"For Hunters by Hunters"
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"For Hunters by Hunters" |
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Current News: The President's Corner - January 2008 The 2007/2008 Season so far… This year the season started well, but the weather sure did not cooperate until 2008. For a more in depth report on the Valley Waterfowl hunting experience this year, be sure to read Ron Tobeck’s article on Page 4. I want to personally thank Ron for a job well done with hunter applications this year. He has gone way beyond the call of duty to accommodate members this year. He has put in countless hours on the phone, making sure you got a hunt, and we also appreciate the patience of Liz, (Ron’s wife) putting up with all the evenings that they did not spend together. Thank you Liz. MAKING SAFETY THE TOP PRIORITY FOR THE NEW AND VETERAN HUNTERS - January 2008 Roger Gillingwater, Valley Waterfowl Vice President It's obvious that we love the outdoors and the traditions of hunting. The experiences that we have to keep get us going back into the field year after year. This is why we pass on the tradition of hunting to our family and friends. As a person enters into the hunting world they have to pass a hunter safety course before they can receive a hunting license. Some people think the class is a waste of time and don't see the need for the certificate. If anyone looks into the history of hunting they will find that the number of accidents while hunting has dramatically decreased since the hunter safety program has been introduced. UPDATE ON VALLEY WATERFOWL BLINDS 2007/2008 SEASON January 2008 As I write this article we are roughly three weeks away from the close of the 2007/2008 waterfowl season. This season like many others in the past has been a real hit and miss affair. For the most part the middle of the season was very tough for Valley Waterfowl blinds as well as blinds across the north valley. Pretty much everybody I talked to had the same complaints – no birds, lots of high flying geese and few ducks. The President's Corner - September 2007 In June, we had a changing of the guard. The Board of Directors of Valley Waterfowl conducted an election of officers and the results are in. President, Dan Ochsner, Vice President, Roger Gillingwater, Secretary and Sargent at Arms, Ron Tobeck, Treasurer, John Bertilacchi, and Past President Bill Alexander. First, I want to commend Bill Alexander and Brian Freeman for having the foresight to create such a unique organization as Valley Waterfowl. They not only had a vision, but they actually got it off the ground, and in a very short time (commencing in April of 2003), they placed in motion, a conservation based, educationally oriented, group of individuals who banded together, based on the faith of a dream, to create an organization “For Hunters, by Hunters”. 2007 - 2008 HUNTING INFORMATION September 2007 It is that time again to prepare for the upcoming waterfowl season. Last year many of our members were able to experience the hunting opportunities provided by our organization. This year we have been able to expand upon our hunt areas, and we will offer a total of three four-person blinds which are located on three separate properties. New this year, Valley Waterfowl board member Ron Tobeck will be managing all hunting applications and storm day requests and will be the contact person for all information pertaining to Valley Waterfowl blinds. The Need for Predator Control There is no place on earth that has not in some way been altered by man, and North American duck habitats are no exception. In the U.S. and Canada, prairies, were once largely treeless grassy areas that were ideal duck nesting habitats. As the Prairies became farmed, tree rows and houses were built, and the once vast prairies were broken into much smaller sections. Trees and man made structures have made the prairies habitable for animals that historically never lived there. Raccoons, skunks, and red foxes existed in very limited numbers prior to European settlement. However the eradication of wolves and coyotes, in combination with new denning sites, and ranching practices have allowed these predator populations to explode. Decoy Spreads Tony Hughes, Committee Member I think I have killed ducks over just about every kind of decoy spread you could think of setting up. I’ve hunted over 1,000 duck decoys in corn fields, 500 duck decoys in a pond, and 300 duck decoys in a reserve or rice field. Other items I have used for spreads have been white paper donut bags, white paper plates, 5 gallon buckets or tires cut in half on grape stakes, or just goose decoys. Early in the season all of this will kill ducks but I have found that the later in the season it really helps to “Decoy down”.
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