# Waterfowl Recommendations



## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

http://wildlife.utah.gov/wildlife-news/1636-lots-of-birds-likely-for-waterfowl-hunt.html

I don't remember this happening this early in the year, I thought recommendations were later. 
Anyway, I would like to see the pintail and canvasback limit decreased to 1 drake daily bag limit. I would like to see the daily bag limit for scaup decreased to 2, and open the scaup season later and let it run until the end of the duck season instead of closing it in December.


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## brettb (Aug 23, 2009)

What is your reasoning on the Pintail decrease? I would like to see it raised to 3 or 4. I shoot my pintails regularly. I agree with the scaup, a 2 bird limit for the full season would be best in my opinion.


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## MuscleWhitefish (Jan 13, 2015)

I would like to see no more than two hens of any species not otherwise regulated.


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## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

brettb said:


> What is your reasoning on the Pintail decrease? I would like to see it raised to 3 or 4. I shoot my pintails regularly. I agree with the scaup, a 2 bird limit for the full season would be best in my opinion.


 Pintail numbers have not increased like other duck species. I was all for the 2 bird increase a few years ago, but now with the struggling numbers I feel it would be best to limit pintails to one bird daily. (preferably a drake)
Once population objectives are met then I will again support a bag increase.


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## dkhntrdstn (Sep 7, 2007)

MuscleWhitefish said:


> I would like to see no more than two hens of any species not otherwise regulated.


I dont think this will ever happen and im glad it wont.

Now I would like to see the pintails raised up to three witch wont be bad with only one hen being killed. Can im ok with. with the past limits. agree on the scoup no reason to have them open in Oct. Other then that we got it pretty dang good here in utah. o yea dont have the swan hunt open up Intel Nov 1 and run it to the end of Dec.


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## utahgolf (Sep 8, 2007)

Fowlmouth said:


> Pintail numbers have not increased like other duck species. I was all for the 2 bird increase a few years ago, but now with the struggling numbers I feel it would be best to limit pintails to one bird daily. (preferably a drake)
> Once population objectives are met then I will again support a bag increase.


I didn't hunt much the last two years but boy three years ago it was frustrating trying to find a couple mallards in the bunches of hundreds/thousands of pins in the area.


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## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

utahgolf said:


> I didn't hunt much the last two years but boy three years ago it was frustrating trying to find a couple mallards in the bunches of hundreds/thousands of pins in the area.


 Yes I agree there were globs of pintails 3 years ago. Last season not so much. Our group struggled to bag many pintails, or even see many pintails in areas we have always had luck. From what I have read on Utah hunting forums and heard from other Utah hunters a lot of them struggled last year too. 
There are always going to be days when you find a bunch of one certain duck species in an area due to migration, but when you don't consistently see a species in an area that is alarm for concern IMO.


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## utahgolf (Sep 8, 2007)

Fowlmouth said:


> Yes I agree there were globs of pintails 3 years ago. Last season not so much. Our group struggled to bag many pintails, or even see many pintails in areas we have always had luck. From what I have read on Utah hunting forums and heard from other Utah hunters a lot of them struggled last year too.
> There are always going to be days when you find a bunch of one certain duck species in an area due to migration, but when you don't consistently see a species in an area that is alarm for concern IMO.


I wonder if it's these mild winters? They are bunched up in random spots than in normal years? Not the same late season swarms we are use to?


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## brettb (Aug 23, 2009)

Hunter harvest has been proven to not effect duck populations. Habitat and predators are the main cause of lower populations. Pintails in California (wintering grounds) were counted last year, and were more than double all the other ducks in the Central Valley. The California Waterfowl Association is lobbying the USF&W for a higher limit. The Pacific Flyway Population Of Pintails is steady and climbing


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## stuckduck (Jan 31, 2008)

^^^^^^ what he said!!!!

Last year was good on pins!!! I had several hunts where we finished on pins fast and had to pick through them to get our other birds!!!! hunting pins vs mallards is so different as far as the areas they like to be... for me if your in a mallard spot than pins tend to be a little more difficult... vis-versa for hunting pins... I like the way it is now...... but I wont complain for a more liberal pintail limit..... would like to see no more than one hen pin... but that's just me!!!


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## duck jerky (Sep 8, 2007)

Fowlmouth said:


> Yes I agree there were globs of pintails 3 years ago. Last season not so much. Our group struggled to bag many pintails, or even see many pintails in areas we have always had luck. From what I have read on Utah hunting forums and heard from other Utah hunters a lot of them struggled last year too.
> There are always going to be days when you find a bunch of one certain duck species in an area due to migration, but when you don't consistently see a species in an area that is alarm for concern IMO.


 I don't know where you were hunting. I had no problem getting my 2 pintails a day during late December and January.

I would like to see the Pintail limit increased and keep the cans the same.


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## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

This is a quote from the article I posted

"One item that is still 'up in the air' is the number of pintail, canvasback and scaup ducks the USFWS will allow hunters to have in their daily duck bag limit. While most of the duck species in North America are doing really well, pintails, canvasbacks and scaup haven't kept pace with the other species."

"There will probably be some restrictions on the number of pintails, canvasbacks and scaup hunters can take," Stringham says. "After the USFWS completes their surveys, we'll know for sure."

Nothing new here, we have had restrictions on all 3 of the mentioned species for years now. I wouldn't be surprised at all if the recommendations are similar to last year. I wouldn't expect a recommendation to increase the pintail bag limit though.;-) Not as long as overall production is lower than objective.


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## paddler (Jul 17, 2009)

A three pintail limit would be nice.


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## duckilla (Nov 20, 2014)

I have to agree with fowl on this although I will say I had my best year for pins last season it doesn't mean just because they are heavy in certain areas that they are doing well as a whole. Ya they are a beautiful bird and one of my personal favorites if the numbers are low and they don't do something about it before long even the more populated areas will struggle to harvest any.


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