Combining Youth & Veteran hunts

[ducknutz]

Why at 15?

Because at 16 you can drive yourself and hunt all season without relying on an adult to take you.
Agree with 15 too.

 

[Cafowler]

Because at 16 you can drive yourself and hunt all season without relying on an adult to take you.
Agree with 15 too.

Just because you can doesn’t mean it is completely safe to do so. New driver, in spitting rain or thick fog at 0 dark thirty. Not feeling comfortable if that’s my kid. Why are we trying to take away the opportunity for the under 18 crowd?

 

[Tejas]

My guess is that if they combine them, as junior weekend, geese are open, then geese would be open for Veterans.

A biological reason is ducks are already paired up and takes out one weekend of hunting paired up ducks

That is a logical argument. Seems late for the Veteran hunt now due to breeding, maybe this assumption is wrong but it has crossed my mind. Maybe a combined hunt would be a good opportunity to introduce Juniors to some of America’s best. Honestly, how busy are the refuges on these two weekends now? Not sure how I feel about the proposed change without hearing a reason from the dept. why do they feel it needs to be changed? Is something not working the way it is now?

 

[vital_kill]

Some of these 16/17 year olds have a full beard and look like college line backers. heck they look like a younger brother to their dad more than a son.

 

[Big Daddy Gaddy]

Why are we trying to take away the opportunity for the under 18 crowd?

At 17 I already had a kid and had joined the Army. You would have a hard time convincing me I was still a junior hunter when I'd already been through basic training.

16 and 17 year olds need to be learning what adulthood is like. Adulting is hard. No special privileges. At that age if they want money they get a job. No more handouts...help and guidance for sure, but the freebies are gone. 12 year olds need junior hunts, not young adults.

 

[Cutem'all 2]

Don’t agree with combining. This year is a great example, I put my daughter in for every refuge draw Sat/Sun. She drew 1 for Saturday and 0 for Sunday. Which tells me the demand for the junior weekend is high “enough” without having to include adults. Now if we wanted to get creative and put the kids on the week before normal opener and give up a week in November and put the vets the weekend after normal close. I’d be fine with that.

Someone may have already mentioned this…. I skipped to the end to post before walking into my meeting

 

[Ragman]

Separate. Just leave it alone DFW!

For the first time my dad is going on the veterans hunt at GL. He is 79 and this is the first time I know of he has ever taken advantage of any veteran hunt. Wish I could tag along and play the bird dog for him.

You may accompany him as a non shooter is how I read it!

 

[DuckFan]

You may accompany him as a non shooter is how I read it!

Exactly! Go

 

[Tejas]

The times I have taken juniors I don't expect shoot. One of my most memorable hunts was with a junior. A full box of shells + and two birds to show for it. Then went home and built dinner for 6 around a pair of teal. That was over 20 years ago and we still talk about it.

 

[green with ring]

You may accompany him as a non shooter is how I read it!

I'm pretty sure that the reason Double Reed wishes that he could join his father on the veterans hunt is that he doesn't live in California.