"Open Up Your Eyes"

By Charles "HammerTime" Snapp, Drake Elite Team Member

Earlier this fall I had the opportunity to visit the Prairie Pothole Region of North Dakota. I was there to film a hunt for Waterfowler TV with two of my guides, Rick Cox and Bill Nailling and fellow Elite Team members, Rod Haydel and Barnie Calef. Needless to say, the trip was fun, the fellowship was unbelievable and even though I had been there several times before, I was thankful for being able to hunt the area again, but things were different this year!
The bird counts had been out for some time prior to our trip and we were aware the area had seen near drought conditions, but in no way was I prepared for what I saw. In short, I would say the term "near drought conditions" was an understatement. The smaller potholes were so dry you could stick your hand in the cracks in the bottom of them. The larger water areas, they called sloughs, were nearly dry and the larger lakes we saw would have yards and yards of bare land between the water's edge and where the water would normally be. The conditions were shocking, but it did put things in perspective, as to when I talk and write about how we need Mother Nature's blessings, for a good bird hatch.
As alarming as the low water/drought conditions were, that was only the beginning of the problems I saw. Yes, it appears the economy is going to take a bite out of next year's duck population and if you had witnessed what I did, I think you would understand the point I'm trying to make.
So how do economic conditions impact the ducks? I can think of a couple of different ways, but the one I am focusing on right now is a direct result of fuel cost and the high cost of fertilizer and seed. Combine those factors with higher than usual prices for grain and low water conditions and you have what could be the start of a disaster, for future duck populations.

During the few days we were in North Dakota, we pretty well stayed within a twenty square mile area and I can't begin to tell you how much of the nesting habitat had been, or was being, disked under. There were some locations where entire potholes had been disked up. While low water conditions hit this year's duck population hard, I'll predict; good water conditions, with little or no nesting areas, will hit us just as hard. Can you imagine how bad the nesting numbers will suffer, if Mother Nature hands us another dry spring, to go along with the loss of so much habitat?
Yes, I read some of the articles in Delta Waterfowl and Ducks Unlimited magazines, focusing on the issues of habitat and the Farm Bill, but I would never have imagined what a difference the loss of habitat could, or would make, much less what it actually looked like. In the twenty or so square mile area we hunted and scouted, I would venture to guess there may have been a thousand acres of habitat disked under and even if water conditions were perfect, it will take years for the cover to grow back to like it was.
So what's the answer to the problem? Should we as duck hunters expect the farmers to give up their land rights and a part of their income potential, just so we have ducks to hunt? Of course not, to make the farmers give up there land would be Un-American, to say the least. Then again, we (duck hunters) can work together and urge Congress to work more with the farmers in the future. Farm families have every right to keep as much of their land productive as they possibly can, thus we need to push for more programs that make it financially beneficial for the farmers to let small tracts of their land grow back as habitat, which brings up the other way economic conditions are having, or will have, an impact on future duck populations.
I watched a TV ad the other day, asking people to open their hearts and their wallets in support of a regional food bank. According to the report, donations were down by close to 50%. If donations to a regional food bank are way down, doesn't it make sense that organizations like Delta Waterfowl and DU have seen a reduction in donations as well? If Delta and DU are experiencing such a reduction and have to make changes accordingly, who's going to work with congressional leaders on behalf of the ducks and the people who hunt them? I doubt any of the politicians would take my phone call, but I bet there are a lot of them who recognize the impact both of those organizations have and the number of members they represent.
While I didn't intend for this to sound like a membership recruitment column and I certainly didn't want it to come across like I was asking everyone to open up their wallets, I do hope this column may � Open Up Yours Eyes � so you can see a few problems I'm think we're facing in the near future. Habitat is crucial and having qualified support, to work on our behalf with Congress, is as well. Support the ducks and save the habitat, the future of duck hunting may depend on it!

Contact Charles at:
www.arkansaswaterfowl.com or snapp1@sbcglobal.net