# DU



## blhunter3 (May 5, 2007)

My town is starting a new chapter of DU. I went to my first meeting, the third one they have had. I was very turned away from DU. The district rep. was very poor. I asked him some quetions about improving the duck habitat around my area and he said that its not worth the time or effort because people and animals destroy the nests, wild rice, and fresh water shrimp. He also said that there are enough ducks, that I just need to be moble. Well I hunted over 25 days last year and there were not that many ducks. Other members agreed that the duck population has gone down. They are having the first banquet and it cost and arm and a leg to get in and all of the games cost $20 or more to play. I got the impression that they could care less about the ducks and more about winning guns. I asked another question about getting more kids involved in the DU banquet and they said its not worth getting them involved because they don't have the money. Is this how DU is run now? Only caring about guns and winning stuff and not about the ducks?


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## dblkluk (Oct 3, 2002)

Sounds like everything you would like to do could easily be accomplished by starting or joining a Delta Waterfowl chapter.

We have a very active chapter up here in Minot and in the last 1 1/2 years we have had two fundraising banquets and thanks to the WHF system, Delta allows us to retain a good chunk of money raised to fund local projects. 
So far we have sponsored youth outdoors camp scholarships, Built and placed close to 50 henhouses, Banded ducks at a local Refuge, we helped organize the first annual Minot area youth outdoors festival, and conducted a mentored youth waterfowl hunt. Much more is planned for this year including one of the first "women only" mentored waterfowl hunt.

Keep in mind you hold an event to raise money. But I also believe there is a happy medium between raising money,and making it an affordable family event. (We've done it successfully for two straight years :wink: )
In order to place hen houses or put on youth hunt etc you have to have the money. Is your chapter planning to do anything other than put on a banquet? Will DU let you fund anything locally?

I am also a DU member, but with that being said, with Delta I am able to take the money I worked so hard to help raise, and put it work in our local area.

Feel free to pm me if you have questions..

Erik


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## nickwesterholm (Nov 16, 2006)

That is not how DU is run at all. Currently my college chapter at NDSU (which is full of poor college students) is planning a Youth Hunt next fall during North Dakota's Youth weekend. At my banquet coming up this Friday night we are doing dollar raffles and the tickets are only $25, I think that is pretty reasonably priced. Some people may be in it for the wrong reasons, but the cause is still there. "Habitat for tomorrow" is what we say. Ducks Unlimited does ton's of research to decide on the area's they are going to work, and they pick them for specific reasons. Don't let this one bad experience leave a bad taste in your mouth.


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## dblkluk (Oct 3, 2002)

FYI..blhunter

Perham MN has a Delta Chapter. It might be worth checking out as well.



> Perham, MN - Perham Chapter | Chairperson: Bob Johnson (218) 346-3830


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## Chuck Smith (Feb 22, 2005)

blhunter...

That does not sound like DU either. My regional guys push for youth events and things like that. Maybe contact the state rep.

Chuck


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## blhunter3 (May 5, 2007)

I am going to the DU banquet in Fargo, so hopefully that will change my mind.

I have been looking into Delta Waterfowl, it sounds good.

The thing that really got me was how our district rep. was very poor and answering questions, and he seem kinda agitated that I wanted some of the money to go to building houses.

Delta Waterfowl here I come


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## averyghg (Oct 16, 2006)

blhunter3 said:


> I am going to the DU banquet in Fargo, so hopefully that will change my mind.
> 
> I have been looking into Delta Waterfowl, it sounds good.
> 
> ...


If the delta people around your area are as cool as the ones out here you're set. I hear of the delta guys around this part of the state doing way more actually in our state than the DU guys.....and the delta guys around here are way more willing to get you involved and it seems like they're more down to earth. Not bashing any of the DU guys but i never hear about them building nest structures, helping with banding, doing youth hunt activites, or have asked me to help in anything like this except for trying to help run banquets and get them as much money as we can..........and trust me, being the former president of one of the college DU chapters ive been around em enough to know that this stuff, if it happens, does not happen to often


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## TANATA (Oct 31, 2003)

Everything you just mentioned our DU chapter ALREADY has planned out yet alone never done it.


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## BOATGUY (Mar 31, 2008)

It is good to hear that your town is starting a DU chapter. I am sorry to see that you don't agree with DU's master plan. There are many conservation groups in todays world and each has its own approach and vission. It looks like you need to find the one that suits you.

