Last week marked the opening of the duck season with the Youth Waterfowl Day hunt. In an effort to stem the significant loss of hunters, the state offers a one-day hunt for youth, prior to the regular duck opener, to get out there and have fun. This is a youth-only hunt, meaning adults can supervise, place decoys, call ducks, etc. but may not shoot.This is a huge controversy in Minnesota, as old-time duck hunters feel the kids "make the birds go away" by scaring them off. This is a load of crap:
- Very few kids really participate
- Minnesota holds scant amount of birds to begin with. Our habitat is atrocious.
- With our late opener, we'll see at least one cold front that will move off many of our teal and wood ducks before our season starts. This is almost guaranteed. It's no the kids - it's mother nature
The bottom line is that if we don't get more kids involved in hunting, it will go away. And quickly. Duck hunter ranks are falling off the table, and our average age is now in the mid to late 40's. If nobody does it, then nobody cares. If nobody cares, goodbye habitat (what little remains), goodbye legislative support against anti-hunting groups, goodbye hunting.
So our little team consisted of four kids (3 girls!), 3 adults, and two yellow dogs. It was a warm morning, but the kids were successful, bagging one blue winged teal and one drake wood duck. Deuce made the retrieves, and had a great time as well.
Here's the yellow dog herself - or should I say not-so-yellow-dog...
If you really care about our way of life, get a kid hooked on hunting. Without the support of their generation, we're doomed.
Taking my son on a deer youth hunt this weekend - If he gets out of Bed. Honestly.. I am more excited than he is. There is nothing like the smell of freshly burnt gunpowder on the morning. A play on words from Apocalypse Now... but is it nice. Especially if you get some game!
ReplyDelete