January 31st closure at risk!

[Wanderer]

After viewing the commission meeting from last Friday it is evident that even though the Hunter Survey data overwellingly shows Duck Hunters in TN want to hunt to the latest Federally Allowable date, currently Jan. 31, options continue to be presented to the commission that give them consideration of other alternatives that do not allow for the utilization of the final days of January in "exchange" for more "weekend" days or a longer split prior to the "Special Hunts (Youth and Veterans)".

I have contacted my commissioners, regional and state, to show my support for what has been termed here in TN as "Late and Straight".

If you have an opinion now is the time to express it with your appropriate comminsioners as they will be voting to promulgate the seasons for 23-24 at their April meeting.

Will

 

[bill cooksey]

After viewing the commission meeting from last Friday it is evident that even though the Hunter Survey data overwellingly shows Duck Hunters in TN want to hunt to the latest Federally Allowable date, currently Jan. 31, options continue to be presented to the commission that give them consideration of other alternatives that do not allow for the utilization of the final days of January in "exchange" for more "weekend" days or a longer split prior to the "Special Hunts (Youth and Veterans)".

I have contacted my commissioners, regional and state, to show my support for what has been termed here in TN as "Late and Straight".

If you have an opinion now is the time to express it with your appropriate comminsioners as they will be voting to promulgate the seasons for 23-24 at their April meeting.

Will

Thanks for the heads-up. I'll be canceling out your vote. Because of the ice storm, January 31 was one of my better hunts of the season, and January is always the best month at my place. That said, I believe we are hunting too late into January, and I'm all for maximizing weekend days and rest time. Obviously, the potential for each changes based on the calendar each year.

 

[Wanderer]

Thanks Bill it's a free country.

In our neck of the swamp any day sacrificed at the end of the season is a net zero as there is no bird traffic to hunt prior to about the 10th of January currently.

Respectfully, Will

 

[smashdn]

Where you hunt where there aren't birds till January 10?

I want to stay away from there.

 

[Wanderer]

We do until Jan 10th or so.

Hasn't always been that way.

Just a by product of the times and Waterfowl Management Activities in West TN these days.

I hope KY is better to you.

Will

 

[bill cooksey]

Thanks Bill it's a free country.

In our neck of the swamp any day sacrificed at the end of the season is a net zero as there is no bird traffic to hunt prior to about the 10th of January currently.

Respectfully, Will

Unless there’s a lot of water early, my place stinks until about Christmas, and it has been that was since at least the 60s. Last two seasons I don’t think we had more than 30 ducks by the holidays.

 

[Wanderer]

We're a little different in that the semi-permanent water we hunted for years attracted birds early and with the proper pressure management we were able to keep a core group of birds using the area.

With the advent of widespread feed and water management particularly adjacent to the Agency (State) Refuges near us those birds sit tight for most of the season and do not venture far as indicated by the Telemetry studies.

Looks like we are in for the same for the forseeable future.

I am not discounting hunting pressure as we as a collective have made our own bed, I'm just looking for a comfortable place to take a nap (bird or three).

For those that benefit from the newly established "Mini" Refuges, better make hay when the sun's shining because it won't forever!

Will

 

[bill cooksey]

better make hay when the sun's shining because it won't forever!

It never does.

 

[smashdn]

We do until Jan 10th or so.

Hasn't always been that way.

Just a by product of the times and Waterfowl Management Activities in West TN these days.

I hope KY is better to you.

Will

It's not. Which is why I hunt in TN 90% of the time.

 

[15thTN]

KY sucks for waterfowl. What management exists is simply watching productive areas go fallow.