Ducks Unlimited sole purpose is to protect and enhance habitat. To do this it takes $$. A chapters focus is to raise the $$ need to finace the mission. The work DU does is science based which means biologist thru science find the most cost effctive way to spend the hard raised $$ and find the habitat that wll benefit the over all waterfowl population the greatest. This may not be the habitat in your back yard. In the area that I live in people have developed and built houses on almost every small lake and pot hole around. The habitat has been destroyed to the point that it is just not cost effective to spend $$ here. Hen houses do work, but there are areas that it is true that the ice and other factors will destroy them year after year, so one has to decide, is that the best use of the $$. There are a lot of sportsman clubs in this area that build wood duck houses and hen houses for people to pick up and install. The Ottertail Rod and Gun is one of such clubs. This is what they do so why complete with them? Let them have this part of the conservation work. As far as ticket pricing goes I really dought that every thing was $20.00. And if they are then that is how they will raise the $$ needed to fund the conservation work. Take a kid hunting programs and women in the outdoors programs are all good programs but will spending the $$ on these programs add any habitat? What good are the programs if there are no places to hunt or nothing left to hunt? There are groups that promote these program very well. Every conservation group has its own vission or purpose, can't we just get along and let each group work twoards it vission? In the end everyone will benefit.


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## R y a n (Apr 4, 2005)

BoatGuy and others

Much of this topic has been discussed in this thread here:

http://www.nodakoutdoors.com/forums/vie ... 649#188649

I'm still skeptical of DU. They want the big $$ to fund initiatives that aren't helping the average hunter be able to hunt birds. Like was mentioned in that thread, maybe that is the goal. The goal is simply duck production, and if people want to get involved with DU, that is the bang they are getting for their buck.

Part of the rub, is that some "big wigs" in Tennessee, have decided how best to achieve more ducks, and to hell with everyone else. Unless you get onboard with their vision of the DU mission statement, well.. go find another organization.

If sportsman really had collective vision, they would have a group of people start a national organization designed to purchase land something similar to a national PLOTS program.

Our issue isn't so much birds, like it was when DU started. It has now become access. DU is chasing the wrong goal, unless our collective goal is to become a nation of bird watchers who don't need to step on private property to do it.

Ryan


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## BOATGUY (Mar 31, 2008)

Ryan you are right but it seems like every so often the whole thing rears its ugly head. I would like to comment on your big wig comment, DU has teams of biologist on the ground all over this continent that inform and dircect the project selections, so the big wigs are local and living where the work is needed. One final note. Hear is my view on habitat versus preditor control to increase duck populations. It is like looking for a needle in a hay stack, the needle being a ducks nest, the hay stack being habitat and the players being predators. In my opinion DU looks at it as the bigger the hay stack the harder it will be to find the needle and the more needles that can be hidden, Delta looks at it as the fewer players the longer it takes to find the needle. Both are right! now what happens when there are fewer plaer and a bigger hay stack? Both organizations are correct and together great things can happen. People can go on arguing about who is right or become part of the solution. That is the real choice-PROBLEM OR SOLUTION.


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## hunt4P&amp;Y (Sep 23, 2004)

blhunter3 said:


> I am going to the DU banquet in Fargo, so hopefully that will change my mind.


You came to our Banquet?


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## blhunter3 (May 5, 2007)

Yeah, I actually sat with the guy who won the goose call and duck call from zink.


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## bandman (Feb 13, 2006)

blhunter3 said:


> Yeah, I actually sat with the guy who won the goose call and duck call from zink.


Wasn't that your paps Mike? :huh: They sure weren't his for long. :lol:


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## whitehorse (Jan 28, 2008)

so who's mike? the guy that took his dad's calls? haha, that was pretty friggen funny! I was going to offer him 150$ for em (didn't know if he knew what they were worth) and the next thing I know he gets em stolen! haha

On a side note, I would like a lot more available/public lands, but I want them to thrive as well. I would like to be active with a group that is willing to build and maintain duck houses.

On a side note, I think it's more trouble than what it's worth to get delta or du to find kids to go on youth hunts. If you know a kid, just tell them they are welcome. I doubt i'd be hard to fill your field with a dozen kids, and even if you can't, there is always next season!

