers and early December closures for at least 2 more seasons. Year 5 the state will look at the program and maybe the task force will have more input. I am fortunate to live close to Lake Champlain which seasons are set by VT so late December hunts without driving overnight to Western Or Long Island are still possible.
 
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