Where Have All the Ducks Gone? A Call for Smarter Conservation
The Decline of Duck Numbers: Is It Time for Change?
For the past two decades, hunters have debated the decline in duck numbers, pointing to a range of possible causes. Some blame the expansion of refuges, while others argue that shifting flyways and Missouri holding too many birds have altered migration patterns. Unpredictable weather, increasing hunting pressure, and private clubs feeding ducks to keep them in one place have also been cited as contributing factors. While all of these issues play a role, the undeniable truth remains: the ducks simply arenโt there. Year after year, hunters witness declining numbers in the field, yet hunting regulations have not changed to reflect the reality before us.
This problem didnโt appear overnight. It can be traced back to the implementation of the Adaptive Harvest Management Plan (AHMP) by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). While intended to ensure sustainable duck populations, many hunters believe the model it relies on is deeply flawed.
The Problem with the Current Model
One of the biggest concerns is the assumption that duck populations can thrive under a continuous liberal season structure. For 25 years, the waterfowl community has operated under a 60-day season with a 6-duck daily limitโregardless of environmental changes, habitat loss, or shifting migration patterns. However, nature doesnโt adhere to rigid formulas, and outdated policies fail to account for the evolving challenges facing waterfowl populations.
What hunters see in the field often does not align with the data being used to justify these extended seasons. Despite visible declines, bag limits and season lengths have remained unchanged. The reality is that ducks need time to recover, and without proactive conservation efforts, we risk long-term damage to their populations.
A Call for Action
The question now is: what can we do to reverse the decline before itโs too late? A more conservative approach, such as a 30-day season with a 3-duck limit, could provide the breathing room waterfowl populations desperately need. While such a change may not be popular among all hunters, those who prioritize the future of the sport understand that short-term sacrifice is necessary for long-term sustainability.
Hunters have always played a critical role in conservation, and now more than ever, we must step up to advocate for responsible management. That means demanding better data-driven policies, acknowledging the realities we see in the field, and pushing for adjustments that will ensure the survival of the waterfowl we cherish.
The future of waterfowling is in our hands. Itโs time to make the tough decisions today to secure the sportโand the wildlifeโfor generations to come.
Mike OโBrien, no points system season ever went 60 days. The longest was 50. In that time period the longest the season ever went was January 18th. We should not be shooting paired birds until the end of January.
Steve Williams, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife does put out surveys. Follow their numbers on the breeding population (BPOP) of mallards from 2016 to today. 2016โs BPOP was roughly 12 million. Today we are around 6.6 million. 2020 and 2021 arenโt recorded. Iโll assume that has something to do with Covid, but Iโm not sure. But since 2016 to the present weโve lost almost one million birds out of the breeding population EVERY year. And weโve done nothing. Most of this is due to nesting habitat loss. Hard to control that from here. But how in the world can the same season structure for 28 years straight be beneficial to the current situation?
Climate change has resulted in warmer winter temperatures. If mallards have access to food (no snow cover) and open water, then they just donโt have to migrate to the South. The northern states lobbied for an earlier season opening and the southern states now hunt through January 31st. We see pair bonding in mid-January.
Time to open 2 weeks later up north and close 2 weeks earlier in the South. And Iโm all in for reducing bag limits until the resource rebounds.
All of the comments are indeed contributing factors, there is big money in Ducks, if you have money you can hunt where ducks are being fed( legally?) They essentially are slaughtering them every year. They are holding ducks in those locations and the rest of us farther south are looking at empty skies with two splits this year, didnโt start seeing birds until two weeks before season closed.
I think we should lower the limit and keep the current days. Most hunters only want to say they killed their limit anyway, so it will make it easier.
We have to sanction Missouri for flooding corn and essentially baiting to stop the migration. That may be great for their duck hunting but it will permanently disrupt migration and mating, which will result in fewer and fewer new duck being born. Itโs the most unethical duck hunting practice Iโve ever seen or heard of in the United States. We also need to make Canada and Mexico lower limits with us so that the populations can bounce back.