# Increasing Duck Production



## Matt Jones (Mar 6, 2002)

It's becoming increasingly clear that there is no way to stop the habitat losses we're facing these days. I hate to sound pessimistic, but really it's inevitable. There's just no way around it. By the time I'm 50 we're going to be lucky to have a 10 day/1 duck limit season. If you look at how much has changed in the past few decades and assume similar changes will take place in the next few, ducks are going to become scarce.

With there being a lot of limits to the amount of habitat we're going to be able to preserve (money, farming, etc.) I definitely like Delta's approach of looking at other ways to produce more ducks, mainly predator control. The only problem is this in itself costs a good deal of money as well...unless you can find a permanent way to do it.

With all of the advances in sciences today regarding genetics why can't we just create a disease to administer to the population of skunks, raccoons, and foxes that will wipe most of them out? Think about it? We have lots of scientists working in labs engineering diseases for biological warfare. Why couldn't we wage a biological war on duck predators? I know it sounds a little off the wall but I don't see why we couldn't or why it wouldn't work. Sure, it would probably cost millions in research to do this but that's not even pennies on the dollar when you look at the big picture. Just inject a few skunks and raccoons with the disease and let them loose...in a year most will be dead and duck production will be through the roof!

Plus think of all the other things that we're now capable of doing. We could genetically create a carp that is superior to other carp that would breed itself out existance. Or possibly splicing wild celery and other duck vegetation with the brazilian plant that produces rotenone thus killing all fish in a body of water. The fish would never come back and you wouldn't have to constantly administer expensive treatments.

We have all this technology available today, maybe it's time to start applying it to wildlife management.


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## fishhook (Aug 29, 2002)

anybody ever tell you your crazy...jk...I have been wondering the same thing. But, i don't like the draining of wetlands, which in my opinion has led to problem in Devils Lake. No way the lake elevation would have risen the last few years with how dry it's been.

I'm all for givin farmers tax breaks, crop payments, etc, based on the number of acres they have designated as wetland's. Of course then you still have to keep the predators in line, but I am 30 years old and I can say in my days I have seen a massive decrease in the number of wetlands. It's pretty sad.


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## Mr. B (Mar 16, 2004)

That is quite a way to manage a resource by extermination of something you have no use for. I am all for helping Waterfowl out but to just eliminate another species is WRONG. Besides you have seen how well we can stop exotic species do you really think we could stop those predators?


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## Goldy's Pal (Jan 6, 2004)

No more **** feeds?? :huh: :eyeroll:


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## Brad Anderson (Apr 1, 2002)

Off the wall, irrational, illogical.... I like it. On the real, what good do skunks do??? I'm for getting rid of all skunks period. I've tried it with my shotgun before, they seem to just keep coming and coming...


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## Goldy's Pal (Jan 6, 2004)

:sniper: Skunks carry rabies more than any other predator in these parts, and to catch them in a trap is a real treat. Leave them poor **** alone Jones. :lol: If hides were up and it paid to trap like the good old days, I'd think about doing it again and a few others probably feel the same. For the time it takes out of the day to do it you either need a ton of vacation or are retired or out of work. The fact that fur prices fell off the table in the 1990's (although prices have come up) many trappers gave it up like myself, which probably added to the populations of your predators. Just my :2cents:


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## Leo Porcello (Jul 10, 2003)

Man oh man I am all for getting rid of those skunks. I have smelt a lot latetly but have yet to see one. My brother in laws lab got sprayed by one a couple of weeks ago. Hit one with your car and you will probably be either wearing a mask for a while or walking. What a smell!!


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## HUNTNFISHND (Mar 16, 2004)

:down:

Why stop there, what about hawks, falcons and eagles? :eyeroll:

Not sure if your joking or not but that has to be one of the stupidest ideas that I have ever heard. If your not part of the solution your part of the problem! Don't the PETA's have enough ammo without us giving them more? :evil:

I am sure landowners would love to see more ducks and geese eating in there fields. Oh and what about mice and rodents. We should know by now that our actions have consequences!


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## Brad Anderson (Apr 1, 2002)

I'm talking bout skunks. Do they do anything good at all?? I would like to know if they did. Then maybe I won't attempt to shoot everyone I see.


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## Leo Porcello (Jul 10, 2003)

Truthfully what I think needs to be done is and extensive survey of all populations to see what number of each species is needed for everything to live in harmony. Once this study is done everything that is overpopulated should have a plan put in place to get populations down to include humans. Only then will earth be the happy garden it once was.


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## HUNTNFISHND (Mar 16, 2004)

Skunks are omnivorous and help keep the rodent population in check. They often travel five to ten miles within their territory at night looking for field mice and other small rodents as well as lizards, frogs, birds, eggs, garbage, acorns, and fallen fruit.

They also dig for insects, especially beetles, larvae, and earthworms. Their diet includes black widow spiders and scorpions. Being carrion eaters, they help keep roadways and neighborhoods clean. An estimated 70 percent of a skunk's diet consists of insects considered harmful to humans.