I guess I have a shortage of money, therefore cannot donate anything other than my time. If it's banding, i'd be tickled pink, if it's buildin duck boxes, awesome, if it's helping grow vegitation ducks will thrive on, all the better. But ask me to buy 200$ worth of ticket so I MIGHT win, it's not going to happen....

good thread


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## blhunter3 (May 5, 2007)

Sorry *again* R Y A N for posting another question. I thought that this site was about asking questions and learning more about hunting. Sorry for not looking back that far to see if questions have already been asked. I just guess I'm not up to your standards.

Bandman I had to leave early because I work on a dairy farm and I have to be up at 5:15 am and I get home at 6 pm. I wanted to stay longer, but work comes first. Whitehorse was with me too.


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## averyghg (Oct 16, 2006)

blhunter3 said:


> Sorry *again* R Y A N for posting another question. I thought that this site was about asking questions and learning more about hunting. Sorry for not looking back that far to see if questions have already been asked. I just guess I'm not up to your standards.


hahhaha take that ryan!


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## R y a n (Apr 4, 2005)

blhunter3 said:


> Sorry *again* R Y A N for posting another question. I thought that this site was about asking questions and learning more about hunting. Sorry for not looking back that far to see if questions have already been asked. I just guess I'm not up to your standards.


:huh: I wasn't referring to this being a bad question at all.... far from it in fact! :beer: Thanks for asking it! I meant to followup and show all of you that there has been some prior discussion on the topic. No worries.

Relax man!


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## CuttinDaisies (Nov 15, 2007)

*Here is a very good read on DU and how effectively they've spent the money they've raised;

http://www.madduck.org/pdf/melancholy.baby.pdf*


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## mshutt (Apr 21, 2007)

Mike you got the calls stolen that your dad won??? They were being used in an obnoxious way outside after the banquet...and you had the calls on your neck when that B&($& was telling us to go outside and drink our beer :beer:


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## nodakoutdoors.com (Feb 27, 2002)

On the Madduck article, can anyone verify the statement below to be false?



> Ducks Unlimited has raised 78 percent of the waterfowl habitat money, an amount totaling more than $2.5 billion, but has purchased only 12 percent of the permanently protected duck habitat on the northern prairies.


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## nodakoutdoors.com (Feb 27, 2002)

Here's another article that I'd like to know if it to be false also?



> Until the middle of the last century, Ducks Unlimited believed it could best help ducks by building dams and creating large water impoundments on Canadian prairies, where more than half of North American ducks are produced in most years.
> 
> Later it hoped to foster greater duck production by focusing on broader Canadian landscapes, including small wetlands and potholes.
> 
> ...


http://www.embraceopenspace.org/news/ne ... 9&typeID=2


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## dblkluk (Oct 3, 2002)

> On a side note, I think it's more trouble than what it's worth to get delta or du to find kids to go on youth hunts.


Absolutely not...

It is alot of work, but if you can get just one kid into the field, it is one of the most rewarding things a waterfowler can do.

The day I spent afield with two young men during our youth hunt this fall, was one of my most memorable hunts and I wasn't even carrying a gun.

Its almost cliche', but these kids truely are the future of our sport.
There are a million other things a kid can partake in these days, its important to get them involved early.


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## dblkluk (Oct 3, 2002)

> Here is a very good read on DU and how effectively they've spent the money they've raised;
> 
> http://www.madduck.org/pdf/melancholy.baby.pdf


Very interesting read..Thanks for posting that up Mike.

Any DU'ers out there who can confirm or deny that info?

It does make some sense to me...how many WPA's do you see compared to DU project areas..?
I could tell you the location of 20 WPAs of the top of my head.. DU projects?? I'd have to think for a bit to name one.

Simply my observations as a member of DU.


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## whitehorse (Jan 28, 2008)

dblkluk said:


> > On a side note, I think it's more trouble than what it's worth to get delta or du to find kids to go on youth hunts.
> 
> 
> Absolutely not...
> ...


i'm saying it should not be in the hands of the organizations to roundup kids for you, as there are more fruitful things they could be doing. If they happen to have some kids that want to go, it would not take long for someone there to volunteer.

we had a group of like 5 kids last year too, and was our best memory as well.


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## dblkluk (Oct 3, 2002)

> i'm saying it should not be in the hands of the organizations to roundup kids for you, as there are more fruitful things they could be doing. If they happen to have some kids that want to go, it would not take long for someone there to volunteer.


