Eulogy for a Duck Dynasty

[Ben Lamb]

Eulogy for a Duck Dynasty

The Minnesota Waterfowl Association, one of the oldest, largest, and most effective state-based conservation groups in the nation, has ended its 52-year run. The MWA announced its dissolution in a message posted on its website last month; the doors closed Sept. 30.

www.outdoorlife.com

Andrew Mackean is perhaps one of the top ten of America's outdoor writers. He covers issues from a unique perspective and he has always sought the deeper question, and the more complex answer. He really got this article right, IMO. He doesn't identify ways to change the decline in local clubs/groups, but his writing helps thoughtful folks to those answers.

Personally, I've always been amazed at the power of small, local clubs. Ravalli County Fish & Wildlife Association, Anaconda Sportsmen, State Wildlife Federations (which are themselves conglomerations of small rod & gun clubs, etc) - these forms of conservation fraternities have done incredible work since the early 1900's. With the advent of larger, national groups (who do great work, please don't get me wrong), we see people abandoning those local clubs in favor of the heavily branded & marketed groups. That's a circumstance of the collective id, but it also shows that there is still power in the hunting conservation movement, even if the methods of fraternity changes.

I'd love to see more local clubs start, or get reinvigorated. I'm part of the problem, here. I've not put the time and effort into my local clubs like I should, other than being a member. I'm not big on banquets either, but I try to attend a couple each year and throw money at raffle items, etc. The other big ticket item I think Andrew picks up on is when there is abundance, there is little participation in the conservation of specific species. I had a cold last week, and spent some quality time on youtube watching waterfowling channels. I may not ever get those braincells back (thanks, Bobby Guy), but it reinforced that point about abundance not creating advocates. Especially when we're whacking snow geese like they're flies on a cabin windowsill.

I think some groups have a good model to reinvigorate the younger generation. BHA does a fantastic job of this, for example. But I wonder if there is a way to reinvigorate that local club, with the small clubhouse and gun range just on the edge of town. The club your grandfather went too, and your dad used to go too when he still hunted. I wonder if those clubs could be the reason that we start to recruit new hunters - by providing a space for newbies to feel welcome, find a mentor and get some gear to use (decoys are ridiculously expensive, even used).

I wonder what I'm actually going to do to be a part of the solution, rather than someone who just complains on the internet.

 

[Nameless Range]

Great post Ben. It and the article are thought provoking.

 

[406LIFE]

Andrew's talked alot about how he sees the future in these smaller, local clubs rather than the larger Nationals. Not that the bigger ones are bad, but the localmones are more immediate and relatable. There's some truth to that, but I think each had a place. RMEF leverages it's member base and the large amount of contributions in a way that RCFWA never could. Yet, there is no disputing what my local rod and gun club is doing and has accomplished.

 

[AvidIndoorsman]

I think some groups have a good model to reinvigorate the younger generation. BHA does a fantastic job of this, for example. But I wonder if there is a way to reinvigorate that local club, with the small clubhouse and gun range just on the edge of town. The club your grandfather went too, and your dad used to go too when he still hunted. I wonder if those clubs could be the reason that we start to recruit new hunters - by providing a space for newbies to feel welcome, find a mentor and get some gear to use (decoys are ridiculously expensive, even used).

I wonder what I'm actually going to do to be a part of the solution, rather than someone who just complains on the internet.

As someone who found hunting as an adult I really do think small game hunting, especially waterfowl is the most difficult part of the sport to access.

1. There is a huge lack of public information about all aspects of small game hunting.
2. Hunting spots are way harder to find, and about 10000% more crowded
3. In my experience it's way easier to get info on a place to try out for deer or elk then to get someone to point you in the right direction of turkey's, grouse, ptarmigan, or ducks.... especially ducks in Colorado.
4. Honestly I've yet to have a negative reaction in the field with another hunter that wasn't centered around small game, specifically waterfowl. (Like are all duck hunters just massive, massive a-holes)

Anyway would love to see some local clubs in the west that are willing to help bring in some new blood and get people into hunting, bird hunting should be an easy way to help people get their feet wet in our sport.

I would happily go spend a half a dozen days in a duck blind a year with an older hunter that is willing to share what they know, I don't have grand parents anymore and would love to get to soak in some small game knowledge from older hunters.

 

[Ben Lamb]

As someone who found hunting as an adult I really do think small game hunting, especially waterfowl is the most difficult part of the sport to access.