I am not a huge skunk fan myself. I too have shot one occassionally, but I still have respect for them as a wild animal who is trying to survive. And I would not want any animal completely eliminated. We already have eliminated enough already.


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## Brad Anderson (Apr 1, 2002)

See ya can learn something new everyday. Thanks for the insight. I might think twice next time I see one of those sinky critters.


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## 4CurlRedleg (Aug 31, 2003)

SKUNKS! Whackem' and stackem', kill one skunk and save half a dozen or so duck nests. :sniper: 
Predator control must be applied, biggest enemy to waterfowl and probably upland birds also. :wink:


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## Dick Monson (Aug 12, 2002)

Can't go smacking all the preditors. Skunks are great mousers and regular vacuum cleaners for grass hoppers. In the early 90s mange took our fox and we have been over run with mice, ground squirels, and rabbits ever since. Not exactly the farmers three friends. An old trapper told me one of the biggest preditors of ground nesting birds is the Franklin ground squirel.


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## 4CurlRedleg (Aug 31, 2003)

Did not intend for it to sound like predator extermination, just control. 
Spent the seventies and eighties hardcore trapping, many jobs for landowners who wanted every furbearer gone, couldn't be done.

My point being, they need to be controlled or they will take care of the duck population and spread disease amongst themselves.

Case and point mange and rabies, don't know how mange started but when the fur prices dropped and no one was killing them it spread like wildfire. A while back I was visiting with a biologist and stated at that time 75% of the skunks roaming around had rabies.
If we had some really tough winters it would correct itself, until then, CONTROL.  
Not only that skunks make good fertilizer!!


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## Leo Porcello (Jul 10, 2003)

4CurlRedleg,

Is that fertilizer the cause of skunk cabbage? :lol: :lol:

Well there is also the solution of creating more nesting boxes that are predator proof.


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## stevepike (Sep 14, 2002)

Skunks are good for keeping the rodent population down. But since they are mostly nocturnal those roaming around in the daytime can be considered "questionable" on their rabies status. :wink: 
Franklins' are definitely a big egg eater but are pretty reclusive.

I am not sure on the post either but even though duck hunting is near the top of my list I would not condone eliminating all the elements that keep a brood from reaching adulthood. You would be better off spending the money on a cure for mange and rabies and education of vegans on how meat is good for the body and hunting is good for the soul.


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## Guest (Apr 10, 2004)

I don't agree with stevepike at all, take out what needs to be taken to help the waterfowl #'s. Does anyone have a real use with skunks in the first place? Has anyone ever been sprayed by a skunk? I've had three dogs sprayed by them and it's disgusting to say the least. Also, I'd say the most notorious animal around my parts for eating eggs is the ****. Save a nest, kill a ****!!!


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## Capt. Kevin (Mar 1, 2004)

the predator control is only a short term help on these ducks what we really need are more nesting islands because then predators cant get to them. Delta isnt helping long term duck production. Dont get me wrong trappings great but I feel that habitat is a way bigger factor. when we break out of this drought we will be fine. people thought the same thing on our last drought. remember we have the years like 97 when water was everywhere so it will come again(hopefully soon)If not this year in a couple.

uke:


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## gandergrinder (Mar 10, 2002)

I often wonder what drives men to kill one thing and save another. Usually it is some form of beauty that we hold up over another species.

What we all need to realize is that we are all part of a community, a biological community, and the more we mess with it the more out of sync it becomes. Killing one thing to save another is not the answer.


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## Matt Jones (Mar 6, 2002)

Well I agree with GG that everything is part of one biological community, but what do you do when the balance goes completely out of whack? Duck production has suffered greatly as skunks have become more numerous and large tracts of habitat have become scarce. What about raccoons? They aren't even native to most of the PPR and now they are abundant accross most of it because of how humans have altered the landscape.

Eventually there is going to be so little habitat, and it will be so fragmented, that ducks will not be able to have enough successful production to warrant a season on them.

I wouldn't want to see skunks and raccoons entirely wiped out, just 80-90% of them...to get them back into balance.

Dick, I talked to a USFWS guy by Kelly's Slough who was trapping ground squirrels a couple years back. They are weird critters, and are a bane to duck production. For those of you who don't know Kelly's Slough hardly produced a duck before they started trapping it, now it's full of ducks every year.


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## gandergrinder (Mar 10, 2002)

Matt,
I guess I was talking more about extermination of one species over another. I wasn't very clear about that. I tend to agree with you that we need to manage preditors in a way to maximize production on the small tracts of cover still around. Reading the new Delta mag yesterday it highlighted a study showing waterfowl need 40% of the land to be in grassland before they can reach population expanding threshhold. I'm sure you read it too becaue Kelly's slough was used as an example.

Delta outlines a new course of action for waterfowl management and I would encourage everyone to try and get a copy of this months mag and read it over.


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## PSDC (Jul 17, 2003)

I had a strange one on Saturday. Thought I saw a porcupine 
crossing my field, going after my young pine trees. Got out
the shotgun and went for a hike. Found a very large **** 
eating on a dead skunk! The **** was missing large chunks
of fur and off color, I would assume the **** was molting?
But eating a dead skunk?


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