Post by FWS on Jun 25, 2014 9:18:11 GMT -6
What determines a longer hunting season—biology or politics?
TWRA asks public to comment on increased hunting days for teal and wood ducks
By Richard Simms
Nooga.com
Monday, June 23rd 2014
Blue-winged teal populations have increased significantly in recent years. As a result, Tennessee wildlife officials are asking the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to allow a longer September hunting season. (Photo: Contributed)
The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are in a bit of a standoff, and TWRA is asking for the public's help in shifting the odds in its favor.
The issue is the September blue-winged teal/wood duck hunting season. For most states, it is a teal-only hunting season, and they have 16 days to hunt. But back in the late 1970s, Tennessee got special federal permission to hunt wood ducks at the same time everyone else hunts teal in September. The justification was that a huge number of wood ducks are raised in Tennessee, with the help of hunters' dollars, but wood ducks often migrate out of state before the regular duck season. If Tennessee hunters couldn't hunt them in September, they would be gone before they could.
The USFWS, which has ultimate authority over all migratory bird management, reluctantly agreed. In the process, however, instead of allowing a 16-day September season, they said Tennesseans can only hunt five days.
Fast-forward 35 years, and wood duck populations are extremely healthy. In recent years, there have also been dramatic increases in blue-winged teal. So Tennessee is asking for its 11 days back, increasing the existing September teal/wood duck hunting opportunity to 16 days, like other states have.
"Odds don't look in our favor, at least this year," said Gray Anderson, the assistant chief of wildlife for TWRA. "We're fighting for it, but it's an uphill battle."
Anderson is the Tennessee representative on the Mississippi Flyway Council. Waterfowl management is a very political business with a very formal infrastructure that tries to provide fairness to all states in a migratory flyway, when all too often, different states want very different things. Although every state has a voice on the council, it is ultimately staffers with the USFWS who are the judge and jury. It seems those staffers have strong feelings, and a reluctance, to change the status quo for Tennessee.
If Tennessee gave up the opportunity to hunt wood ducks in September, we could automatically qualify for the longer teal season. Anderson said, however, that the TWRA has not considered that option because wood ducks still make up the overwhelming majority of the harvest opportunity in Tennessee.
TWRA fired the first round in the request for a teal season length increase last year, but Anderson said they got ignored "on a technicality."
The million dollar question is whether the reluctance to allow Tennessee an expanded season is based on biology or politics.
"It's definitely not biological," Anderson said. "The teal and wood duck populations are expanding, so it's very clear it's not a biological issue."
Anderson said Tennessee has the support of most other states and that they have framed their formal request for the increased season this year in a manner that will force the USFWS to respond and explain exactly why if they are opposed.
In the meantime, the public has until June 27 to share their comments on the issue with the USFWS. If you would like to submit a comment, click here.
At this writing, there are 62 comments posted.
"One of the big things nationally right now is hunter participation ... What can we do to get more hunters out there in the marsh?" Anderson said. "In my mind, there is no better way to get more hunters in the marsh than by providing them with more days to hunt. We'd love to have additional comments made. You get enough people asking, other people start to listen."
Anderson said they hope to have a formal response to their request within two weeks.
