Have corn pond complexes affected your 2018 duck season?

[Steve Shanewise]

Make no mistake about it, corn pond hunting will eliminate free public waterfowl hunting within the very near future if the practice isn't stop.  You can stack a million birds on a ten acre sanctuary lake if there's enough feed to keep them around.  Corn ponds provide this feed.  If not stopped, 90-95% of the mallards and geese harvested in Washington State in the future will be shot on commercial outfits or private clubs with corn ponds and sanctuary lakes.  Successful, free public hunting will cease.

I have actually been privately working on the corn pond issue for a couple years now.  I've testified at Wildlife Commission meetings 4-5 times, and may be making some headway.  Hopefully there will be a public hearing arranged for this spring or summer where hunters can have their say.  I have also produced three documents detailing the corn pond issue that I also submitted to the Wildlife Commission.  These documents provide a concise, articulate evaluation of the situation and are a very easy read.  I can email the pdf files to anyone who wants them.

[EWUeagles]

Make no mistake about it, corn pond hunting will eliminate free public waterfowl hunting within the very near future if the practice isn't stop.  You can stack a million birds on a ten acre sanctuary lake if there's enough feed to keep them around.  Corn ponds provide this feed.  If not stopped, 90-95% of the mallards and geese harvested in Washington State in the future will be shot on commercial outfits or private clubs with corn ponds and sanctuary lakes.  Successful, free public hunting will cease.

I have actually been privately working on the corn pond issue for a couple years now.  I've testified at Wildlife Commission meetings 4-5 times, and may be making some headway.  Hopefully there will be a public hearing arranged for this spring or summer where hunters can have their say.  I have also produced three documents detailing the corn pond issue that I also submitted to the Wildlife Commission.  These documents provide a concise, articulate evaluation of the situation and are a very easy read.  I can email the pdf files to anyone who wants them.

I'll take them! I have never seen actual facts about corn ponds (pro or con) but would love to see some real data! Do you know if anyone has looked at banding data? It might be able to show where birds have moved.

[Shannon]

Here is my take on this. I don't own flooded ponds but have paid to hunt on Eagle Ranch once. I'm all for equal opportunity but I'm also against people taking rights away from someone else who is legally doing what they do. How would you like it if you saved up a ton of money to buy your own property to plant corn and then flood it to hunt over privately-then sportsman get something passed where you can't do it? Most guys complaining on here would love to have their own set up of a flooded corn field and would do it if given the chance. Why would you take that right from someone else just because you can't afford to do it yourself? Life sucks but there is all kinds of things I'd like to do but can't afford. I'm not asking for anyone else not to do it because I can't. Flame away but that is my two cents. I know most people on here are complaining about the huge complexes but once government starts to screw things up it will be a small pond surrounded by an acre of corn on a local farmers 20 acres that they ban. Its how it works usually. I'm just tired of losing my rights and I'm not going to ask someone else to lose theirs because I can't do it myself.

[vandeman17]

Here is my take on this. I don't own flooded ponds but have paid to hunt on Eagle Ranch once. I'm all for equal opportunity but I'm also against people taking rights away from someone else who is legally doing what they do. How would you like it if you saved up a ton of money to buy your own property to plant corn and then flood it to hunt over privately-then sportsman get something passed where you can't do it? Most guys complaining on here would love to have their own set up of a flooded corn field and would do it if given the chance. Why would you take that right from someone else just because you can't afford to do it yourself? Life sucks but there is all kinds of things I'd like to do but can't afford. I'm not asking for anyone else not to do it because I can't. Flame away but that is my two cents. I know most people on here are complaining about the huge complexes but once government starts to screw things up it will be a small pond surrounded by an acre of corn on a local farmers 20 acres that they ban. Its how it works usually. I'm just tired of losing my rights and I'm not going to ask someone else to lose theirs because I can't do it myself.

Creating a your own little honey hole is one thing but building a huge complex that changes entire flight patterns of a PUBLIC resource is what I don't care for. I don't blame the owners at all but I blame wdfw and whoever else oversees the regulations for not changing the language of the laws regarding corn and baiting. As for the money argument, that means zero to me because I could personally afford to hunt it a few times per year if I wanted but I enjoy more the challenge of having to locate and work for birds then have them spoon fed to me at the buffet line. 

[Shannon]

Where does it end though? Large ranches hold a lot of deer and elk. People complain that these properties hold a lot of public game. They are but if you don't like it go buy one for yourself. I'm not sure how you legislate changes without screwing over someone in the process. They bought the property and have the right to do what they want on it legally. We already basically rent our land from the state with high property taxes and a long list of what we can and can't do on that property. I'm not going to ask to add anything more to that long list via legislation. Someone worked hard for the funds to buy these properties and many started with nothing many years ago. I'm just tired of people complaining of lost opportunities. Go make your own opportunity just like these land owners did.

[EKU]

According to WDFW's website the Commission meets March 1-2 in Spokane and April 5-6 in Olympia.  These are open to public comment. You can also make a public comment on their website between Jan. 23 and Feb 13. 

[Sandberm]

Its not my dream to own land so i can flood a corn field. Its not ethical. So stop with the "Your just jealous because you can't hunt over flooded corn" talk.

