Someday a book will be written about the decline and fall of ducks and duck hunting. For anyone who cares about these birds, the tome would be grim reading.
Time was in this country when ducks were a management priority for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and for state wildlife agencies. Federal duck harvest and other waterfowl data were processed on time, USFWS special agents ensured that hunting and baiting laws were enforced, and the status of midsummer duck production was determined by surveys.
Additionally, weather variations such as the severe drought now gripping the Dakotas were once considerations in setting seasons, because the potholes and uplands of those states represent the best duck-breeding habitat in the Lower 48.
No so any more: In fact, this fall's liberal seasons were established by the service last year.
It is true that spring breeding counts in the U.S. and Canada are still conducted by the Fish and Wildlife Service and by some states, including Minnesota. But whether those nesting birds produce broods large or small _ or any at all _ is unknown, because midsummer production counts are no longer conducted.
Maybe it wouldn't matter anyway. Because in the seemingly never-ending quest by waterfowl managers to keep as many duck hunters as possible in the field, bag limits are kept high and season lengths long _ regardless of duck numbers.
In fact, though few duck managers will say so publicly, many now believe, or are tricking themselves into believing, that limits and season lengths for duck hunting serve no purpose, and that perhaps these restrictions should be done away with altogether.
