Waterfowl ID course

[rumbleram]

if you want a free duck id quiz, check out the Delta Waterfowl website...they have a few different ones. best of all they aren't mandatory and don't hit ya in the pocket...more testing is a terrible idea...after taking the snooze fest turkey course I would not want to put people through more courses to hunt...it should be on each guys shoulders to make sure he knows what he's shooting and limits and regulations etc...if not then be prepared when ya get a fine....and perhaps fines should be heavier to discourage people from shooting everything and anything.

[Dead Ringer]

Hello Dead Ringer,

Which course do I have to take again? I thought that I had completed all the courses!

I recently took the "swan hunter course" and I passed with 100% on the first attempt.

Check out the free Nevada "on line" swan hunter course (http://www.utah-hunt.com/utswancourse/) and let me know what you think.

Jerome

Jerome, to prevent confusion of the waterfowl and swan ID debates (the reason for this separate thread, I'll respond about Utah on the swan thread.

And it's hard to tell if you were kidding about the course I reported you about. It was a joke implying that since you bought so many stamps, you have to take extra waterfowl ID courses.

[Dead Ringer]

if you want a free duck id quiz, check out the Delta Waterfowl website...they have a few different ones. best of all they aren't mandatory and don't hit ya in the pocket...more testing is a terrible idea...after taking the snooze fest turkey course I would not want to put people through more courses to hunt...it should be on each guys shoulders to make sure he knows what he's shooting and limits and regulations etc...if not then be prepared when ya get a fine....and perhaps fines should be heavier to discourage people from shooting everything and anything.

Rumble, who is going to fine them? COs (at least checking waterfowlers) are almost as rare as harlequins in this province.

[bardern]

I'm not sure of your take Dead Ringer. I can't believe all of us that railed against the useless gun registery are so quick to want an equally useless course. So in order to address small percentage of slob hunters we all have to suffer at Scott's "snooze fest". Tis good deal for the instructor who is going to get $100 a seat for the seminar however.

[Gadwall]

I defend the right for Canadians to use their portion of the Tundra harvest instead of giving it to the U.S. like we have been and I applaud Jerome for trying to make this happen ... but ... for me, if there is a course I will not be a swan hunter. I have not hunted turkeys and have no interest in it, mostly due to the course needed and the high cost of a tag to shoot just one (I can buy one cheaper), I guess I have had it with overregulation which is mostly designed for the government to make more $$ off our recreation.

With that said ... I tend to be a close to home hunter and do not travel much ... and we now see almost no Tundras in my area, but hundred's if not thousands of Mutes within 40km of where I live, so, if we are able to get these aggressive, invasive species off the protected list, I will be VERY VERY disappointed if they make us do a course to shoot a potentially non-regulated species, that just seems wrong to me ... for my own purposes I would like to press for the mutes to be taken off the protected list (shoot when you want as many as you want), and for other Canadian hunters I really would like to see Canada get their share of the Tundra harvest. But please ... no extra courses for either.

[Dead Ringer]

Bardern, the idea of this thread was simply to get a discussion going in the off-season. Not to motivate anyone one way or another. Just to get people involved and thinking. Sometimes, great ideas come from that. I'll say that for me, it was an overwhelming success. It planted the seed of an idea in my head and I have been scribbling notes to develop it further ever since.

I stated my position in this very thread. I also stated that I planned on playing devil's advocate on this thread. So while I don't support a mandatory course for general waterfowling (my position), I have no issue calling to light the fact that enforcement is not a viable tool for curtailing infractions or that the people who take the time to check out Delta's waterfowl quizzes aren't the hunters to worry about (devil's advocate). It's all there in the print above.

I'll also add that as a temporary resident, I will never make a formal push to change regulations here.

Also Bardern, I agree that the fees charged for the courses are absurd. I had to do a hunter's ed course in FL. It was put on my the state and was free. We may have had to pay for the range time at the end. When I heard what I'd have to pay just to take the OHEP and PAL course here, my jaw hit the floor. Bureaucracy at its finest. And yeah, the turkey course is another fine example.

Steve, wrong thread. This one is discussing a general waterfowl ID course. The debate about the thwans and the associated thwan ID course carries on in another thread...

[Buddy Boy]

Hello Guys,

A few points:

1) Dead Ringer ... I knew that you were joking about the courses that I had to take and so was I with my response. I saw your response to my previous post regarding the Utah "swan hunter course" that you posted on the "A Tundra Swan Season In Ontario" thread ... thank you.

The fact that you are a "temporary resident" (as you identified yourslf as) in Ontario does not exclude you from making suggestions to improve our hunting opportunities ... your comments are valid and valuable.

2) Gadwall ... maybe I misled you with my previous post ... my fault. Dead Ringer responded with "wrong thread" ... so could you "copy" your comments from your Post # 55 and post them on the "A Tundra Swan Season In Ontario" thread for me? I value your opinion and I will be writing to Mr. J. Hughes (Head of Population Management, CWS) about this (Tundra Swan) thread regarding the wealth of ideas and information that it contains.

I believe that the ideas and information would be beneficial to the Ontario Waterfowl Advisory Committee (OWAC) since they get to make the final recommendation as to whether or not we have a Tundra Swan season in Ontario ... currently some of the OWAC members are not interested.

Thanks again to both of you.

Jerome

Note to others ... I agree with Dead Ringer to keep this thread just for a "general waterfowl course" as that was my mistake to bring up the Utah "swan hunter course" on this thread ... sorry.

[Quigy]

We need better topics to discuss, and certainly not a waterfowl ID course. I can't even comprehend what the point would be, especially now that you can shoot a limit of just about anything. Blacks would be the only exception, and they are incredibly easy to identify, but I bet if you shot 6 ducks that appeared to be blacks, 4 would be crosses.

[Dead Ringer]

We need better topics to discuss,

This from a guy who has started how many threads in the last 6 months? This thread generated 58 responses and over 1200 views in the offseason. It served as an exchange of ideas that may result in some good down the road. But be our guest and start some topics: I'm sure you'll come up with some really transcendental stuff for us to discuss.

PS. It is illegal to shoot grebes, but some fools seem to do it every duck season. Same goes for other non-game species of marsh birds.

[drakemallard12]

Rumble, who is going to fine them? COs (at least checking waterfowlers) are almost as rare as harlequins in this province.

Have to agree here! Have nothing but respect for C.O's they protect the heritage and lifestyle we all love so much, however with so few uniformed field officers spread over such a large mass of land it's just not feasible for them to have the presence needed. Only time ive ever seen a C.O in the field is when there is one in the layout next to me.