1. There is a huge lack of public information about all aspects of small game hunting.
2. Hunting spots are way harder to find, and about 10000% more crowded
3. In my experience it's way easier to get info on a place to try out for deer or elk then to get someone to point you in the right direction of turkey's, grouse, ptarmigan, or ducks.... especially ducks in Colorado.
4. Honestly I've yet to have a negative reaction in the field with another hunter that wasn't centered around small game, specifically waterfowl. (Like are all duck hunters just massive, massive a-holes)

Anyway would love to see some local clubs in the west that are willing to help bring in some new blood and get people into hunting, bird hunting should be an easy way to help people get their feet wet in our sport.

I would happily go spend a half a dozen days in a duck blind a year with an older hunter that is willing to share what they know, I don't have grand parents anymore and would love to get to soak in some small game knowledge from older hunters.

There's a lot of truth here. Grouse spots are paid for in miles and blood. Good waterfowl spots are coveted just as much as buck-holes. Without mentors showing the next generation how to do it right, and how to advocate for what they need to continue to be succesful, we're going to continue fighting over the last bits of good opportunity until it's gone, then we'll wonder why someone didn't do something to save it all.

That's when the guy in skinny jeans who just squealed about the new J-lo album will have won.

 

[Nameless Range]

An interactive map of all the local Rod and Gun Clubs in an area would be a cool thing to see.

I think one of the reasons local groups have a harder time starting or being invigorated is because there is a higher degree of accountability on the local level. Most folks aren't comfortable with that kind of accountability. They've gotten used to a passive membership model.

How many folks on this board are a member of BHA or RMEF, and do nothing beyond sending their annual check and reading their monthly magazine? That type of "membership" doesn't really work on the local level. When it comes to volunteering we live in a world rife with excuses. It's just a fact.

Local advocacy feels messier than the larger scale advocacy of the groups mentioned previously. If I am a member of a local group, which is smaller and so therefore individual members have more influence, when the group does something my neighbor feels is wrong, or even effects their livelihoods, there is more ownness on the individual members of the club for the club's decisions. It's harder to make the "net-good" argument. Advocacy on the local level can be divisive.

From a personal perspective, when I think of the handful of humans I hunt with, it is hard for me to find consensus with most of them on many issues that I would imagine a local rod and gun club engaging in. There isn't this common cause with an obvious goal. As the OP mentions - we largely live in abundance. I'm as guilty as the next guy. Just north of me is a local club doing good work and standing up for things I agree with most of the time. Why am I not an active member? That's a good question.

I like the idea of gun ranges and club houses being used as a gathering place to reinvigorate new membership, but I can't help but feel that if a local club is engaged in the messy and alienating business of advocacy, which if they are worth their salt they likely will be, newbs and adult onset hunters may not have the desire to get that filthy just yet. It's almost as if the mentoring, camaraderie, skill-building aspect of Rod and Gun Clubs should be separate from the lawsuits, testifying, advocating side - but how can they be?

Long winded. Not sure I said anything.

 

[AvidIndoorsman]

There's a lot of truth here. Grouse spots are paid for in miles and blood. Good waterfowl spots are coveted just as much as buck-holes. Without mentors showing the next generation how to do it right, and how to advocate for what they need to continue to be succesful, we're going to continue fighting over the last bits of good opportunity until it's gone, then we'll wonder why someone didn't do something to save it all.

That's when the guy in skinny jeans who just squealed about the new J-lo album will have won.

Agreed... CO is a pretty dry place so most waterfowl spots are either on private or heavily regulated, i.e. you have to make reservations for specific blinds weeks or months in advance on a first come first served basis... tons of rules and regs etc. I mean I think from my various hunt recaps it's pretty clear I'm not afraid of complicated hunts, but after a season of trying to make a waterfowl spot happen in CO I just said screw it, not worth the time or effort, especially just to get to a packed lot with a bunch of jerks peppering me with shot and screaming at me in the parking lot for doing whatever wrong... simply because I'm new to the sport.

I've had guns pulled on me twice in my life both times were duck hunting, once because I accidentally bumbled into a guys spot in CO (not opening day) the other was floating in Bozeman, we were at the take out and two guys in a drift boat had gotten on the river an hour after me, were pissed that I "stole their spot" and after leveling his gun at me the guy in the front of the boat told me if he saw me on the river again he was going to take the safety off.

So yeah my impression is the waterfowlers are a bunch of psychotic jerks, especially after meeting loads of amazingly generous deer and elk hunters who have helped me with spots, and offered to help me pack out critters. I even showed up in a elk hunting spot a guy had been hunting for decades, and instead of being pissed I was in his spot he offered me a seat at his fire that night and cooked me dinner.

