IMPORTANT WATERFOWL MEETING IN LINCOLN
Hey waterfowlers, just a reminder from fellow Game and Parks compatriots Pat Molini and Mark Vrtiska in our wildlife division of an important public waterfowl meeting scheduled for tomorrow night in Lincoln. Here are the details of it:
The 7 p.m. waterfowl-related meeting will be held on Tuesday, Feb. 7, in the third-floor conference room at Game and Parks Commission headquarters in Lincoln. The headquarters building is located on U.N.L.’s East Campus at 2200 North 33rd Street with easy access and plenty of free parking available.
Issues to be addressed at the meeting include potential changes to the state’s duck zone and hunting season split configuration. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 2011 changed some criteria for duck zones.
Game and Parks is considering changes to duck zones for 2012. A switch from the current three-zone format to a four-zone format is being considered. However, a change from the current 74-day season to a 39-day season is not under consideration. The four-zone format would better position duck season dates in the event a 39-day season becomes necessary in the future, according to Mark Vrtiska, Game and Parks waterfowl program manager.
“The last thing I want to see is a 39-day duck season,” Vrtiska said. “That makes it more difficult to meet hunter preferences for season dates. But, in deciding whether or not we should adopt the four-zone option, we want to lay out all the advantages and disadvantages of our current format to the proposed one.”
Our folks would appreciate seeing you at this important public meeting!
Hi mark: Mike Tallman; From Tekamah NE here, just touching base with you concerning the change in ducks zones you are talking about at the meetings you have set up around the area.
I was not able to attend the other night in Omaha but I had a couple of my members and Bob Smith attend to see what was up.
From what I can gather from my guys and bob——-this change in zones will have no benefit in our area——–but seams to be centered around the guys that hunt west of us again?
I speak for 90% of the hunters and operators in our area, We prefer to stay in the low plains early zone——-with our opening dates starting around the 6th of October and end around the 18th December, for us in our area we could not ask for a better set of dates for our season,
our migrating ducks that do stay in our area for a while are always pushed out of the area by mid December due to cold temps and snow fall. Even with the nice weather we had this fall,——Birds were pushed out before the 15th of the month,———again being in the late zone has no benefits what so ever for us,——we always thought we should have a zone of our own?
just so you know the dark goose season in our area could not be any better, differences always seam to be about the ducks?????
now as far as I know there is only one small group that differs with everyone else in our area, and that group is not respected in the hunting community anyway,
I am sure you are getting pressured by someone to make this change??? but 8 to 10 years ago we had to get a petition together to stop a similar move to change our zone inthis area, Ralph Kohler wanted to make a change they thought would be a benefit, talk to them today and they will tell you they almost made a big mistake, and we are again prepared to stop a change,
I know we are kind of grandfathered in with the zone we have had for years, any change, to our zone, that has no benefits for our area, would be a foolish move on our part, we know once we change our zone, there is a good chance there would be no returning to what we once had, I guess I have never understood why the hunters west of us seam to get what they want and the heck with everyone else, ( and it seams to revolve around who has the most money??)
they already get extra days to hunt out there in that area, and we hear the reason for that is there are not as many hunters? so they don’t bag as many birds?—that’s a crock. I go west when our season is over, and hunt with friends, and we shoot the shit out of birds!!
we hunt strictly migratory birds unless we are lucky enough to have a little extra water around, like this year, due to the flood, ducks actually staged up for a couple weeks, Now out west the birds stage up along the Platte river and the reservoirs located in several areas west of us. this gives the hunters a chance to hunt birds well into January——–that is not a option for us, So how can you figure teaming up with the guys west of us would be anyware close to a fair solution,
also at every meeting I have been at,and the ones I’m not, you always bring up the scare tactic that some day we may be reduced to a 39 day season or something like that, we all know that if that happens the target date is the 15th of November, and we get so may day before the 15th and so many days after. when that time comes we will deal with it, but to use the same old tactic to push for a change in zones, well frankly we are tired of hearing it.
I would love to get together with you one on one for a few hours to discuss realistic solutions, with out distraction, to these same old problems, I know that wont happen, but the old saying is you can never know to much, you would learn more from single individuals one on one, then these meeting around the area. But that’s my opinion.
but I would also like to thank you, for what you have done for us in the past, I know your job is not a easy one, every area wants a little something different——and I’m sure it is a pain in the butt, I have been attending meeting since I was 14 years old, until you took over, the hunters in our area, were listened to with deaf ears, when everybody attended what they thought was the setting of the seasons, they soon found out dates were set before the meeting took place, so even if you don’t see it, We do appreciate what you do.and have done for us,
But feel free to call me any time, I would love to have your undivided attention for a few minutes, ( 402 427 5021 )
I appreciate your time
Mike Tallman / Northwind Hunt Club
Mike: We forwarded your comments on to Mark. Thanks for commenting.
Mark,
I had heard about these changes, but did not know the proposed dates until I read an article on it tonight. I’m in total agreement with Mike Tallman and every other waterfowler in our area. We would prefer to stay with the Low Plains Early Zone season dates (Oct. 8 – Dec. 18 & Dec. 23 – 24) as our season really doesn’t even get started until the second to third week in November and is usually good until almost Christmas. We have no huntable numbers of ducks in our area during the early part of the season, which proves to have the least interest from hunters to hunt waterfowl in our part of the state (so an Oct. 1 start would hurt more than benefit). As Mike stated we mainly hunt migrations in our area as there are little to no staging areas on typical years, so the change for us would have no benefit and would almost certainly have us missing out on the good late duck pushes . My club also have a hunting operation in Julesburg, CO, and Mike is right on the money when he says there is no comparison with the hunting out west and hunting here. Western Nebraska seems to get ducks earlier and is warmer therefor ducks and geese stage there, some year-round (giving those hunters the chance to hunt ducks and geese later. Why would we have to change the only season we have to an earlier date to benefit less hunters out west who get to hunt a second season anyway? They had the same start date as us last year and having that extra week at the end of season instead of the beginning is the only way to go for northeast Nebraska. My grandpa, Rick Olson, hunted the Tekamah/Decatur area for over 60 years, and if he were here today he would let everybody involved with this decision that the change would be the biggest stab in the back move you could do to the permit/stamp buying Nebraskans of this area.
I would also like to have a discussion on this issue if you have time, since I had not heard of the meeting taking place in Omaha. My number is 402-699-4324, I appreciate your time to read this and all that you do for us hunters.
Brad Olson / Riverfront Hunt Club
One more thing. If this was ever to pass, and if you really do listen to the opinion of hunters across the state, then the only logical thing to do for the hunters of the Tekamah/Decatur area would be to add us into Zone 3 along the little strip between Highway 75 and the Missouri River from the Washington County line to 7th Street in Decatur. That would be the best way to go for us with a 74 day season and a 39 day season (if it ever came to that).
Brad Olson / Riverfront Hunt Club