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Title: The Quackcephus Compromise
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Blog Entry: Here's the deal... we buy licenses, stamps, permits, pay taxes, participate in various conservation org's etc. which is all $$$ to support our hunting areas, refuges, breedin' population, research, staff, etc. And trust me, we don't mind payin' our fair share 'cause we're goin' & we're gonna get our's. In Canada you can kill 10 ducks a day & in Mexico the limit is 20 a day... looks like they're gettin' their's too. This is what the United States Fish & Wildlife Service (Dept. of the Interior), Central Flyway Council & Texas Parks & Wildlife Department agreed on for us last year & it's expected that this year will pretty much be the same... USFWS Recommends ''Liberal'' Waterfowl Seasons Again The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed liberal hunting regulations for the upcoming 2006-2007 late waterfowl seasons due to improved habitat conditions and waterfowl production estimates. Hunting season lengths will be 60 days in both the Atlantic and Mississippi Flyways, 74 days in the Central Flyway, and 107 days in the Pacific Flyway. Central Flyway Council Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, and portions of Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, and Wyoming Ducks: Duck seasons are proposed to be held between September 23, 2006, and January 28, 2007. In the High Plains Mallard Management Unit (roughly west of the 100th Meridian), a 97-day season is proposed. The last 23 days would be able to start no earlier than December 9, 2006. A 74-day season is proposed for the remainder of the Central Flyway. This is the first year of a proposed 3-year evaluation of the Hunter's Choice duck bag limit in the Central Flyway. The Hunter's Choice bag limit is an aggregate bag of which only one duck from the following may be taken: hen mallard, canvasback, pintail, or mottled duck. Hunter's Choice regulations are intended to reduce the harvest of all the species included in the one-bird bag, while maintaining full hunting opportunity on abundant species such as drake mallards. Five States (North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Kansas, and Texas) have been randomly assigned to have Hunter's Choice regulations and the remaining 5 States (Montana, Nebraska, Colorado, Oklahoma, and New Mexico) will serve as controls (season within a season regulations for canvasbacks and pintails) as the evaluation proceeds. The season length would be 74 days. Within the High Plains Mallard Management Unit, an additional 23 days of season would be available, provided that these days are taken starting no earlier than December 9, 2006. In Montana, Nebraska, Colorado, Oklahoma, and New Mexico, the daily bag limit shall be 6 ducks, with species and sex restrictions as follows: mallard - five, no more than two of which may be females; redhead, scaup, wood duck - two; pintail, mottled duck, canvasback - one. For pintails and canvasbacks, the season length would be 39 days, which may be split according to applicable zones/split duck hunting configurations approved for each state. The possession limit would be twice the daily bag limit. In North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Kansas, and Texas, the daily bag limit would be five ducks, with species and sex restrictions as follows: scaup, redhead and wood duck - two; only one duck from the following group - hen mallard, mottled duck, pintail, canvasback. The possession limit would be twice the daily bag. So here we are.... a 74 day season with a 5 duck a day limit, we lost a duck with Hunter's Choice. Here's the "Quackcephus Compromise": Raise your fees, stamps, licenses, permits, whatever, but in return I want a 74 day season total bag limit. That's right a 74 season total bag limit... 74 days x 5 ducks a day = a season total of 370 ducks. The Fed's, Council & TPWD all say that's legal, so somewhere we'll need to compromise. They can issued me some sort of tag per each daily limit for the season total, as I will be paid in full & have the appropriate licenses, stamps, permits, etc. so that on the days I'm workin' overtime, weekends, holidays (supportin' their fee's, & not bein' a burden on society) & not huntin'. I don't want those daily bag limits counted against me until I go huntin'... there'll have to be an ammended daily bag limit for me. I'll have no problem shootin' exactly whatever the ammended daily bag limit is, as I'll have tags allowing me to do so & I want to stay legal, so if I've missed 4 days & I'm huntin on day 5 that would be a strap of 25 to get me back to bein' even. What could be fairer than that... I mean North of me they're killin' 10 a day (10 x 74 = 740 ducks a season) & South of me they're killin' 20 a day (20 x 74 = 1480 ducks a season). Somewhere I'm commin' up short with my 370 ducks a season... somebody ain't gettin' kissed here & I'm thinkin' that somebody is me. Duck huntin' is pretty much all I do... & I don't mind totin' my end of the load, but everybody else needs to do likewise & grab ahold too, especially to the North & South. Alberta General Hunting License $23.00 CDN Migratory Bird Stamp $17.00 CDN Bird Game Stamp $106.00 CDN Non Resident WIN License (Wildlife Identification Number) $8.00 CDN TOTAL $154.00 CDN Texas Recreational Hunting and Fishing Licenses Super Combo Pkg RESIDENT $ 64.00 For residents who hunt and fish fresh water and/or salt water, the “Super Combo” package can save purchasers up to $18. The “Super Combo” includes a Resident Hunting License, a Resident Fishing License and all 5 state stamp endorsements (archery, freshwater fishing, saltwater fishing with a red drum tag, upland game bird, and migratory game bird) at a discount price. Annual Public Hunting Permit RESIDENT AND NON-RESIDENT $ 48.00 HIP Certification $0.00 Federal Duck Stamp $15.00 TOTAL $127.00 US And this doesn't count the other States licenses, stamps, fees, etc. I pay as a Non-Resident. Mexico Non-Resident Hunting License $75.00 US It looks like it would be cheaper for me & my crew to hunt in Mexico & shoot our 1480 a piece. At least we might break even considerin' what we spend here on licenses, permits, stamps, gas, taxes, hotel, food, shells, gear, boats, 4 wheelers, trailers, dawgs, insurance, maintence/upkeep of such, etc. before, durinin' & after duck season... all things bein' equal we'd probably be so far in the black we could stand ourselves. Another way to swing this is let's say I could hunt everyday in all 4 Flyways... 107 days x 7 ducks per day = a season total of 749 ducks 74 days x 5 ducks a day = a season total of 370 ducks 64 days x 6 ducks a day = a season total of 384 ducks 60 days x 6 ducks per day = a season total of 360 ducks ... that comes to a season grand total of 1863 ducks Mexico is lookin' better & better ain't it... "Una mas cervesa por favor" Hmm... I just might be on to sumthin' here & I ain't even brought up geese, cranes, coots, snipe, rails, gallinules, moorhens & mergansers...