 

[AvidIndoorsman]

I like the idea of gun ranges and club houses being used as a gathering place to reinvigorate new membership, but I can't help but feel that if a local club is engaged in the messy and alienating business of advocacy, which if they are worth their salt they likely will be, newbs and adult onset hunters may not have the desire to get that filthy just yet. It's almost as if the mentoring, camaraderie, skill-building aspect of Rod and Gun Clubs should be separate from the lawsuits, testifying, advocating side - but how can they be?

Long winded. Not sure I said anything.

What about just hanging a list of hunters looking for a small game partner on the wall of the range. Or just a few social events where new guys can meet some veterans giving both groups a chance to meet in person and see if they want to take that guy or gal out for a hunt.

 

[88man]

Fellowship helps grow the sport. Kids like the club and or group concept/environment.

 

[Ben Lamb]

What about just hanging a list of hunters looking for a small game partner on the wall of the range. Or just a few social events where new guys can meet some veterans giving both groups a chance to meet in person and see if they want to take that guy or gal out for a hunt.

This. I think the idea of various committees that people can volunteer for are still a good thing. Advocacy, be it for new regulations or seasons or larger, federal or state issues, can be done by this committee, who is answerable to the membership at each meeting, but the club is really about bringing people together and creating the next generations of hunters, anglers AND conservationists.

 

[rwc101]

I'd love to meet some other small game hunters. I've never run into anyone else hunting grouse or rabbit around here though.

 

[tjones]

How many folks on this board are a member of BHA or RMEF, and do nothing beyond sending their annual check and reading their monthly magazine? That type of "membership" doesn't really work on the local level. .

My guess is lots. Some think sending in their dues and posting hot links on forums is really doing something. I guess its better than nothing but the real grind is showing up at local meetings and working with local bios and land managers. The national groups go great work but if you want to get things done that affect your seasons locally then you have to show up.

Good post Nameless.

 

[Irrelevant]

After listening to a Newberg podcast (I can't remember which one) I joined our local club. Turns out they do a CRAP LOAD of work for wildlife in our area, but with declining membership they're slowly doing less and less. My hunting partner and I are both on their governing board. I find it a lot more enjoyable and rewarding than volunteering for say BHA or RMEF, nothing wrong with either of them, and I'm still a moderately active member of both, but with the Wenatchee Sportsman's Association I feel like we actually get in the trenches to support wildlife. We're not afraid of suing the County or the State over their inability to follow their own rules in valuing wildlife habitat. We're constantly writing letters to our representatives and Letters To The Editor in the paper.

One side note I'll throw out there is that it's interesting that while we are losing members, and especially losing active members, we're still increasing our fund raising every year. It seems like people still support the cause, it's just that Netflix and kids soccer are more important than going to a meeting.

 

[buckbull]

The decline of local club involvement is not just effecting sportsman type clubs. I know all of our local clubs (such as Lion's Club) are suffering from losing more members than gaining. There are alot of variables involved for this loss. At least for young men and women with kids, it has to do with all the activities that kids are in now. I only have 2 kids but most of my weekends are filled with sporting events. That leaves little room for hunting/fishing and even less time for volunteerism. Kids are approaching college age now so I hope to be able to do more than just mail a check.

 

[Sytes]

Every aspect has it's priorities. I know several whom are actively involved in overtime... overtime... overtime countering pedophiles though I've signed them up for RMEF... They love to hunt however, you think I would call out even a fraction of a snip at them for not placing their time pulling down barb wire, etc? Psssh!@ Some here get soooo wound up that your calling is the true calling, while ignoring other great values people who just pay dues to an organization involve themselves within. Pissing in the wind is a dis-service to your leg... less that thrills ya.

I think it is great for those who are involved and find their time valuable for local clubs however, careful of your slight of thought for others.

 

[Nameless Range]

Every aspect has it's priorities. I know several whom are actively involved in overtime... overtime... overtime countering pedophiles though I've signed them up for RMEF... They love to hunt however, you think I would call out even a fraction of a snip at them for not placing their time pulling down barb wire, etc? Psssh!@ Some here get soooo wound up that your calling is the true calling, while ignoring other great values people who just pay dues to an organization involve themselves within. Pissing in the wind is a dis-service to your leg... less that thrills ya.

I think it is great for those who are involved and find their time valuable for local clubs however, careful of your slight of thought for others.

