Declining ducks

[0ly1]

I don't know if this has ever been discussed but does anyone ever think the duck population is down because the goose population is up. For instance my good friend has owned this piece of property he lives on for over 20 years every year he has had nesting ducks on this pond of his. This is the 3rd year in a row he has geese in there instead and no ducks.  ??? just something to consider thoughts anyone

[captkev]

  Good question... Sounds logical as well. I dirive truck for a living, and I've noticed more Can's, Pin tails, Red heads, and other birds that I've seen very few of in the past in a stretch of road from Detroit Lakes area then east and south of Sauk Centre. I've seen very few of those birds in years past, so maybe the Dakotas are getting to populated and pushing these birds east :detective:  We can only hope.

[0ly1]

i have been to the dakotas they r declining there also

[Outdoors Junkie]

It has been very dry in the Dakota's the past few years.  Many of the little swamps, creeks, streams, smaller lakes are drying up.  This must have an effect on population.  Less places to hatch out the young. 

[guythathunts]

I hate to burst you bubble but you are all WRONG WRONG WRONG! The decline is because I only started duck hunting a few years ago... The day I quit the duck population will go up, but I'll never quit! You can blame me for killing all the ducks you used to see!!! On a non-extreemly-sarcastic note: I have noticed the same trend It makes sence! Good eye Oly1!
~ Greg

[0ly1]

that is funny because i go snow goose hunting in misourri and i always tell my buddy that they would be endangered if they didn't go around minnesota

[captkev]

  I was only pointing out what I've seen. In the 7 years that I've had this Theif River Falls run this is the first year that I have seen Pintails and Can's on some of the small ponds North of D.L.  Same goes for South of Sauk... I've been running that route for 3 years now and I get down hwy.71 3-4 times a week. This past week I seen Can's, Pintails, Red heads, (I think Sculp's ?) Buffle heads: I have seen them before: as well as other birds not normaly seen in the past. This is only what I have seen. I have no clue as to why, but I am happy none the less. I know Lake Christina west of Alexandria is noted for it's population of some of these birds, but on the ponds that I seen them in the past couple weeks... Never! A true first in my book and it only excites me to know that I might have a chance (Even if it's a small chance) to bag one of these in areas that I have never seen them before.   

  Time to hit the lake... Good day all ::cheers::

[Mayfly]

Not a duck guy but I have seen a ton of woodducks this year. It seems that every little pond that I go by there is a woodie in there.

2 cents

 :: 

[h2ofwlr]

I'm not too sure the geese are the problem at all. 

I used to have floating goose/duck nests years ago when we still trying to get the geese established 20+ years ago.  There was 2 Mallard tubes on the wood platform and then the goose nest on top of it.  Often had a pair of Mallards nesting at the same time as the geese were.

I think it has more to do with other variables like lack of fresh water shrimp and macro invertibrates due to degraded waters of MN due to herbicides, fertilizers, pesticides and other chemical run off of from farm fields and roads. Or they are shot because of the heavy pressure in MN.  Also predators like Fox, Racoons, mink, and skunk take a hiuge toll on nesting birds.    Also being they are are not imprinting to come back in the spring if they were not hatched in the area--see above.  But the bottom line is the lack of suitable upland nesting places and poor water quaility in MN is the main culprits--and why the Dedicated Funding Amendment needs to pass in the next election--so we all (not just the hunters and fishermen) get to pay for our natural resources as we need to get serious $ to clean up the mess we created in MN.

[guythathunts]

h2ofwlr, I always enjoy your posts. Educated and to the point! Thanks for your info/input!
~ Greg

[holdemtwice]

 YUP ME TOO !!   ::dito ::dito ::dito ::dito ::dito ::dito ::dito ::dito ::dito ::dito ::dito ::dito ::dito ::dito

 HT

[0ly1]

sounds good what do we do to help :: :: :: :: ::

[tripnchip]

I don't think you can just look at what has happen in just MN but must look at the whole flyway. I don't hunt ducks anymore but to me it seems the flyway has shifted to the west and for the northern part of the state I feel a lot of the reason for that is the disappearing fields of grains, high water levels in the past killing of the rice beds. Another words the flight and nesting went where there was plenty of feed. In part I think down by the citties some of the problem lies in the fact that instead of standing corn, wheat, bean fields and so on you now have housing developments, shopping malls and so on. Lets face it, your favorite restaurant closes or the food is cut back you will move to another restruant. And the number of predators is way up.
 Just some of my thoughts.