re: Ducks Unlimited

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I see they’re on the climate change bandwagon.


Same with NWTF.

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there is a difference between recognizing a changing climate and trying to pin that change on certain things.


Climate change is real. Always has been. Always will be.


As that happens, shifts in game patters will likely change as well. e.g. Wooly Mammoth

There is not enough rice left over in the fields after harvest today to make it worth a ducks time to feed in them due to new varieties of rice and better harvesters. Also, herbicide applications don't allow for beneficial weeds that ducks feed on to grow in the rice fields anymore.

The rice field hunting in my area used to awesome until about 10 years ago when they changed how they farmed rice. Rice fields are just not what they used to be for ducks.

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Do y’all seriously think less rice and more cane is to blame for less ducks ? The price of rice could go through the roof tomorrow and everyone plant rice. Is that going to make our duck numbers go up? Give me a damn brake

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So less food on the coast, less food throughout the state, and more food north has zero impact on birds? Animals, especially birds change their habits quickly based on food supply and the effort it takes to obtain it.

Also as another stated farming habits have hurt the food as well in the fields.

How does a DU question jump directly into rice average?


The cane in my area is not displacing rice btw. And, there's no ducks in our rice lol

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down south, and you will see that is the case everywhere.

Now, the increase in crawfish ponds is just as much to blame for the lack of ducks in rice fields as sugarcane is. I don't see many ducks on crawfish ponds--either too grown up, too deep, or they are purposely trying to keep them off the ponds.

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and the constant activity in crawfish ponds negates their use as resting areas.

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There is not enough rice left over in the fields after harvest today to make it worth a ducks time to feed in them due to new varieties of rice and better harvesters. Also, herbicide applications don't allow for beneficial weeds that ducks feed on to grow in the rice fields anymore.

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So why do the ducks hang out around equally efficiently harvested grain fields in Arkansas, Oklahoma or Kansas or Montana or wherever else the hang out now?

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I may be wrong but La never led in rice, Ca, Ar & La? There is nothing that anyone can do to correct the problem, there is zero future for duck hunting in La. pockets will still have them but most areas are going to be har holes.

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you are not wrong. Changing ag practices altered the migration and wintering patterns of Canada geese several generations ago, especially on the east coast - they used to winter in the coastal marshes - now they do not. LA refuses to accept the fact that increased mechanized activity, constantly degrading habitat and negative land use and habitat changes, along with invasives are quite frankly an insurmountable obstacle. couple that with NO till and the adaptation of water fowl to use reservoirs - quite frankly places north and north west of LA are much more duck friendly than LA is now.


so kemosabe you are not wrong. Hunting in several locations around the state for many years the decline started in late 90s and was in full cycle in early 2000s then an obvious decline began and is only increasing. If I have to move to KS, SD or NE then so be it(heck they have quail too )

Although implied I think corn pilers should be listed.

DU has no interest in supporting duck populations and hunting in the Deep South so frick them

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So why do the ducks hang out around equally efficiently harvested grain fields in Arkansas, Oklahoma or Kansas or Montana or wherever else the hang out now?

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I'll take less invasives, and less mechanized human activity and grains other than rice leave much more behind.

as for Ark rice, more invertabrates....