I am not to hip on that idea. I saw stay with the way it is right now!!!

 

I say for sure 2:00 on public marshes, if it is private land have at it.

 

I see both sides of it. I would lean towards what knobby said. Close the marshes at 2. But I know guys that would rather hunt the afternoons.

 

I'm so sick of IO... Before yesterday I would have said go ahead and shut it down but after a pretty decent hunt around 1pm I don't really know what to think. That was the first time I've been out after 11

 

I love restrictions!!!! :roll: Really it could be good in some ways, but I find the afternoons a great time to bring the youngster along. It's normally warmer, and ease of hunting in the light works well in all aspects when the little guys and girls are in the mix....

 

i definitely see both sides of it...dad used to take us when we were kids in the afternoon, and i've definitely shot afternoon limits...i just know that habitat creation is such a pointless fight most of the time in iowa...i would definitely like to see statistics on hunt clubs and states that use this sort of regulation...anyone know of any wildlife studies like this?

 

I don't agree with it at all. Their main point on IO is how well its working in private land and private clubs in Arkansas. Ok so what they hunt private land without the public idiots. they have awesome cover with all kinds of fields and marshes and timbers to hunt. They have the best of the best. Shutting down 2 hours before the season closes is vital IMO. Habitat and good shooting habits( shooting drakes and shooting all ducks where clean ethical kills are going to occur) are the more important thing. If you could only hunt morning I would quit duck hunting. I can't hunt at all during the week and often have to work sat mornings during the hunting season. Hunting one morning a week wouldn't be worth the money and time invested into duck hunting to have the little bit of time I actually have away from me.

 

Guys they also do it in North Dakota and it works very well for them. Look how long they keep birds later and later every year. Not just because of open water and food, but less hunting pressure.

It's not every day, it is 2 or 3 days out of the week it shuts down at 1pm. I would love to see how it would work here. Not sure it would hold ducks longer due to lack of habitat and water, but the ducks would be able to rest and be more comfortable in the hunting area's that have food on them and be more likely to use those area's whne you can hunt them. Getting pounded from LST to LST is not very conducive to make ducks want to stay IMO, especially when ther is so little area for them to rest anyway.

DF

 

Would it matter?
Guys don't pay attention to legal hours now so what the hell's the point?

 

I don't agree with it at all. Their main point on IO is how well its working in private land and private clubs in Arkansas. Ok so what they hunt private land without the public idiots. they have awesome cover with all kinds of fields and marshes and timbers to hunt. They have the best of the best. Shutting down 2 hours before the season closes is vital IMO. Habitat and good shooting habits( shooting drakes and shooting all ducks where clean ethical kills are going to occur) are the more important thing. If you could only hunt morning I would quit duck hunting. I can't hunt at all during the week and often have to work sat mornings during the hunting season. Hunting one morning a week wouldn't be worth the money and time invested into duck hunting to have the little bit of time I actually have away from me.

First of all, why WOULDN'T you want to mirror a regulation the STATES (this is not just a practice used by private clubs - check some of Missouri's most popular, successful public areas) and private clubs institute? States and clubs that shoot more ducks in a month than Iowa does in a year. Iowa biologists and/or law makers are too concerned with what makes their "perceived" hunters happy rather than what would be beneficial for WATERFOWLING in Iowa. Maybe we WOULD attract more hunters, resident and non-resident, if our hunting was significantly improved.

Second, good shooting habits have nothing to do with how long ducks stay in an area. Dead ducks are dead ducks - they're staying regardless if they want to or not. Again, you ask ANY duck club why they rotate blinds and hunting areas --- to EASE pressure on those ducks. Ducks, in the fall, think FOOD, SURVIVAL, and WATER. That whole survival part is key - they're not going to stay in an area where they can't rest.

Most people who are against this issue can't see the big picture. They'd rather sit in a marsh 10 times a year and shoot 8 ducks than sit in a marsh 8 times a year and shoot 25 ducks.
But - that's their prerogative.[/b]

 

It just whizzes me off when I hear, "well, I have had a few good afternoon hunts" WTF!!!!!! How many horrible morning hunts have you had? Probably 10 times more than the good hunts you had after 1pm!


I would have to say it really would have to be limited to all public waters or some key areas throughout the state.
Private land, have at it. Then the guys that can only hunt afternoons will have to put in the time and effort, like the rest of us, to find a field to hunt or get on a private area. Not just roll into the local marsh toss out a dozen Flambeaus and call yourself a Waterfowler.

Hunting pressure in the fields IMO, has little effect on the birds sense of security. Afterall, Iowa is 98% farm land.

 

I'd support it. I lived/hunted in IL for a couple years and stopping at 1:00 seems to help. However... Iowa (to the best of my knowledge) does not have huge refuges of flooded crop... at least not widespread.

Of course if it were implemented I would get to hunt about three times a year at this rate... no big deal.

However, the idea that closing shooting on public ground at 1 or 2 in the afternoon is going to dramatically improve hunting... I don't know if that's the case. You have to get the ducks here first, then convince them to stay.

Why not close it until 10 AM on public ground and then let you hunt until legal sundown?

