Not sure on cost per duck. A good number of those operations breed their own ducks to cut down cost.

Never thought about that

6.50 for 4 week old mallard ducklings at a place in Georgia. Heard he sold 180,000 year before last

12 dollars each is a good average. I don’t release them on my places but have friends who do and know how much our dog trainer pays for them and what they pay for the flyers they shoot at field trails

The ones I knew of doing it money wasn’t an issue, not even close.

I looked into it and it wasn’t bad per duck it’s was getting the setup going that stopped me.
Supposed to get them young like jot flying or barely flying so they’d imprint on the area.

Here the link I hope
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1BaKcRKeZh/?

I've duck hunted for over 40 years. For fun and commercially.

It use to be common knowledge that ducks migrate and imprint on an area. They return year after year. Banding waterfowl probably started in the early 1900's.

Everyone knew this.

Now enter 60 day 6 duck seasons. You have 1 billion ducks... ok.... but how many come to your area? And what happens after 20 years of shooting at them daylight to dark for 60 days with a 6 duck limit?

I think that's what has happened. We've shot up all the ducks that migrate in the name of money. The 60 day season is all about MONEY. More days afield = more hunters, more leases and more licenses.

The unfortunate thing is that Alabama isn't on a flyway. So what has happened in N. Alabama has been accelerated due to that fact. Whereas in Arkansas they are on the flyway so it is inevitable and appears after a couple weeks into the season.... success is dependent on open water and the ice situation.


So no matter what happens... we... meaning those of us on the Southern End of the Flyway continue to kill all the migrating ducks year after year. And I guess we'll just keep doing it until we ruin it because some dipchit in a plane somewhere says he's "counted" plenty. And it's always more than the LTA... go figure.

That ignores everything we use to know as fact and this is clearly NOT how to appropriately manage our Waterfowl. When we went to 60 day season I said we'd never go back and we'd have record numbers every year until hunter's success is so bad people quit.

Where did you learn that garbage? Alabama is absolutely in a flyway. Few know what its proper name is, however. I’ve know since I graduated with a wildlife science degree that Alabama sits right in the middle of what is known as the “Lost Flyway”. It is called that because any duck that shows up here is surely lost! 😂😂

Goatkiller you are spot on. The season length is all about money and has caused unbelievable pressure of the birds. I’ve been preaching for at least 10 years we. Need a reduced number of days with off days throw in every week. So many harmful things have happened including the spinning wing decoys. I’ve not got time to sit here and type everything I would like to say but will close by saying it’s not just a north Alabama problem or an Arkansas problem but it’s an everywhere problem. I’ve gone to Canada for years every fall twice most years and the ducks are even changing up there and my friends I hunt with there will say the exact same things.

Absolute truth here. If you want to imprint ducks in an area, it takes years. Duck hunting has been monetized to the point of no return!!!

A landowner in the Delta did it for his hunters, once. I was told by a good friend of the landowner that the hunters had suitcases of money and were happy to give it up to kill ducks. It is a good thing they weren't after the meat, because they were very skinny ducks! They never learned to feed on their own, even with a "caretaker" that led them to food every day. He is the only person they had interaction with and it was on a 4wheeler while blowing a whistle while leading them. Hunters were happy with it, but they didn't try it again, due to the effort it took trying to imprinting them, as well as keeping predators off of them (caught once with Temik hotdogs for Coyotes and reprimanded/fined, early in the project).

Heck, I'm just as happy hunting woodies in Alabama as I am hunting big duck in Arkansas. Seems even both of my wood duck holes, one in North Alabama and one in South Alabama don't have the ducks they did five years ago. Could count on about 2 - 3 good hunts every year which was our max limit and now I don't get one. Over hunting, roost hunting and shooting afterhours by neighbors took there their toll. Had success in these spots for years and now zip.

Pressure pressure pressure

I’ve seen it affect every critter I’ve hunted the more pressure, the bigger response. Late season quail flush wild when you pull up to the area. Deer don’t move when you drive into the area. No to little gobbling as pressure increases. Ducks flaring to calls or decoys. Ducks leaving the area because of constant harassment.

How many times years ago would you flush ducks off a hole and setup ad wait as they filtered backing

Hat happens now, flushed and gone is the usual nowadays

Watching the XBoat series the biologist from LA stating that looking at the numbers everything remained consistent. Overall harvest numbers are similar. The biggy is kills per hunter declined somewhat significantly along with hunter sentiment

Look at Arkansas and how reliant they are on duck season. Without it they would crash I bet. Rural Arkansas is all about farming and ducks and that’s where their economy is. How many rural eateries close if the hunting off season.

My farming friends in Arkansas that we leased from for years are still making some good side money at twice the price we paid or more and their hunters are killing less than half the numbers we shot. I’m happy for them to make the extra money except for one but I’m glad I don’t make that drive anymore. Hopefully the federal government will see the problem and cut the days and pressure but with Big Duck calling the shots I don’t see it happening. Big Duck is all the money that supports the wide open policy that’s been going on for 15 years that makes money off duck hunters.

Just rode down to make sure pipes from creek were flowing before this rain. Still no ducks. I may have to find another line of work

I heard a few shots yesterday morning sounded like shooting wood ducks.

Bringing in ducks will work but controlling and not hunting them for 2-4 years is the hard part. If they establish and raise young you’ll be fine but it takes years. The one brought in may not migrate until wild ducks move them. Food and more food and habitats. Never over hunt a place. Resting areas for the birds full of food. Kill every coon and skunk and possum and coyote and fox. Mid to late spring floods kills the nesting sites.

Went this AM. Did not see a duck period. You can usually count on seeing a wood duck flying. Nothing. Never had that happen before at this spot.

Worked some mallards groups this am. None completely committed but was fun