Duck Hunting Chat

New General CRP Signup Good for Ducks, Duck hunters

Delta Waterfowl — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 19:00:00 +0000

Bismarck, N.D.--The announcement that the U.S. Department of Agriculture will offer a general Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) signup later in 2010 is good news for ducks and duck hunters, according to Delta Waterfowl Senior Vice President John Devney. "CRP is a proven, time-tested voluntary program that provides numerous benefits to our land and waters, including grass nesting cover that each year produces hundreds of thousands of ducks for duck hunters across the U.S.," said Devney. "This is welcome news because we haven't had a signup since 2006."

Shotshell Reloading – How to on Shotgun Reloading Steel

Chris Hustad — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 21:32:42 +0000

By Robert MacKillop “Rob MacK” I have put together this information to help those who would like to start loading their own steel shot loads but are not sure how to start. These steps and tools are the basic ingredients I use to produce my shells. Others may have different ways of doing business but this will [...]

Spring Goose Hunting Checklist

Chris Hustad — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 16:19:29 +0000

E-Call The spring snow goose season in North America is legal through a Conservation Order. This order allows hunters to use electronic calls to help them fool lesser snow geese. I have been hunting snow geese for eight years in the spring and I am convinced that an electronic call is a must for decoying snow [...]

Service Enforcement Officers Foil Artifact Trafficker

USFWS — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 17:47:52 +0000

An Illinois man was sentenced to pay $150,326 in restitution to the Cypress Creek National Wildlife Refuge in southern Illinois after admitting that he excavated more than 13,000 artifacts from a Native American archaeological site on the refuge so he could sell them and live off his profits.

Archaeological Resources Protection Act

Secretary Salazar Moves to Ban Importation and Interstate Transfer of Burmese Python and Eight Other Giant Invasive Snakes

USFWS — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 19:41:00 +0000

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will propose to list the Burmese python and eight other large constrictor snakes that threaten the Everglades and other sensitive ecosystems as “injurious wildlife” under the Lacey Act. More than 1,200 of the snakes have been removed from Everglades National Park since 2000, where they threaten many imperiled species and other wildlife.

ALUS in Alberta – Good News for American Duck Hunters – ‘Farmers Conservation Plan’ Launches on Breeding Grounds

Delta Waterfowl — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 12:00:00 +0000

Today’s launch of the first Alternative Land Use Services (ALUS) pilot program in Alberta—a prime duck-producing province—is great news for U.S. hunters. Designed by Delta Waterfowl and backed by several Canadian farm groups, ALUS compensates agricultural producers for providing ecological goods and services, including waterfowl habitat, on their working lands—lands that in time Delta Waterfowl hopes will rival the U.S. Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) in duck production.

Two Service Biologists Lost in Oregon Plane Crash

USFWS — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 18:07:43 +0000

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service pilot-biologist Vernon Ray (Ray) Bentley, 52, and David Sherwood (Dave) Pitkin, 49, were killed when their plane crashed January 18th near Corvallis, Oregon. The two pilots were participating in the Mid-winter Inventory of waterfowl along the Oregon coast and were returning to Corvallis when the crash occurred. Every winter, select teams of Service pilot-biologists and observers take to the skies to survey North America’s waterfowl during January in one of the oldest wildlife surveys, dating back to the 1930s.

Coral Smuggler to Pay More than $35,000 in Penalties

USFWS — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 17:44:38 +0000

A German national who runs a coral export business out of that country has been ordered to pay more than $35,000 in criminal fines, restitution, and community service payments after pleading guilty to smuggling over 40 tons of coral into the United States from the Phillippines. The Philippines bans any export of its coral resources; coral trade is also regulated under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.

New DHC Sponsor – G&H Decoys

Chris Hustad — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 20:02:44 +0000

We’d like to welcome our newest sponsor to DuckHuntingChat.com – G&H Decoys. G&H Decoys – A Waterfowl Tradition Since 1934! All G&H Decoys are made right here in the U.S.A. at their Henryetta, Oklahoma facility. G&H Decoys, Inc. is proud to offer decoys that are American made and of superior quality and value. At G&H, we [...]

Ginseng Dealer Sentenced to Prison Term, Fine

USFWS — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 16:30:02 +0000

A North Carolina man who illegally sold and transported American wild ginseng in violation of State law and the Federal Lacey Act will spend one year in Federal prison and pay a $50,000 fine. A Service undercover agent documented this trafficking during a three-year investigation focused on the illegal take and interstate sale of ginseng and bear parts in the southern Appalachian region.