More on Robo's

[JABIII]

Roboducks outlawed in Arkansas

Mechanical decoys are controversial

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS


LITTLE ROCK - Starting next year, duck decoys equipped with lifelike spinning wings that help lure wary waterfowl into shotgun range will be outlawed in Arkansas.

The state Game and Fish Commission voted unanimously Thursday to ban the wildly popular decoys, starting with the 2005-06 waterfowl season. The vote does not affect the upcoming season. The ban includes "electronic, mechanically guided, wind-powered or manually powered spinning blade devices that simulate wing movement."

Known generically as Roboducks, spinning-wing decoys have been controversial since their introduction about seven years ago. They attract ducks and geese by simulating the flapping wings of birds as they land or take off.

Some waterfowlers and biologists have questioned the ethics of using Roboducks, saying their effectiveness rivals that of live decoys and baiting - methods outlawed in the 1930s out of fear duck populations would be decimated.

"I don't think spinning-wing decoys are in the best interest of Arkansas hunters," Game and Fish Commissioner Sheffield Nelson of Little Rock said.

The decoys have become almost standard equipment for many waterfowl hunters, who use one or more in conjunction with standard motionless decoys.

Spinning-wing decoys typically sell for $50 to $200. Former Game and Fish Commissioner Marion McCollum of Stuttgart, the owner of waterfowl gear retailing giant Macks Prairie Wings, has estimated store and catalog sales of spinning-wing decoys at $1 million a year.

Studies in Arkansas and other states have shown that hunters often kill more ducks - and a disproportionate number of juveniles - when using the devices.

In a survey of Arkansas duck hunters conducted in April and May, 51 percent of respondents opposed a ban of Roboduck decoys and 44 percent supported a ban. Five other states have implemented partial or total prohibitions on spinning-wing decoys.

In July, Game and Fish Commission officials unsuccessfully lobbied the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to ban the decoys throughout the Mississippi Flyway. Commissioners said Thursday they hope Arkansas prohibition will entice other Mississippi Flyway states to follow the Natural State's lead.

[JABIII]

Robo-ducks gone in Ark., safe in Ill.


Arkansas wildlife officials recently voted to ban battery-powered, spinning-winged decoys -- generically known as robo-ducks -- after this hunting season.


But don't expect Illinois and other Midwestern states to follow suit anytime soon.


"I don't see any movement toward (a ban)," said Ray Marshalla of the state Department of Natural Resources.


"The evidence right now indicates there's no increase in harvest as the result of using these devices in the flyway level, the national level or state level. And because of that there's really no strong impetus for a ban."


Marshalla said Illinois hunters have told the DNR they would support a ban if the decoys were causing a big increase in the duck harvest rate, which would lead to shorter hunting seasons. But that's not happening.


Two-thirds of Illinois hunters used robo-ducks last season, according to a DNR survey. The use rate was nearly 90 percent in Arkansas.


Arkansas representatives also tried to get the Mississippi Flyway Council to ban robo-ducks in the entire flyway, but their motion failed for lack of a second.


Minnesota has a partial ban of robo-ducks, which can't be used over public waters in the first couple of weeks of the season. The goal is to protect the local breeding mallards.


"The majority of ducks shot in Minnesota are locally bred, unlike in Illinois where most of our ducks came from other states," Marshalla said. "So they felt early in the season they didn't want undue harvest pressure on their local mallards."


Some Illinois hunters have found robo-ducks to be not as effective now as when they burst onto the scene in the late 1990s because ducks are getting wise to them.


Marshalla said hunters have told him that later in the season and in heavily hunted areas where a lot of the decoys are in use, the robo-ducks are helpful.


"Hunters either have quit using them, or they only use them part of the time or they have remote controls where they turn them off when the (live) ducks start circling.


"I don't think the ducks remember from year to year, but they certainly seem to remember during the same season."


Mike Van Barriger of Winnebago is happy with his success rate using robo-ducks.


"They're effective. It gives you another 10 or 15 percent edge," he said. "They work."


He believes the ban was appropriate for Arkansas because hunters there "shoot thousands of ducks in that flyway, and we just shoot a handful up here."


Sales of robo-ducks have leveled off the past few years, retailers say.


"Most people have them now, but a few people pick them up here and there," said Kurt Hudrlik, manager of Rockford's Gander Mountain. "The majority of customers are buying them because they work. ... Guys are looking for an advantage."


Hunters considering the purchase of robo-ducks have plenty of choices. In addition to the spinning-winged ducks mounted on poles above the water, there's floating decoys with spinning wings and swimming decoys.


One of the newest products is the Vortex system, which has two spinning-wing decoys attached to harnesses that are tethered to a pole that they "fly" around in a 10-foot diameter circle. The system is powered by a 12-volt motor.


Local hunters also might want to check eBay after this season -- there should be plenty available after Arkansas' ban takes effect.

DU book, Gen-X stories

Ducks Unlimited has published a new book, "Generation DUX", about the waterfowl hunting adventures and misadventures of 20- and 30-year-old sportsmen.


The 112-page, hardcover book, which includes 176 color photos, sells for $17.95.


It is available by calling 800-45-DUCKS, or visiting www.ducks.org/bookstore