# 1 Pintail Per Day



## mattuga (Jul 24, 2017)

Bag limit has been reduced to 1 per day for those of you planning TX trips...


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## Duckbuster82 (Jul 24, 2017)

Pretty sure it's everywhere


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## king killer delete (Jul 25, 2017)

Duckbuster82 said:


> Pretty sure it's everywhere


 I think Duckbuster is right.


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## rnelson5 (Jul 25, 2017)

If you want to shoot more you can go to either Mexico or Canada.


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## kevbo3333 (Jul 25, 2017)

Has it been official as far as 1 per day everywhere in USA?


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## WOODIE13 (Jul 25, 2017)

Our regs haven't been released yet, so not sure.  PA dropped their pintail limit to 1.  They should be out August 1st.

Did hear they increased our black duck limit to 2


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## Duckbuster82 (Jul 25, 2017)

https://deltawaterfowl.org/breaking...o-1-daily-black-ducks-to-increase-to-2-daily/


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## maconbacon (Jul 25, 2017)

Yeah I don't think it's up to states to set limits. That's done by US FWS. And I believe FWS sets the number of days for each flyway too. States then decide on specific dates. Since they now go by the previous years counts, the regs are coming out much earlier in the summer than they had before.


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## mattuga (Jul 25, 2017)

I'm glad this isn't a year we picked coastal TX, hate have done all the planning for a trip and see this come out.  That trip is on my list.  Interesting to read why they are declining while other dabblers are doing good.

http://www.ducks.org/conservation/national/saving-the-sprig


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## Duckbuster82 (Jul 25, 2017)

Federal government sets a maximum and states can do whatever they want that fits inside of those numbers.


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## Water Swat (Jul 25, 2017)

Dumb.


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## king killer delete (Jul 25, 2017)

Flyway council. Each state has one member. Each state has say over the others proposed limits. Example wood ducks in Georgia. The wood ducks for the most part that are kill during the Georgia waterfowl season are from those states to our north. Those states have a say over our limit of wood ducks. We have the same sway mover their limits.

This was explained to me by a Federal Game warden many years ago.


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## Duckbuster82 (Jul 25, 2017)

Bird counts make no sense to me. The past two seasons I have seen more pintails than any year before. I don't see how a survey can be that accurate for something like ducks. There is such a vast nesting area how can you be sure you are getting an accurate sample.


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## king killer delete (Jul 25, 2017)

https://flyways.us/regulations-and-harvest/federal-regulations-background/how-regulations-are-set

This explains it better than I can.


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## WOODIE13 (Jul 25, 2017)

Last year we saw quite a few pintails here compared to normal, but saw a lot more black ducks, so it equals out.  2001 or 2002, didn't they have a 30 day season on Pintails?


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## mattech (Jul 25, 2017)

Duckbuster82 said:


> Bird counts make no sense to me. The past two seasons I have seen more pintails than any year before. I don't see how a survey can be that accurate for something like ducks. There is such a vast nesting area how can you be sure you are getting an accurate sample.




I agree, you ever seen a resting are in the Mississippi flyway. It's insane how many ducks are there and no way to count.


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## WOODIE13 (Jul 25, 2017)

If I am not mistaken, they snap pics and count them, at least that was what I was told


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## mattuga (Jul 25, 2017)

king killer delete said:


> https://flyways.us/regulations-and-harvest/federal-regulations-background/how-regulations-are-set
> 
> This explains it better than I can.





king killer delete said:


> Flyway council. Each state has one member. Each state has say over the others proposed limits. Example wood ducks in Georgia. The wood ducks for the most part that are kill during the Georgia waterfowl season are from those states to our north. Those states have a say over our limit of wood ducks. We have the same sway mover their limits.
> 
> This was explained to me by a Federal Game warden many years ago.



Good explanation


Can someone explain how the dakotas can shoot 5 mallards?   I get they have more and early season locals that are hunted, just curious on how the regs work.  I thought I've seen canvasbacks reglated by state instead of fed rules but I asking GON not google now...


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## hrstille (Jul 26, 2017)

Last I heard, Pintail #s are estimated to be down 23%. Not sure how they come up with these estimates but that's why the limit dropped to 1. I saw more pintails last year than past seasons but that's just in my area. Not sure how the entire US stacked up.


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## WOODIE13 (Jul 26, 2017)

Dream limit, 4 mallards and 2 blacks, how many times...


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## Barebowyer (Jul 26, 2017)

Recent DU episode addressed the decreased limit and their theories on the sprig decline, FYI.


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## Duckbuster82 (Jul 26, 2017)

mattuga said:


> Good explanation
> 
> 
> Can someone explain how the dakotas can shoot 5 mallards?   I get they have more and early season locals that are hunted, just curious on how the regs work.  I thought I've seen canvasbacks reglated by state instead of fed rules but I asking GON not google now...