Are you saying it should not in the hands of the organizations, or the chapters?

Kids today are not just going to walk up and say "I wanna go hunting".

Recruitment of new waterfowlers (men women and kids) should be a priority. 
It is a ton of work to plan and carry out a youth hunt, but as you know, It is extremely rewarding. 
If a chapter is interested in keeping youth involved, you have to plan a hunt and work hard to find the kids who want to go. That's the hard part, but like I stated earlier even if you get one kid out there its a success.

If we (as chapters) don't do something, who will??


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## whitehorse (Jan 28, 2008)

dblkluk said:


> > If we (as chapters) don't do something, who will??


well no one in my family or friends had ever been part of an organization. My family pretty was outdoing pheasants forever on their own. We had no problems getting kids out and doing stuff. I find it hard to believe that any youth that would like to go hunting would have a problem finding someone. We have always let people know that we willtake youth out, and not only on youth opener. I recently joined DU and they make no notes of taking them out, and I guess I can't expect them to. I just don't see how a chapter goes about it, are you putting up fliers asking kids to join a hunt? Prob. not.

This next season we are making a DVD full of youths and then gonna burn em and give them to the kids involved. If this doens't flair intrest from kids, I don't know what would... how cool would you be to have your own huntin dvd with pics, music, movies, and memories... i'm thinkin of going as far as gettin em some cheap buck gardner calls or something as well...

Back to the topic, I just have never heard how any org. has GONE out to recrute kids. Flyers? commercials? newspaper? prob. not....

if it's word of mouth, (my guess) then there is not a need to go through DU... 
lol just my :2cents:


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## BOATGUY (Mar 31, 2008)

When you are looking at the WPAs call the county and see how many of them are purchased with DU and other organization funds before you praise the wrong org. USFWS will readily tell you that it is the conservation organizations that fund most of these projects.


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## dblkluk (Oct 3, 2002)

> Back to the topic, I just have never heard how any org. has GONE out to recrute kids. Flyers? commercials? newspaper? prob. not....
> 
> if it's word of mouth, (my guess) then there is not a need to go through DU...


Our chapter does go out and recruit kids. We promote it through all media outlets. We promote it at our banquet by providing signup sheets. And of course word of mouth, just to name a few.

A big focus of our chapter is getting youth involved in the outdoors. We plan youth events and projects and we work hard to make them happen.

I like what you are doing Whitehorse, but keep in mind if you were to join or start a chapter like Delta, you would have the people and resources available to do even bigger and better things.

Because of Delta's Waterfowl Heritage Fund system, you are allowed to use many of the dollars you raised at your banquet, to fund events like the youth hunt, youth outdoors festivals, hen houses etc. Not all organizations allow chapters to do this.
A big reason our fundraisers are so successful and are so well supported by our community, is the people who come and spend money at the banquets are able to see their money put to work right here, where they live and work.
Our chapter will not put on a fundraising event (banquet) send the money to the national office and then disappear until the next years banquet.

I'd be willing to bet you would have to work hard to find a more involved chapter than ours.


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## whitehorse (Jan 28, 2008)

dblkluk, I like what ur doing.

I have a hard time deciding between the two, and as some have stated, it's just preference. Some people don't want to get out there, and would rather just fork up some money to feel better. This isn't an option, so maybe i'll be lookin into perham's delta waterfowl chapter.

like you said, delta would maybe even help out with the hunt, and the chapter could bring calls for youth and simple things like thate... awesome stuff...

only 5 months away till the geese are shootable....


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## whitehorse (Jan 28, 2008)

I too have a very hard time findin a DU location. To my knowledge, I know of one, that is part on wma as well....

if du had acquired the land, and the gov't bought it out, would du not keep signs up? as perhaps they did at the loaction i'm familiar with? I don't know..

then again, as that one article said (don't know if it's correct) Du rents, not owns... lol cheaper? nope, hard to believe they would be stupid enough to try something like that!


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## ND_duckman (Feb 17, 2006)

Minnesota DU Habitat Projects:
http://www.ducks.org/media/Conservation ... nts/MN.pdf

North Dakota DU Habitat Projects:
http://www.ducks.org/media/Conservation ... nts/ND.pdf


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## whitehorse (Jan 28, 2008)

that doesn't help me out too much, I see a buncha red ducks, doesn't say what was done there, or if land was bought/leased/rented? public? closed through waterfowl season? did the just release some birds there? take soil samples? water samples? All are fine with me, just a foggy lense for me.... also is this all they have done in history untill 2006? or just that year? agian, don't have a prob. with DU, just seems like it's very very vague for me


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## dblkluk (Oct 3, 2002)

ND-Duckman and BOATGUY,

You both seem very knowledgable about DU and its mission, could you shed some light on the madduck.org article?

