Baiting regulations...WHY???

[Bvrtail]

Duck harvest is controlled by limits...right? Well then why should there be soooo many damn stipulations (laws) how to go about getting the limit? Why shouldn't we be able to bait an area to hunt? I don't understand the reasoning behind not hunting over bait as long as you are abiding by the bag limits. The limit is the limit why should it matter how you get it.

[turkeysc]

IF YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND, IT'S NO USE TRYING TO EXPLAIN IT TO YOU. YOU PROBABLY TROUT FISH WITH CORN TOO.

[Catdaddy]

The acceptable harvest numbers are figured based on the what the AVERAGE hunter kills per day. That figure is less than 2 ducks. Now they also calculate the number of days allowed using this figure as not to overharvest the resource.
So if they allowed legal baiting and the average kill went from 1.81 to 6 ducks(over a 300% increase) per hunter.....then you could also figure the season being 20 days or less for a Liberal Season and 10 days or less for a restrictive season.

[luv2hunt]

Bvrtail, I am in agreement with you a little on this one. In my opinion, someone with a lot of money, or a group of folks with money, can build a corn pond, plant it and then flood it. That pond will hold way more corn than anyone could ever hope to pour out. Now, I'm not pissing on someone because they have the resources to build a pond or to be a member of a club that does, but it's the same principle. To me, corn is corn is corn. This topic came up just last weekend with a group of guys that I hunt with in a private pond. The average hunter that someone mentioned above is what makes up the masses of hunters. I'd bet that it is a fairly small percentage of hunters that get to hunt on a "managed" property.

Prolly goes back to the folks that make the laws? They can make them so that most folks can't participate, but they can. Just think if everyone had to hunt in a "natural" setting without being able to hunt these planted waterfowl properties.

[SCBMXDad]

You have to look at the fed's situation as a whole not just one state. If you lived in Kansas or Tenn they do alot of hunting of ducks and geese in open dry fields. The birds feed there then rest in the pot holes or other water sources. If you were hunting in Ark. flooded timber with the number of birds they get corn ponds wouldn't be an issue. The bottom line being there setting regulations for all states to follow and cannot focus just on SC and what it takes for everyone in SC to kill birds. I see guys take limits daily and come out with greenheads in their bags. They scout and hunt where the birds are, if just anyone could pour out a bag of corn and kill a limit. That's just what their doing killing and not hunting. Yeah we have had a poor season, but as a true hunter goes where the birds are be it a back slough off a lake or river that's holding birds or another state where more birds are abundant. I can just say I've seen the birds being taken and they vary depending on location as to species. But pouring corn out is not the answer to SC duck number problem. Yeah a corn pond is probably more appealing to the ducks, but so is private land properly managed for deer that is producing better bucks than public wma's. We all need to focus our attention on what needs to be done to improve public duck hunting areas and not on whether pouring a bag of left over deer corn out can improve our hunt this week. I'll get off my soap box now, just my 2 cents.

[Low Country Sandlapper]

One of my favorite debates....

Good points, all.

[duckduckdog]

I do agree with what has been said regarding the corn ponds. I feel that a corn pond is still baiting, but I do not not believe the answer is to let eveyone pour corn out. While this has not been a stellar year, I have still killed a few duck, and should have killed more. I have not had the time to scout as much this year and that is what I blame my poor season one. When I have scouted, I have found ducks, and usually went back and killed a few. Actually most days should have killed more than I did. The ducks are out there for those willing to put the time in, and that is the way ot should be. If everyone could just pour out corn and kill a limit of ducks, the duck population would suffer greatly. I for one would love to see the limits lower for a while, nation wide in an attempt to help the overall duck count. Good points everyone.

[JABIII]

If you could spread shelled corn EVENLY over hundreds of acres you could still have good hunting without taking unfair advantage of the ducks. Pouring corn in a hole cannot be compared to a flooded ag field. Ducks simply do not respond to them in the same manner....

[B.S.D.]

I can see this one being one of dem looooonnnnggg topics!

[duckduckdog]

Good point JAB, never thought about it that way.

[Sasha and Abby]

Originally posted by JABIII:
If you could spread shelled corn EVENLY over hundreds of acres you could still have good hunting without taking unfair advantage of the ducks. Pouring corn in a hole cannot be compared to a flooded ag field. Ducks simply do not respond to them in the same manner....

<font size="-1" face="verdana,arial,helv">Just being the devil's advocate... A flooded ag field could be the "hole" in an otherwise barren expanse of thousands of acres of pine trees, sand hills and sweet gums. Just a different perspective.

[HARV]

Catdaddy hit it dead on here.It's not about us limiting out everday.It's about leaving a sustainable breeding population.

[Catdaddy]

Originally posted by HARV:
Catdaddy hit it dead on here.It's not about us limiting out everday.It's about leaving a sustainable breeding population.

<font size="-1" face="verdana,arial,helv">Huh,....when did I say that?

I hate ducks.

[HARV]

Originally posted by Catdaddy:
Now they also calculate the number of days allowed using this figure as not to overharvest the resource.

<font size="-1" face="verdana,arial,helv">I just read a tad extra into it.

[DUCKMAN]

Hell - CAT hates um so bad that he goes to Canada every spring just to stomp mallard eggs!

[JABIII]

Sasha, even you can't kill most every duck that comes into a flooded ag field. The same cannot be said for a baited hole.... One is a slaughter zone. The other is habitat.

[Candor]

I could see them legalizing baiting and I think it is a very plausible idea.

I wonder when the 3 day 2 limit season would open and close? [img]graemlins/confused.gif[/img]

[*Crippler*]

sorry jab Im not buying that.. [img]graemlins/shakehead.gif[/img]

[Low Country Sandlapper]

But it makes perfect sense, Crippler. Which do you think is more effective for luring ducks to the gun.....a 30 acre cornfield, standing 150 bushels to the acre or a 5 ton corn pile in a 300 square foot area? One is creating cover with food. The other is just a kill zone.

[Spider]

I'd say it would depend on their utilization, they could both be killing zones.