Not meant to be a slight, and did not intend for it to come off that way, rather a factual observation. For some reason(s) folks are less giving with their time now than in the years when Rod and Gun Clubs, Fraternal Orgs, Fire Depts, etc, were filled with more people. Not directed particularly at any group or passive conservation org member, but if folks want Rod and Gun clubs to proliferate, people will have to give their time. That will run against national trends for many types of groups requiring volunteerism for those groups to function.

Lots of interesting articles on the perpetual drop in volunteerism.

Decline in volunteering hurts fire departments around the country

Recruitment is a problem for some departments, but a more common complaint is that it's hard to keep people once they've joined

www.firerescue1.com

Volunteerism Declined Among Young People

High school and college students are less likely to volunteer or give to charity today than they were 15 years ago, an analysis of U.S. Census data finds.

www.edweek.org

The U.S. Volunteer Rate Is Still Dropping. Why?

We have seen volunteer rates steadily declining for over a decade

blogs.volunteermatch.org

Fewer Americans are volunteering and giving than any time in the last two decades

While nonprofits have benefitted from record highs in volunteer hours and charitable fundraising totals, it's a case of fewer people doing more, as the percentage of Americans who contribute time and money has fallen to its lowest point in two decades, according to a report released this week by...

phys.org

Why Americans Stopped Volunteering

The terror attacks on September 11, 2001, inspired a national surge in civic spirit. But volunteering rates have been declining over the last two decades.

www.citylab.com

 

[BrentD]

What about just hanging a list of hunters looking for a small game partner on the wall of the range. Or just a few social events where new guys can meet some veterans giving both groups a chance to meet in person and see if they want to take that guy or gal out for a hunt.

I think that place for a "list" is probably facebook or whatever these days. But seriously, I don't know any veterans that are "looking for a partner". That said many will take a newbie out a few times. I've been taking out some newbies this year and last. It was just something that came up in conversation while beer drinking (where 90% of all meaningful conversation occurs), and I volunteered to take them. But when they move on, I'm not looking to replace them per se. In fact, I like hunting alone - a lot.

 

[TwistedSage]

Agreed... CO is a pretty dry place so most waterfowl spots are either on private or heavily regulated, i.e. you have to make reservations for specific blinds weeks or months in advance on a first come first served basis... tons of rules and regs etc. I mean I think from my various hunt recaps it's pretty clear I'm not afraid of complicated hunts, but after a season of trying to make a waterfowl spot happen in CO I just said screw it, not worth the time or effort, especially just to get to a packed lot with a bunch of jerks peppering me with shot and screaming at me in the parking lot for doing whatever wrong... simply because I'm new to the sport.

I've had guns pulled on me twice in my life both times were duck hunting, once because I accidentally bumbled into a guys spot in CO (not opening day) the other was floating in Bozeman, we were at the take out and two guys in a drift boat had gotten on the river an hour after me, were pissed that I "stole their spot" and after leveling his gun at me the guy in the front of the boat told me if he saw me on the river again he was going to take the safety off.

So yeah my impression is the waterfowlers are a bunch of psychotic jerks, especially after meeting loads of amazingly generous deer and elk hunters who have helped me with spots, and offered to help me pack out critters. I even showed up in a elk hunting spot a guy had been hunting for decades, and instead of being pissed I was in his spot he offered me a seat at his fire that night and cooked me dinner.

Holy shit dude that some next level assholery right there. I have been fortunate to never run into such hunting. I've had 4 interactions with fellow waterfowlers and 2 of them ended in exchanging numbers. Sounds like you bumped into some physcos for sure.

 

[AvidIndoorsman]

Holy shit dude that some next level assholery right there. I have been fortunate to never run into such hunting. I've had 4 interactions with fellow waterfowlers and 2 of them ended in exchanging numbers. Sounds like you bumped into some physcos for sure.

For sure, other than that I've pretty much only had good experiences meeting other hunters in the field. I think the limited spots and logistics, makes tempers flare... although it does make me curious about what it's like to hunt public lands in Arkansas or Mississippi for ducks.

 

[Ben Lamb]

For sure, other than that I've pretty much only had good experiences meeting other hunters in the field. I think the limited spots and logistics, makes tempers flare... although it does make me curious about what it's like to hunt public lands in Arkansas or Mississippi for ducks.

You should check out the Utah duckhunters page. They make it sound like hunting the GSL is akin to a nascar race.

Ducks, like elk, make people do stupid things, apparently.