Seems there are always two sides to every story, I'm curious to hear the DU side.

Duckman,
Like Whitehorse said, Is there a way to find more detail into the DU "project areas"?


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## BOATGUY (Mar 31, 2008)

*Whitehorse maybe this will help some. *A non profit organization cannot hold title to lands. If they do then they are no longer a non profit. Land can be purchased and then restored but can not be held by the groups, that is why you will see a lot of "partnerships" of the non profit groups and government organizations. Land is restored and turned over to the usfws ect. This is not just with DU but any organization that must maintain a non profit status. You want the best of both worlds......belong to DU-Delta and PF.

As hunters and sportsmen we need to stop trying to divide our numbers. Small groups are much more easy to defeat. There is more than enough anti hunting anti gun groups out there right now. Hunters and sportmen and sportswomen need to stand together and stop the bickering amongst them selves. Together we can survive. Devided we can be defeated.


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## whitehorse (Jan 28, 2008)

i'm not saying I want any one group over the other.. I grew up on a farm, and we did more than our fair share of helping the wildlife. now i'm off the farm, and want to keep active, and lookin to find best way to fit personality. Would I ever talk anyone outta any groups/org.? nope... I am just looking for what fits me, and delta sounds like a winner, because I have no money, but am willing to work hard for the sport I love. I guess I just like to know/understand anything I can about everything... just a curious person!

well i gotta get ta class, but this thread has been most insiteful


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## blhunter3 (May 5, 2007)

Whitehorse, I am going to call Delta today to see what they can do for us.


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## T Shot (Oct 4, 2002)

If you make those little red ducks big enough, you might be able to cover the whole state! I too am curious as to what those "restoration projects" include. Not trying to be a total richard, just curious.


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## honkerslayr (Dec 14, 2006)

Well I know around where i hunt there are many DU partnerships. Usually how this comes about is the landowner will contact DU or vice versa and together set aside habitat for waterfowl and other animals to thrive in a habitat that wouldn't be tampered with. It just is there to improve animals numbers and assure them in our future. The landowner recieves nothing and it's totally non-profit. The way I look at it it's good for the wildlife and us hunters.The money we pay helps to keep lands and improve habitat that would otherwise be destroyed. Things like this become very controversial, for example the Farm Bill. I'm not going to get into it and turn this threads direction but ust trying to tell more about it and where the money goes. But for the record I have seen many DU projects when I've been out hunting. But Delta also has some good programs and also don't believe in bashing one organization and comparing it to the other, because they are both here to help us hunters and preserve our right.


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## Skip OK (Jul 16, 2006)

The big issue in the Mad duck article is how much land is conserved "in perpetuity".

OK, let's look at that. There are two ways to conserve perpetually; you can own the land or you can get a perpetual conservation easement on the land.

For many decades DU owned no land. It is simple economics; buying land is a very expensive proposition, and the cost to conserve an acre of ground that DU uses ($250) would not even buy the ground most of the time, even without doing anything to it. For many years, DU opted to work on Crown Land in Canada, which were provided free of charge by the Crown in exchange for DU conservation work. DU also works on private land where the landowner agrees and where suck work furthers DU's mission.

Big Grass Marsh, DU's Duck Factory #1, is an example. This project was started in 1938 (one year after DU was formed) and to the best of my knowledge, is still producing ducks today. But since this a cooperative venture between DU and the Canadian government, it is not counted as pemanently conserved.

We have discussed DU getting permanent conservation easements on this forum before. For reasons I don't completely understand, but which make sense to you all, North Dakota severely restricts how much land can be protected by conservation easements. I wish more land could be protected this way, but again I understand that it is a hard sell in ND.

In extraordinary cases, DU will actually buy land, enhance the habitat, protect it with conservation Easement and the re-sell the land at auction. This "revolving lands" program is time intensive and is somewhat state law dependent (as I mentioned before, ND frowns on having DU put easements on land), and carries a certain risk, in that DU can lose money buying and selling land just like anyone else, but they have done it, and it HAS been discussed on this Forum.

