Converted
11-03-2006, 08:45 AM
Most waterfowl hunters find their sport demanding but fun
photo provided by MIKE DIXON
Duck decoys are set out on a pond in the Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge near Titusville in Brevard County.
Sam CrutchfieldStory Tools
Email this story | Print By ED KILLER
edward.killer@scripps.com
November 3, 2006
Sam Crutchfield's favorite season of the year comes each November — waterfowl hunting season.
Crutchfield spent 23 days last November in marshes and on wetlands shooting ducks and geese.
Advertisement
For him, it's one of the toughest outdoors activities there is — and one of the most rewarding.
"I'll never back off a chance to shoot a duck," said Crutchfield, the retired Fort Pierce charter boat captain who grew up fishing and hunting the wetlands of Central Florida. "It's something that's in my veins."
Crutchfield hunts extensively in Florida and Louisiana for various waterfowl. But the experience incorporates far more than just the thrill of the shot.
He already has been out on Lake Kissimmee for some of the early teal season and plans to hunt near Hackberry, La., next week.
"There is truly a mystique to hunting waterfowl and you can have a wonderful time without ever firing a shot," he said. "There is nothing like the sound of a flock coming into a marsh.
"And their flight is mesmerizing."
Many duck hunters will be flocking to areas near the Treasure Coast this year for hunting opportunities beginning with the opening of the first phase on Nov. 18.
Lake Okeechobee is a popular location that generally receives a lot of hunting pressure between Okeechobee and Moore Haven.
In Indian River County, the T.M Goodwin Waterfowl Management Unit and the Broadmoor Marsh Unit both permit duck hunting.
Early scouting reports suggest that Lake Okeechobee's season may not be very productive due to low water and a lack of vegetation stemming from the 2004 and 2005 hurricane seasons.
Goodwin and Broadmoor, both part of the St. John's River Water Management District, have had more stable water levels and as a result, have large amounts of vegetation that will attract ducks.
Newton Cook of Tequesta is a lifelong duck hunter who helped found United Waterfowlers in 2001.
United Waterfowlers is an advocate group working with state and federal agencies to improve the quality and quantity of waterfowl hunting opportunities.
"Our entire mission is to improve duck hunting in Florida for Florida duck hunters," said Cook, whose first hunts came as a teenager growing up in Tennessee.
Cook said that projections for this year's waterfowl migrations are encouraging.
"I can't wait to get out there myself to see what this season will be like," he said, "but everything I've seen indicates that we have a record number of birds on the way south."
Jim Weix of Palm City, who recently returned from a duck and geese hunting trip to Saskatchewan, Canada, said he is looking forward to an early December guided trip on Lake Okeechobee.
"A friend of mine and I will be hunting ducks in the morning and hogs in the afternoon," Weix said. "It sounds like it should be a lot of fun."
Normally, one aspect of hunting waterfowl is the chance to work with a trained dog. However, the South Florida alligator population curtails most hunters from using dogs in places like Lake Okeechobee.
"I love being out on the water in a john boat, often well in advance of daylight," said Mike Dixon of Rocky Point.
"I also love watching and working with my dog, too, although we can't bring them out on Lake O."
With or without the aid of retrievers, Crutchfield is excited about wading through the mud and tangled brush to get to one of his favorite places in the world — the duck blind.
"I'm looking forward to a good year," he said.
Some of the issues UWF is working on:
• Getting the state Department of Environmental Protection to manage exotic submerged vegetation such as hydrilla instead of eradicating it.
• Convincing the South Florida Water Management District to plan for public access by anglers and hunters to storm water treatment areas presently under design and construction.
• Trying to keep open airboat access to waterways and wetlands that may face restrictions.
To learn more, visit www.unitedwaterfowlersfl.org or call (561) 743-9217.
DUCKS UNLIMITED
The national organization works to conserve, restore and manage wetlands.
There are active chapters in South Brevard and Martin counties.
• The Martin County chapter of DU will meet Nov. 15 at Flanigan's Restaurant, 950 S.E. Federal Highway, Stuart at 6:30 p.m. The meeting will be to begin planning for the annual fundraising auction and banquet in February. For information call chapter president Mike Dixon at (561) 262-4225.
• For information on the South Brevard chapter, call Diane Miller at (321) 537-2770.
To get involved or learn more, visit the national Web site at www.ducks.org.
WATERFOWL HUNTING LAWS
State laws regarding waterfowl hunting seasons and regulations are complex.
Required licenses and stamps:
• State hunting license.
• State waterfowl license.
• Federal duck stamp (must be purchased at post offices or online at www.duckstamp.com.
Open seasons:
• First phase: Nov. 18 to Nov. 26.
• Second phase: Dec. 9 to
Jan. 28.
• Shooting hours: One half-hour before sunrise to sunset.
• Birds that can be taken: ducks, coots, mergansers and light geese.
Please see the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission Web site for complete regulations at www.MyFWC.com/hunting/
ADVOCATE, NOT ADVERSARY
Founded in 2001, United
Waterfowlers-Florida is a 501c(4) non-profit corporation working to make duck hunting better in Florida.
