# How bad do you think it's going to get?



## Rick Acker (Sep 26, 2002)

Hate to be a downer, when all things point to a much better season this year...But what do you see happening in the next 5 years? With most of our CRP set to expire in the next few years...How bad is it going to get? Is there anything that can save the habitat? I remember in the early 80's, my Dad only hunted game farms because of how few pheasants we had in the state! Will it come to that again? Are we looking at 10, 20 even 30 years before things change again? That's what history is pointing to? What do you think?


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## Sasha and Abby (May 11, 2004)

The only reason the limit is still three, is that the G&F knows that you cannot bank birds. The limit will be down to one withing 2 years. I do think that the idiots in DC will come up with a more competitive program for landowners and CRP programs... they don't have a choice.


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## BirdJ (Aug 24, 2011)

BAD!!!!!! :down: :down: For pheasants and ducks!


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## KurtR (May 3, 2008)

Lots of grass and good cover here so it is going to be great as long as the winter does not kill em all.


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## indsport (Aug 29, 2003)

For North Dakota, it is not looking good. Congress couldn't even get a farm bill passed (Thanks to the House) so that means CRP contracts are out the window even if a farmer wanted to sign up for the program. Commodity prices are driving the farmers. It is looking like the early 80's in SE North Dakota. Both my rural mail carrier and the UPS driver reported seeing very few birds this year and it can only get worse, even if we have good winters. Just like when soil bank disappeared, the same is happening with CRP going away.


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## Plainsman (Jul 30, 2003)

I think they will eventually get the farm bill. Also I think most people are catching on that ethanol is like pounding sand down a rat hole. Ethanol is going to go away and farmers will be pushing their representatives for another program like CRP. I don't do much shotgun hunting of any kind, but I would rather pay for a conservation practice than subsidize grain. Don't loose hope yet.


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## King Eider (Mar 9, 2005)

Come hunt Iowa once and get a first hand example of how bad it can get.


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## kingcanada (Sep 19, 2009)

I'm not ready to throw in the towel yet. The political climate is starting to show signs of shifting once again. Plainsman may be right about the ethanol nonsense too. I heard that the incentive for etahanol at the pump may soon expire here in Wyoming. The governments in other states may be tired of throwing away their money also.
If things do get as bad as Rick states, it will be interesting to see what happens to the NR license structure after the demand disappears. It will also be interesting to see how things get funded. Resident licenses may increase noticeably. That combined with fewer birds will then reduce resident hunters too. Could get real sad. But at least there will likely still be some great sharptail hunting!


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## Bobm (Aug 26, 2003)

SO is there any region in the state that hasn't been hayed off??? or are there going to be trucks in line at every remianing field...that will be fun :shake:

Plainsman is right about the ethanol boondoggle..... everyone, even the greenies, realize its a mistake hopefully IF the republicans get in power they will start pushing oil and take away the incentive for growing corn for ethanol.


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## Rick Acker (Sep 26, 2002)

King Eider said:


> Come hunt Iowa once and get a first hand example of how bad it can get.


I remember my Dad taking me to Iowa in the early 80's back when I was pup, because N.D. had no pheasants to speak of. I think back then Iowa was number one or two in pheasant harvest in the country. I've been back to Iowa in the last few years and I've seen the crops up to the roads and hardly a stich of cover left! Sad!


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## blhunter3 (May 5, 2007)

Bobm said:


> SO is there any region in the state that hasn't been hayed off??? or are there going to be trucks in line at every remianing field...that will be fun :shake:
> 
> Plainsman is right about the ethanol boondoggle..... everyone, even the greenies, realize its a mistake hopefully IF the republicans get in power they will start pushing oil and take away the incentive for growing corn for ethanol.


Depending on your type of CRP it could either get all baled up or you had to leave a certain percentage.

Yes, CRP will go away, worthless ethanol from corn with die (soon I hope) and a new program will start up to put ground(ground that always should be CRP) back into CRP. I just hope that CRP doesn't outbid rent prices so good farm ground doesn't go into CRP and make it impossible for young farmers to rent land. Its just a huge cycle like everything else in the world. Ups and downs.


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## ShineRunner (Sep 11, 2002)

blhunter3 said:


> Its just a huge cycle like everything else in the world. Ups and downs.


I sure hope that you are right on this. I have not been out in a couple of years because of the economy!


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## blhunter3 (May 5, 2007)

ShineRunner said:


> blhunter3 said:
> 
> 
> > Its just a huge cycle like everything else in the world. Ups and downs.
> ...


The Soil Bank came and went CRP will come and go and something new will start up once the subsidies form that worthless ethanol get cut, crop prices drop, land rent drops. It will be a domino affect.