The idea that a non-profit cannot own land is not exactly correct. People have given land, and stocks & bonds, and various other investment to DU for years. Generally DU divests these assets pretty quickly and uses the money they generate toward the organizations goals.


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## DU (Jan 29, 2007)

There is much to digest here with so many tangents to the discussion, and many questions to answer. Review of questions posed here are currently being made and posted when all are gathered up and put together to best make use of all of our valuable time and energies. While the info is gathered, let this settle in for thought and let that guide us through this online conversation.

Ducks Unlimited's Vision
Wetlands sufficient to fill the skies with waterfowl today, tomorrow, and forever.

Mission Statement
Ducks Unlimited conserves, restores and manages wetlands and associated habitats for North America's waterfowl. These habitats also benefit other wildlife and people.


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## TANATA (Oct 31, 2003)

You guys all have too much time on your hands to sit here and argue which non profit organization is the best or trying to bash one. If you like one more then the other great, but it's most likely not any better. DU and Delta are both great and I'm only in DU because of our local college chapter. I am just as likely to join Delta and help conserve through them too.

Next we should argue Microsofts earnings compared to big oil's.


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## dblkluk (Oct 3, 2002)

> You guys all have too much time on your hands to sit here and argue which non profit organization is the best or trying to bash one. If you like one more then the other great, but it's most likely not any better. DU and Delta are both great and I'm only in DU because of our local college chapter. I am just as likely to join Delta and help conserve through them too.
> 
> Next we should argue Microsofts earnings compared to big oil's.


I think this is a much more important discussion than the usual GHG vs Bigfoot one... :wink:

Questioning? Yes. Bashing? I wouldn't say so.

Personally, I was simply trying to get some questions I had regarding the MadDuck article. Like I said, theres two sides to every story. I wanted to hear a DU response

Also, I had a few questions regarding DU projects in our area.

Because of the questions I posed, I received some positive answers via email. Thanks to those who have responded.

I'm a Delta chapter chairman, but also a member of DU. Both organizations do some great things, but like was said earlier one organization may fit an individual better than another.

Importantly, if you call yourself a waterfowler, you should be a member of one or both.



> There is much to digest here with so many tangents to the discussion, and many questions to answer. Review of questions posed here are currently being made and posted when all are gathered up and put together to best make use of all of our valuable time and energies. While the info is gathered, let this settle in for thought and let that guide us through this online conversation


I look forward to the info DU.


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## blhunter3 (May 5, 2007)

I never meant for this to bash one group, nor do I think anyone has been, but I was just wondering if my DU chapter is different from ever other chapter? I was also wondering if all reps. were as bad as the one from my area.

If anyone has one more facts to support one or both, please post them. I am looking to donate alot of money and time to one.


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## whitehorse (Jan 28, 2008)

TANATA said:


> You guys all have too much time on your hands to sit here and argue which non profit organization is the best or trying to bash one.


too much time on our hands? lol, you should read the baitpile in the member's forum..

I think everyone can agree we arn't here to bash, pretty much just tryin to get more information about different organizations...


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## Skip OK (Jul 16, 2006)

blhunter3 said:


> My town is starting a new chapter of DU. I went to my first meeting, the third one they have had. I was very turned away from DU. The district rep. was very poor. I asked him some quetions about improving the duck habitat around my area and he said that its not worth the time or effort because people and animals destroy the nests, wild rice, and fresh water shrimp. He also said that there are enough ducks, that I just need to be moble. Well I hunted over 25 days last year and there were not that many ducks. Other members agreed that the duck population has gone down. They are having the first banquet and it cost and arm and a leg to get in and all of the games cost $20 or more to play. I got the impression that they could care less about the ducks and more about winning guns. I asked another question about getting more kids involved in the DU banquet and they said its not worth getting them involved because they don't have the money. Is this how DU is run now? Only caring about guns and winning stuff and not about the ducks?


blhunter,

I'm sorry I neglected your post before. Let me address some of your concerns.

First, about what you can do at the local level to improve habitat. Obviously since I live in OK while you're in MN, our "local" conditions aren't similar. That said, in every case in my experience of where people wanted to work locally, their needs were better met by a "local" group. DU sends the bulk of it funds to the five Priority I and II regions of which the Prairie Pothole Region is a "I".