"We are not a fundraising organization, either, so we do not compete with the efforts of groups like Ducks Unlimited," said Newton Cook, president of UWF. "We are the voice of duck hunters."
photo provided by MIKE DIXON
Duck decoys are set out on a pond in the Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge near Titusville in Brevard County.
Sam CrutchfieldStory Tools
Email this story | Print By ED KILLER
edward.killer@scripps.com
November 3, 2006
Sam Crutchfield's favorite season of the year comes each November — waterfowl hunting season.
Crutchfield spent 23 days last November in marshes and on wetlands shooting ducks and geese.
Advertisement
For him, it's one of the toughest outdoors activities there is — and one of the most rewarding.
"I'll never back off a chance to shoot a duck," said Crutchfield, the retired Fort Pierce charter boat captain who grew up fishing and hunting the wetlands of Central Florida. "It's something that's in my veins."
Crutchfield hunts extensively in Florida and Louisiana for various waterfowl. But the experience incorporates far more than just the thrill of the shot.
He already has been out on Lake Kissimmee for some of the early teal season and plans to hunt near Hackberry, La., next week.
"There is truly a mystique to hunting waterfowl and you can have a wonderful time without ever firing a shot," he said. "There is nothing like the sound of a flock coming into a marsh.
"And their flight is mesmerizing."
Many duck hunters will be flocking to areas near the Treasure Coast this year for hunting opportunities beginning with the opening of the first phase on Nov. 18.
Lake Okeechobee is a popular location that generally receives a lot of hunting pressure between Okeechobee and Moore Haven.
In Indian River County, the T.M Goodwin Waterfowl Management Unit and the Broadmoor Marsh Unit both permit duck hunting.
Early scouting reports suggest that Lake Okeechobee's season may not be very productive due to low water and a lack of vegetation stemming from the 2004 and 2005 hurricane seasons.
Goodwin and Broadmoor, both part of the St. John's River Water Management District, have had more stable water levels and as a result, have large amounts of vegetation that will attract ducks.
Newton Cook of Tequesta is a lifelong duck hunter who helped found United Waterfowlers in 2001.
United Waterfowlers is an advocate group working with state and federal agencies to improve the quality and quantity of waterfowl hunting opportunities.
"Our entire mission is to improve duck hunting in Florida for Florida duck hunters," said Cook, whose first hunts came as a teenager growing up in Tennessee.
Cook said that projections for this year's waterfowl migrations are encouraging.
"I can't wait to get out there myself to see what this season will be like," he said, "but everything I've seen indicates that we have a record number of birds on the way south."
Jim Weix of Palm City, who recently returned from a duck and geese hunting trip to Saskatchewan, Canada, said he is looking forward to an early December guided trip on Lake Okeechobee.
"A friend of mine and I will be hunting ducks in the morning and hogs in the afternoon," Weix said. "It sounds like it should be a lot of fun."
Normally, one aspect of hunting waterfowl is the chance to work with a trained dog. However, the South Florida alligator population curtails most hunters from using dogs in places like Lake Okeechobee.
"I love being out on the water in a john boat, often well in advance of daylight," said Mike Dixon of Rocky Point.
"I also love watching and working with my dog, too, although we can't bring them out on Lake O."
With or without the aid of retrievers, Crutchfield is excited about wading through the mud and tangled brush to get to one of his favorite places in the world — the duck blind.
"I'm looking forward to a good year," he said.
Some of the issues UWF is working on:
• Getting the state Department of Environmental Protection to manage exotic submerged vegetation such as hydrilla instead of eradicating it.
• Convincing the South Florida Water Management District to plan for public access by anglers and hunters to storm water treatment areas presently under design and construction.
• Trying to keep open airboat access to waterways and wetlands that may face restrictions.
To learn more, visit www.unitedwaterfowlersfl.org or call (561) 743-9217.
DUCKS UNLIMITED
The national organization works to conserve, restore and manage wetlands.
There are active chapters in South Brevard and Martin counties.
• The Martin County chapter of DU will meet Nov. 15 at Flanigan's Restaurant, 950 S.E. Federal Highway, Stuart at 6:30 p.m. The meeting will be to begin planning for the annual fundraising auction and banquet in February. For information call chapter president Mike Dixon at (561) 262-4225.
• For information on the South Brevard chapter, call Diane Miller at (321) 537-2770.
To get involved or learn more, visit the national Web site at www.ducks.org.
WATERFOWL HUNTING LAWS
State laws regarding waterfowl hunting seasons and regulations are complex.
Required licenses and stamps:
• State hunting license.
• State waterfowl license.
• Federal duck stamp (must be purchased at post offices or online at www.duckstamp.com.
Open seasons:
• First phase: Nov. 18 to Nov. 26.
• Second phase: Dec. 9 to
Jan. 28.
• Shooting hours: One half-hour before sunrise to sunset.
• Birds that can be taken: ducks, coots, mergansers and light geese.
Please see the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission Web site for complete regulations at www.MyFWC.com/hunting/
ADVOCATE, NOT ADVERSARY
Founded in 2001, United
Waterfowlers-Florida is a 501c(4) non-profit corporation working to make duck hunting better in Florida.
"We are not a fundraising organization, either, so we do not compete with the efforts of groups like Ducks Unlimited," said Newton Cook, president of UWF. "We are the voice of duck hunters."