 

Why not close it until 10 AM on public ground and then let you hunt until legal sundown?

Something like that would defeat the purpose of a shutdown.
Birds are generally feeding (fields or surrounding small bodies of water) from 0-dark thirty in the AM until 8, 9 or 10am when they return to the water to drink and rest. Essentially what you're talking about is shutting down public waters during times when ducks DON'T use it, then opening it back up to hunting when birds DO return to it to drink and REST.

The whole idea is to give the birds a chance to rest unmolested - not just cut into the time that we can hunt them.

 

Everybody has been putting up some good descusions and Im leaning towards having it closed at 1pm. I dont kill many after 1 anyways. I really think it would keep them around longer in an area.

 

I wanna know where everyone is getting in on these stellar afternoon hunts over public waters? I can't remember the last time I have had a quality hunt over water after 12pm?

Maybe sneaking in on resting birds is some peoples idea of a quality hunt?

 

I am all for closing the public areas after 1pm. It freakin works every else they do it , why the arguement here in Iowa. Yes, there are guys who can't always hunt in the mornings and they will WBC but I would be willing to bet that a majority of us hunt the mornings. I have hunted afternoons before and to be honest, unless you are going to break the law and shoot after sunset, the hunting sucks. The ducks don't fly until they see that big orange thing drop below the horizon and I cannot believe the number of idiots that stay out in the marshes blasting away after sunset. It is ridiculus. A few tickets and a few shotguns and decoys confiscated would take care of that problem like right now. Who do we need to communicate our ideas to and lets put some pressure on them to at least try it in a few areas next year.

Jon

 

I wanna know where everyone is getting in on these stellar afternoon hunts over public waters? I can't remember the last time I have had a quality hunt over water after 12pm?

Maybe sneaking in on resting birds is some peoples idea of a quality hunt?

Well not exactly....I have shot many limits at Green Island and Mud Lake when we didn't even hit the marsh till 1pm...when there are birds around, especially when you are in close proximity to a refuge, you will get afternoon birds. THis is especially true on migration days...does it push the ducks out of there...i don't know. i'm sure it doesn't help. at green island though, and i guess mud lake now too, when ducks get banged at they just fly 200 yards and land back in the refuge where they are untouched. so could this restriction be more beneficial if it is only tied to public land not bordering a refuge. as to the early morning restrictions, i'm not sure what that would do. never hunted an afternoon at a place that no one had hunted in the morning

 

The only time shooting is good on water at least in our experiences are on flight days, when the ducks are just hitting Iowa from the north or the northern part of the state. And on those days you get jerkwads that will have a group of 80 mallards come in and take one shot for one greenhead cause they don't want to be done early :evil: Get in, shoot your birds and get the hell out!!!!! Don't hang around and pick a bird out so everybody shoots there own bird and there's no confusion who shot it. If you must take limits do it, and get out. We have had many days hunting honks where we set up spreads longer thatn the actual hunt lasts...so be it.

Proof is in the pudding guys, it could benefit everybody if this would happen. Look at the other states it works well for them, why not here???

Like Jeff said, I would rather have 5 very good hunts on public than 10 -15 very average or terrible hunts because of the astounding pressure that Iowa waters receive from LST to LST

 

Why not close it until 10 AM on public ground and then let you hunt until legal sundown?

Something like that would defeat the purpose of a shutdown.
Birds are generally feeding (fields or surrounding small bodies of water) from 0-dark thirty in the AM until 8, 9 or 10am when they return to the water to drink and rest. Essentially what you're talking about is shutting down public waters during times when ducks DON'T use it, then opening it back up to hunting when birds DO return to it to drink and REST.

The whole idea is to give the birds a chance to rest unmolested - not just cut into the time that we can hunt them.

I was kidding

But yes, I understand the ideas behind it. But I also lean to the "as little "regulation" as possible. I, for one, as well as many others would not get to hunt as much. That's a fact.
Sure, perhaps it would improve hunting for you guys that are already out there 40-60 times every season. It'd cut me down to about 4-5 times outside of the early season.

But, as I said, I'd support it.

 

I'm all for closing on the week, but otherwise screw it. I shoot plenty of ducks to keep me happy the way it is. I consistanly shoot ducks every day I go and don't really agree with the lack of ducks in Iowa anyway.

 

The only problem I have with shutting down LST at 1 or 2pm in the afternoon on public land is during flight days.

We all know that Iowa doesn't get many flight days and a guy has to take advantage of those days. I would think many waterfowlers would be upset if they couldn't be out on the marsh in the afternoon on a flight day.

But maybe those flight ducks would stay around in Iowa if they weren't getting shot at in the afternoon?

I stated this over on IO that the biggest issue for Iowa is habitat and we must do something to solve that issue.

If we are on the subject of changing LST, what are people's thoughts about moving LST back 15 or 30 minutes at sundown during field hunts?

I know alot of times I haven't gotten a bird because they waited til after sunset to come out to feed. I can identify the birds alot better in the afternoon 15 or 30 minutes after sunset then I can the same time frame in the morning before sunrise. It wouldn't be a good thing to have on water but why not in the fields?