While that may complicate your situation (should they spend more on "my" project instead of sending it to the Missouri Coteau) it simplifies mine ("heck NO! are you nuts?"). Habitat work in OK boils down to (1) wood duck boxes and (2) planting millet on mud flats in August. One of our committees just built 25 more wood duck boxes last week in a Greenwing day, which leads us to my second point.

Second, kids (DU calls them Greenwings) are vitally important to DU and it continuing success. At the GW event I mentioned above, we had something like 75 kids from 6 or 7 to 16 or 17 all taking part. It was a wonderful experience and did a lot to educate our youth but is didn't make much money, which leads me to my next point.

What DU is; what it does; what it exists for, is to promote habitat conservation, particularly wetland habitat conservation. Everybody (well NEARLY everybody) cheers here; it is one point of agreement among the waterfowling community that habitat is a good thing.

Well, that conservation is expensive; it takes a ton of money for DU just to hold what it's got, and even more to expand.

That's where the volunteer system fits in. We generate a very important amount of funding that can be used in whatever way is best to improve the outlook for ducks and geese. Every event is a fund-raiser; if DU didn';t make money the event wouldn't hold.

The needs of the conservation side are enormous; I don't think we could ever raise enough funds to completely eliminate the backlog of GOOD projects the conservation guy come up with.

This really tends to color the attitude of the committees. EVERYBODY, committee included, wants the YOURTOWN dinner to be the most fun the attendees have ever had.

But for the committee, that doesn't include losing money so the crowd can have $5 chances for a $2000 gun; not unless they sell a LOT of chances.

At my dinner, we try to make sure that for every $100 we take in, not more than $30 goes for the meal, the hall and any items we happen to buy. That 70% efficiency goal is pretty common around here, and I hear a lot of Chairman discuss this idea when they are deciding what items to order; "if we can't get X for this item, let's get something else instead" is a common idea.

That may mean that the raffles get priced higher than I personally like, but usually what happens is that they replace a more expensive item with one that. while still nice costs less. You may not be quite as thrilled to win an 870 as you would be to win a SBE, but if the 870 tickets are $5 while the SBE needs $25, it may mean the difference between you being able to participate or not.

Personally, I like to set the raffle costs pretty low; if for other reason than I remember times when the raffle was IT for me; the other stuff cost too much. That doesn't mean I'd reject a 4wheeler raffle for $50 a pop; rather I want to include a $10 for a sheet of five tickets on a table of "stuff" as part of the raffle package.

But that changes with your crowd. If your event will be full of college students (traditionally dirt poor) you need a different raffle plan than if you have a bunch of bankers and stockbrokers. Figuring out just how best to give stuff away is a big part of the committee's job.


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## blhunter3 (May 5, 2007)

I understand that here in MN, it is not a priority area, but, when the DU rep. said its a waste of time to try to make duck houses or plant wild rice or freshwater shrimp, I was like WTF. So it makes no sense to try to help the ducks? He claimed that I was not moble enough and said I'm not good at hunting. I have quite a bit of land that holds ducks, but the woodies and teal are gone after 2 weeks. The mallards that come here stop for about a week. I personally have seen how if you create habitate they will stay longer, in other areas. Second, I am not the best hunter in the world nor do I claim to be. I have never gotten a limit of geese or ducks( except woodies where you can shoot two) nor do I try to kill everything. But if a person spends over 25 days hunting waterfowl, he would notice where the ducks are and why there are there or not there.

Maybe our local rep. is just a pile idk, but if he wants nothing to do with helping the ducks, then he lost a person who would contribute alot of time with helping kids and building duck habitate, and a person who will donate money as well. IF the DU thought is, well if we lose one person here, we will make up for it in other areas then I will not take part in it.

With that being said, I would really be interested in going to another DU meeting somewhere else, (school and work permitting)


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## Skip OK (Jul 16, 2006)

blhunter,

Obviously I can't answer your specific question about what is the best local thing to do, but I'd like to suggest that most of the "man sized" as opposed to "lots of heavy equipment sized" projects may be a better fit with a smaller but more directly concerned group.

Let me give you an example. A few years back we had a group of guys that put on a wildlife show and calling contest. They were all DU members, but this particular thing was a Delta Waterfowl deal. The show didn't last, but we continued going to Outdoor shows as exhibitors. As time went on, these guys got more and more restive. They wanted something to DO!.