The other argument,  that because people worked hard to buy land that they can do whatever they want is ridiculous too. Having lots of money doesn't mean you get to do whatever you want to OUR resource.

[vandeman17]

Its not my dream to own land so i can flood a corn field. Its not ethical. So stop with the "Your just jealous because you can't hunt over flooded corn" talk.

The other argument,  that because people worked hard to buy land that they can do whatever they want is ridiculous too. Having lots of money doesn't mean you get to do whatever you want to OUR resource.

You said what I wanted to try and say but couldn't find the words 

[Shannon]

Its unethical is your opinion. Some people view bow hunting as unethical. Some think baiting deer/elk is unethical. Do you want to try to prevent them from doing that? That's how we lost our bear baiting and hound hunts. I'm just tired of people trying to take away someones rights because they don't think its necessary to do something.

[huntnfmly]

Here is my take on this. I don't own flooded ponds but have paid to hunt on Eagle Ranch once. I'm all for equal opportunity but I'm also against people taking rights away from someone else who is legally doing what they do. How would you like it if you saved up a ton of money to buy your own property to plant corn and then flood it to hunt over privately-then sportsman get something passed where you can't do it? Most guys complaining on here would love to have their own set up of a flooded corn field and would do it if given the chance. Why would you take that right from someone else just because you can't afford to do it yourself? Life sucks but there is all kinds of things I'd like to do but can't afford. I'm not asking for anyone else not to do it because I can't. Flame away but that is my two cents. I know most people on here are complaining about the huge complexes but once government starts to screw things up it will be a small pond surrounded by an acre of corn on a local farmers 20 acres that they ban. Its how it works usually. I'm just tired of losing my rights and I'm not going to ask someone else to lose theirs because I can't do it myself.

Where does it end though? Large ranches hold a lot of deer and elk. People complain that these properties hold a lot of public game. They are but if you don't like it go buy one for yourself. I'm not sure how you legislate changes without screwing over someone in the process. They bought the property and have the right to do what they want on it legally. We already basically rent our land from the state with high property taxes and a long list of what we can and can't do on that property. I'm not going to ask to add anything more to that long list via legislation. Someone worked hard for the funds to buy these properties and many started with nothing many years ago. I'm just tired of people complaining of lost opportunities. Go make your own opportunity just like these land owners did.

100% spot on.
I've said it before as sportsman we need to quit shooting ourselves in the foot by saying we don't agree with the way someone else is legally hunting so let's take it away.
I'll go back to the example of baiting deer and elk it's a real slippery slope we've started down

[92xj]

By that thinking you guys must get pretty annoyed/angry over a water hole on private ground that the land owner created that draws elk and deer to it during archery season to drink. And also that orchard on private ground that feeds the deer. And those turnips planted on Billy's land that the whitetails flock to when there is snow on the ground. All scenarios bringing OUR public resource on to a private piece of property that the owner has influenced the behavior of a public resource.  Where are you guys drawing the line?  Serious, non confrontational question here.  Where is the line of public hunter vs private land owner that does something to affect public animals that we all want to chase?

[huntnfmly]

By that thinking you guys must get pretty annoyed/angry over a water hole on private ground that the land owner created that draws elk and deer to it during archery season to drink. And also that orchard on private ground that feeds the deer. And those turnips planted on Billy's land that the whitetails flock to when there is snow on the ground. All scenarios bringing OUR public resource on to a private piece of property that the owner has influenced the behavior of a public resource.  Where are you guys drawing the line?  Serious, non confrontational question here.  Where is the line of public hunter vs private land owner that does something to affect public animals that we all want to chase?

As you said it brings animals in it feeds them it helps them you learn to hunt the trails coming and going from the waterholes  and orchard.
Private lands help wildlife

[vandeman17]

By that thinking you guys must get pretty annoyed/angry over a water hole on private ground that the land owner created that draws elk and deer to it during archery season to drink. And also that orchard on private ground that feeds the deer. And those turnips planted on Billy's land that the whitetails flock to when there is snow on the ground. All scenarios bringing OUR public resource on to a private piece of property that the owner has influenced the behavior of a public resource.  Where are you guys drawing the line?  Serious, non confrontational question here.  Where is the line of public hunter vs private land owner that does something to affect public animals that we all want to chase?

As you said it brings animals in it feeds them it helps them you learn to hunt the trails coming and going from the waterholes  and orchard.
Private lands help wildlife

those animals walk the trails, Not fly to waterhole and sit there until they are either shot or fly to a completely different area.

I totally understand where you guys are coming from and in 99% of cases, I am against restricting legal methods of hunting but I just don't think what the complexes are doing is anything other than a loophole that should be corrected. Manipulating a public resource for private gain by this method just doesn't sit well with me

[Sandberm]

I really do not think that if flooded corn fields are banned that I will lose other hunting rights. Thats a fear tactic that is used IN ALL SORTS of arguments.

[head hunter]

This whole thread sounds like a bunch of Lib supporters trying to limit what others do because they don’t like it. So sick of this thread popping, the game dept plants and floods ground also to attract and hold ducks to be hunted. My guess is this thread started by some 20 something that is use to have everything given to them prob layed  down in i5 to protest trump being elected also. Heck let’s limit the amount of property someone can own or how much money one can make. Crazy!  hunting will be doomed if hunters keep fighting each other.