DU and Hunting

[Logans1437]

Perhaps we can establish an intelligent thread to clarify the recent ambiguity surrounding Ducks Unlimited. I urge anyone interested to follow the links below for the real truth about DU - it speaks volumes and is undeniable, no matter how someone spins it.

http://www.ducks.org/

http://www.ducks.org/waterfowling/du_and_hunting.asp

My apology to any Moderator or Administrator for initiating the topic, but I hope you'll allow the thread - nearly all of us agree to the importance of DU in the future of waterfowling. Maybe this will enlighten a few more...

[Lawrence]

I like it and that is what DU needs to say.

What is silly is to hear DU is doing a project twenty miles from my house at a banquet. Only upon my inquiry, it is private. Why grandstand and say this is a DU project in Florida?

By the way, can anyone tell me more about the Levy Prarie project?

Hate to be labeled anti-DU, but somtimes we need to identify exactly what we have given money to in the past.

What exactly was the money on Emeralda spent on?

IF my money helped to preserve nesting ground in the PPR that is great.

[northfla_hunter]

on the other hand, if i was DU and gave money to floridas premier hunting area (merritt island) to install tamper proof flood gates and they gladly took the money but never did what they were supposed to with it.....

[RutnNStrutn]

Yes, let us please have an intelligent thread. So far we have had 2 links to DU's website :rolleyes: in an attempt to justify them collecting money in FLA and then spending precious little of that money here in state.
You want to have us look at DU info, find the DU map that shows the locations of their projects. If you can find that one again, and I hope someone can, you'll see that 99.999999999% of their projects are outside of Florida. That means that 99.999999999% of our money is spent outside of our state. :rolleyes: To make matters worse, the projects are shaped like a funnel, leading the ducks straight into the Mississippi Flyway.
Yes, let's talk about DU fatcats hunting on private projects that the average Joe isn't allowed to set foot on. The DU TV show used to pi$$ me off to no end. Each episode showed the DU fatcats hunting at some special place that we either weren't allowed to go to, or couldn't afford to go to. What a great way to spend our money. :rolleyes: Lawrence tells us of a PRIVATE DU project here in FLA. Private??? What the **** is that? I'll tell you what it is. It is your money, being spent on a place that you can't hunt. :rolleyes: Wildcat posted up about a place he used to hunt. Next door to it there was a private wetland that DU did one of their "projects" on. It wasn't open to the public, but you could hear the shooting going on over there. He trespassed on it one day to check it out, and lo and behold, what did he find, a beautiful, landscaped, planted, managed piece of property, with sinkboxes, camoed blinds, the works, all for the DU fatcats. The average Joe wasn't allowed to hunt there. :rolleyes:
They gave money to MINWR, supposedly for water control devices. Where are they? Who knows? All we know is that MINWR didn't spend the money on that. I guarantee you that they took the DU money, the money from FLA DU members, and put every last cent of it into their sacred cow, Blackpoint Wildlife Refuge, which is off limits to duck hunters, and a haven for tree huggers.
I've said it before, I'll say it again. DU does a lot of good when they buy wetlands in the breeding grounds up north, and preserve duck habitat. However, they are not a hunting organization, they do not support hunting or take a stance on hunting. They also spend next to nothing in Florida, when compared to what they spend elsewhere. I used to be a DU member, but will only rejoin when they start putting more money and efforts into Florida ducks.

[Larry]

I support DU, Delta, and UW.

I'll continue to support DU because of their size and the fact that they have done more and can do more in the future for putting more ducks in the fall flight than any other organization.

I understand their private projects as being habitat related regardless of public access, I do not necessarily agree with it but if I had the land and $10,000, I think that is the minimum matching funds, I'd take advantage of it.

Delta offers not an alternative to DU but an additional organization we all should support because they care about waterfowl. Delta is still too small and lacks the funding and staff to carry out the projects they identify on a large enough scale to make a difference in the fall flight numbers. I'm talking about projects such as nest boxes and trapping the nesting areas.

But Delta can sway opinion enough and provide additional professional opinions or "science" to get DU moving in the right direction. The latest DU magazine contains many mentions of old prairie grasslands and their one time lack of small predators. I feel that they have been put into this position by Delta and I welcome DUs loss of monopoly of "expertise" in this area.

Competition is good.

[N. Cook]

UW-F's single best source for new members is DU members. There are some who are ex-DU or have complaints, but DU members (as well as the others) are drawn to UW-F because we offer them a chance to address their issues under a 501-C4 umbrella....advocacy and support for hunting.....that a conservation organization cannot do. With total emphasis on better hunting here in Florida.

All DU members who hunt should support UW-F. UW-F is very careful not to be regarded as a competitor for the conservation funds DU raises. UW-F encourages support of the DU events. DU is a crutial partner in the effort to benefit ducks....and duck hunting.....but, without advocacy groups such as UW-F, the DU members' opportunities to actually go to the marsh and hunt will diminish.
Newton

[duckmanJR]

Larry and Newton have put it in a nutshell.... All three orgs are COMPLIMENTARY to each other and lend a hand in what is an issue of continental scope.
Not competitors.... each with its own important role.

[Lawrence]

I may be going to a banquet this weekend. I like the magazine and have a fair amount of their paintings.

Yes without them forming back in the day we would have less ducks. That much is certainly fact. Glad they have done a lot for our sport.

I still want to see some of their shows hunting Okechobee and Orange lake. I don't think Mark Pierce know Fl exists. They would rather show grouse hunting??????????? Excellent points brought up.

[DUCKWHACKER]

Marc may not, but Jared Brown is from Clearwater, Fl. Maybe he'd want to go bluebill huntin' with me this season :rolleyes:

[duckmanJR]

Well, I don't know about going with you Mike...Now Chet, King of the "seacoots"... that's differant! :)

[Novalex]

Marc may not, but Jared Brown is from Clearwater, Fl. Maybe he'd want to go bluebill huntin' with me this season :rolleyes:

I doubt it, we couldn't even them to to cover the duck workshop or the youth hunts. :pottytrai

[D Duck]

I don't it, we couldn't even them to to cover the duck workshop or the youth hunts. Hey CJ - hit'n the bottle a little early this Friday? :tard:

[Steve W]

Hey CJ - hit'n the bottle a little early this Friday? :tard:

Yeah, you want to try that again, CJ? :confused2

[DUCKWHACKER]

That was a joke guys. You think I want to publicise my world class bluebill hotspots :rolleyes:

[whistlingwings]

If I remember right 0.10 of every dollar raised here in Fla is spent here in Fla. The other 0.90 is sent to other areas in the U.S., Can., and Mexico.

In turn .90 of every dollar raised elsewhere is sent to other areas as well.

DU has the ducks in mind, I'm sure that the MINWR lock issue is not the only time DU has spent OUR money in poor decision. DU TV for example. I really enjoyed seeing the DU bigwigs in some third world country taking unlimited number of Pintails because the local Government has no bag limit. :tard: Just high dollar poachers if you ask me.

Regarding the MINWR lock issue. I have asked many within DU State why nothing was done with the money and oddly enough no one has an answer, regional, state or otherwise.

As an area Chairmnan I will continue to help raise those Grassroots Dollars for DU. Its got to help us somewhere, somehow.

That is all. :icon_salu