Finally they started their own org, and they spend August each year hand seeding millet on mud flats on some of our COE lakes. The Wildlife Department does aerial seeding but there are lots of corners where the planes can't reach and so these guys have rigged up mechanical sowers to broadcast the millet seed and they try to get all this missed pockets. And they appear to have a great time doing it. I dropped out as I started doing more with DU ( I was a Zone Chairman and District Chairman during thise years), but they all pretty much have a ball, doing something that frankly doesn't do enough good, habitat-wise to probably get in DU's (or Delta's) radar.


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## ND_duckman (Feb 17, 2006)

blhunter3 said:


> He claimed that I was not moble enough and said I'm not good at hunting.


Blhunter - I was not at the meeting so I don't know what was actually said, but to me it sounds like you are putting words into the DU reps mouth, most specifically telling you that you are a bad hunter.



blhunter3 said:


> I understand that here in MN, it is not a priority area, but, when the DU rep. said its a waste of time to try to make duck houses or plant wild rice or freshwater shrimp, I was like WTF. So it makes no sense to try to help the ducks?





blhunter3 said:


> I have quite a bit of land that holds ducks, but the woodies and teal are gone after 2 weeks. The mallards that come here stop for about a week. I personally have seen how if you create habitate they will stay longer, in other areas.


From posts that you have put on this thread it sounds like you're not mad at DU for raising money at banquets, but that you're angry that they won't put the money to use on your farm land.

It does make sense to help the ducks. That is why DU has a team of biologists. It is up to DU's team of biologists to make scientific decisions on what will be best for the ducks. At this time putting up hen houses is not a priority for DU, acquiring habitat is. With all the land that is coming out of CRP, making sure that there is habitat on the ground is very important.



blhunter3 said:


> if he wants nothing to do with helping the ducks, then he lost a person who would contribute alot of time with helping kids and building duck habitate, and a person who will donate money as well. IF the DU thought is, well if we lose one person here, we will make up for it in other areas then I will not take part in it.


I can assure that all the DU reps are all about helping the ducks. As a DU volunteer I don't want us as an organization to lose you and I know your help will be appreciated.


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## blhunter3 (May 5, 2007)

Well until, I see more positive facts on DU, then I will not help them raise money and I will start doing things on my own.

ND_duckman, I never once stated untrue facts that were said at the meeting. Why would I fabericate a story? All I wanted to know when I started this thread was are all DU reps. this poor and is there top prioity ducks and kids. As I have talked to Delta Waterfowl reps. They are a better fit for what I want.

I am done commenting on this thread.


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## BOATGUY (Mar 31, 2008)

*blhunter*
I have talked with the committee and the rep in question. Some times what is said is not as important as the way it is said. The entire committee agrees that you were *NEVER* told you were a bad hunter. It is true you were told you needed to be more mobile. The areas south and west of Battle Lake saw some of the best bird numbers in years and the hunting was very good. Also the Inman Swap area by Henning was holding a large number of mallars when the migration finally got into gear. The hunters that were scouting were doing very well, the guys who went back to their honey holes from the past years day after day were not doing well. As far as the hen houses, they in this area can be very labor intensive with the ice movment knocking them down and labor cost money. They just might not be the best use of the $ here.

Again the local sportsman groups do a great job of building them and making them available to the public to put up and care for. You were also asked to join some guys going out and maintaining hen houses, did you go? AS far as wld rice and fresh water shrimp go both are water tble dependant, right now the water table in this area is to high to plant and get a good stand out of wild rice, wild rice is extremely water depth sensitive, even some of the established stands are being destroyed by the water levels. The water levels also effect the shrimp populations. When the waters are high bait fish get into our shallow basins and eat the shrimp. With the water levels high the minnows do not winter kill and the shrimp population crashes, again is this the best use of the money?

Hopefully the committee bashing and rep bashing is done. I hope you find the organization that right for you , what that organization may be.


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## USAlx50 (Nov 30, 2004)

I had some great hunts in MN this fall driving from fargo. Bl, I hunted many days in ND and the majority of them were an hour + drive from where I live. I would guess that the habitat and flyway near you is better then it is in fargo. I would agree with others that it isn't neccessary to pick one org. over the other, you may just want to evaluate where your money and efforts is going to, which it seems like you are.

The birds would stay in Sota a little longer if the ------ weren't being shot up constantly.


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