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## alleyyooper (Jul 6, 2007)

I live in what used to be the pheasant capital here in the state of Michigan, the Thumb. I havn't seen a pheasent in close to 4 years and Know I havn't heard one. A friend raises them and once they can forage on there own allows them to come and go on his property as they will. He was complaining earlier this year the pheasents will never come back in our state for several reasons.
*His biggest complaint is the lack of fence rows. *Since the farmers have gotten rid of most of them for that extra few feet to plant in. With corn in 15 inch rows I my self wonder how much more the farmer can boost per acre harvest.

Second is the fur prices have made it that a bunch of people no longer trap the varmits that raid nest, skunks, ***** and pussums. Even hunting them as varmits is not high on a hunters list of game to shoot.

He is also having a problem with fox being so bold as to come in his yard during the day lite to raid the birds forageing in his yard. Last time he had three of them and they killed several birds before he could get out the door and chase them off. He has posin set out for them now but he doesn't think it is working very well.

Our state DNR has decided the money is in deer hunting and turkeys as thet seems to be where almost all the money is being spent hunting wise and to keep a few moose going in that program.

I also don't see the ethnol thing winding down. Michigan recently pased a mandate that they can put 15% in unleaded regular and it is really getting hard to even find and grade of gasoline with out some ethnol in it except AV gas.

 Al


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## Springerguy (Sep 10, 2003)

I don't follow the farm bills as close as I should but from what I've read I could care less is they pass the farm bill. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong - but from what I've read it looks like the subsidy programs are moving from direct subsidies like CRP to indirect payments through subsidized crop insurance. So, in simple terms, if you want to take advantage of gov't programs this means you need to plow under the CRP and plant something. This whole ethanol mess is another subject - I have not been a fan from day 1, very ill-advised program from the beginning that has done nothing to improve gas prices or the environment.


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## prairie hunter (Mar 13, 2002)

Killed plenty of birds in the early 80s before CRP and PLOTS. Good dog makes a difference.

Rarely saw another hunter after opener and from Thanksgiving on - your group may be the only group hunting the area you are in.

ND G&F will lose its NR hunters and that share of funding for PLOT land.

ND could create a small tax on the oil and oil service industry to counter balance the negative impact they have on the environment and create their own state run conservation program.


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## prairie hunter (Mar 13, 2002)

It took about 20-25 years between soil bank and CRP. If CRP dies in say 2015 that means the "new" program may not start until 2035 .


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## Rick Acker (Sep 26, 2002)

blhunter3 said:


> ShineRunner said:
> 
> 
> > blhunter3 said:
> ...


The problem is...Something new isn't likly to come along for 25-30 years as mentioned...At least, if history repeats itself. A lot of lean years coming. Hope that isn't the case!


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## Plainsman (Jul 30, 2003)

Another good case to get 5% of oil tax revenue for conservation practices. The nine panel idea is a little troubling. Unless it has about six hunters minimum. :wink:


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## BirdJ (Aug 24, 2011)

TURN OUT THE LIGHTS, THE PARTY IS OVEEEEER. :crybaby:


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## Bug Guy (Jul 19, 2009)

There are multiple things at work here. The loss of CRP is just one of them. In my area there wasn't a ton of CRP anyway, but with the good grain prices I have seen no less than 4 shelterbelts at least 400 yards long torn down, 2 low spots with tree groves pushed in and covered up, miles upon miles of drainage ditch put in between sloughs/low areas and the road ditches, and countless sloughs either burned, tilled up, or both due to the drier than normal conditions. Producers are not participating in the farm programs and therefore are subject to fewer regulations concerning land practices. I'm not advocating any additional regulations or laws, just stating what I've seen. It's not the prettiest picture I've ever seen for wildlife populations.


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## Decoyer (Mar 2, 2002)

Whoever said it up above hit the nail on the head... farming is going from direct payment subsidies (CRP, WRP, etc...) to indirect (crop insurance). Problem is, regulatory programs like SWAMPBUSTER only require compliance with those receiving the direct payment type subsidies under the current farm bill. There is a push to make compliance mandatory for subsidized insurance under the proposed farm bill. I'd like to see how Heidi and Rick stand on this issue, they both claim to be "pro ag" whatever that means.....


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## blhunter3 (May 5, 2007)

If you aren't in the Farm Program then you have less restrictions too.


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## Dick Monson (Aug 12, 2002)

Decoyer said:


> Whoever said it up above hit the nail on the head... farming is going from direct payment subsidies (CRP, WRP, etc...) to indirect (crop insurance). Problem is, regulatory programs like SWAMPBUSTER only require compliance with those receiving the direct payment type subsidies under the current farm bill. There is a push to make compliance mandatory for subsidized insurance under the proposed farm bill. I'd like to see how Heidi and Rick stand on this issue, they both claim to be "pro ag" whatever that means.....


The only hope there is if the conservation-wildlife orgs can pressure congress. I doubt either Hedi or Rick would bite on linkage.
Even if it wasn't a close race.


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