You can shoot 7 mallards out on the west coast. The federal government sets the limit on numbers and on dates. Each state can pic their own limits as long as it falls within the allowed numbers of the government. Example the Feds may allow a 60 day season for the states in the eastern fly way but Georgia can elect to have a 50 day season. Or Arkansas only allows 3 mallards to be killed in bayo meto.


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## king killer delete (Jul 26, 2017)

Duckbuster82 said:


> You can shoot 7 mallards out on the west coast. The federal government sets the limit on numbers and on dates. Each state can pic their own limits as long as it falls within the allowed numbers of the government. Example the Feds may allow a 60 day season for the states in the eastern fly way but Georgia can elect to have a 50 day season. Or Arkansas only allows 3 mallards to be killed in bayo meto.


Just like any regulation.  A local Government can add to but not take away from. As long as it fits the frame work of the federal law. Example ammo amount restrictions in some areas.


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## king killer delete (Jul 26, 2017)

Barebowyer said:


> Recent DU episode addressed the decreased limit and their theories on the sprig decline, FYI.



Years ago under the point system you could kill ten blue bills at ten points each in Kansas. The some foreign species of sea shell fish or something started killing them off. Now only 3 everywhere.


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## kevbo3333 (Jul 26, 2017)

I too have seen more pintails than ever before. The must not survey in the areas I hunt. I am glad to see that Black Duck populations are in the rise. I saw and killed my first black duck this year. Scouted out a hole where about 60 mallards and black ducks where hanging out.


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## Duckbuster82 (Jul 26, 2017)

I hear there will be a boundary line, east and west for the rise in black duck limit. Help protect the mottled ducks from being miss identified.


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## rnelson5 (Jul 26, 2017)

kevbo3333 said:


> I too have seen more pintails than ever before. The must not survey in the areas I hunt. I am glad to see that Black Duck populations are in the rise. I saw and killed my first black duck this year. Scouted out a hole where about 60 mallards and black ducks where hanging out.



They survey the breeding duck population in the spring for the estimate not " fall flight" population at wintering grounds.


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## Barebowyer (Jul 26, 2017)

Just a few years ago VA had a one black duck a day limit for many years that I hunted it.  We could never understand it as we would often see hundreds a day on the marsh, often times just hanging out in the decoys after our limit was reached.....who knows?


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## WOODIE13 (Jul 27, 2017)

Does the mid-winter survey play a part in establishing seasons for the following year?


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## rnelson5 (Jul 27, 2017)

WOODIE13 said:


> Does the mid-winter survey play a part in establishing seasons for the following year?



As far as I know it doesn't. I think as far as seasons go the federal guide lines say that the season can't start before a certain date and can't go past a certain date. That ending date is the end of January. It is up to the states to then set the seasons within that time frame.


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## WOODIE13 (Jul 27, 2017)

Like a kid on Christmas, but we saw and took more pintails this year than ever in WV


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## duck-dawg (Jul 27, 2017)

rnelson5 said:


> They survey the breeding duck population in the spring for the estimate not " fall flight" population at wintering grounds.



This. The fact that someone is seeing more pintails in State A than they did previously doesn't mean squat with regards to the overall population. Bird counts aren't an exact science, but they're a reliable basis for assessing species' populations. It's not ideal, but if the population is down, it's a necessary evil.


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## Duckbuster82 (Jul 28, 2017)

https://deltawaterfowl.org/state-duck-surveys-offer-mixed-news-for-waterfowl-hunters/

So why was pintail limit dropped?


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## rnelson5 (Jul 28, 2017)

Duckbuster82 said:


> https://deltawaterfowl.org/state-duck-surveys-offer-mixed-news-for-waterfowl-hunters/
> 
> So why was pintail limit dropped?



Well you have to remember that they now base this years limits off of last years surveys. Plus this doesn't show anything about the estimates from Canada.


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## Duckbuster82 (Jul 28, 2017)

rnelson5 said:


> Well you have to remember that they now base this years limits off of last years surveys. Plus this doesn't show anything about the estimates from Canada.



Yea but for breeding numbers to be up the population should be up. Thus saying there were more birds than what they claim, or that the survey was wrong.


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## maconbacon (Jul 29, 2017)

Duckbuster82 said:


> https://deltawaterfowl.org/state-duck-surveys-offer-mixed-news-for-waterfowl-hunters/
> 
> So why was pintail limit dropped?



It says exactly what it says...pintail numbers are up a good amount in California and slightly in ND. That's it. Nothing about other states and Canada.


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## Duckbuster82 (Jul 29, 2017)

Canada left their limit at 4, they saw no issue. And every state listed in that survey either said pintails were up or grouped then with other ducks that's population was also up.


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## Duckbuster82 (Aug 3, 2017)

Sc set the limit to two blacks west of 95 and still one east.


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