Description

This book is in good clean shape, slight odor from storage; rare (try to find another copy!) 1983 oversize hardback. THE COMPLETE PICTORIAL WATERFOWL HUNTING STAMPS by C P Pendl. WIKIPEDIA: Waterfowl hunting is the practice of hunting aquatic birds such as ducks, geese and other waterfowls or shorebirds for sport and meat. Waterfowl are hunted in crop fields where they feed, or in areas with bodies of water such as rivers, lakes, ponds, wetlands , sloughs , or coasts. [ 1 ] There are around 3 million waterfowl hunters in the United States alone. [ 2 ] History Prehistoric waterfowl hunting Wild waterfowl have been hunted for meat, down , and feathers worldwide since prehistoric times. Ducks, geese, and swans appear in European cave paintings from the last ice age . The mural in the ancient Egyptian tomb of Khnumhotep II shows a man in a hunting blind capturing swimming ducks in a trap. [ 3 ] Muscovy ducks were depicted in the art of the Moche culture of ancient Peru . [ 4 ] Rise of modern waterfowl hunting Duck hunting outside Lanišče , by Franz Anton von Steinberg, 1759. Modern waterfowl hunting began in the 17th century with the matchlock rifle . Later flintlock blunderbuss and percussion cap guns were used. Shotguns were loaded with black powder and lead shot through the muzzle until the late 19th century. The transition from muzzle to breechloading shotguns was largely driven by innovations made by gunmakers such as Joseph Manton , at which time wildfowling was extremely popular in England. [ 5 ] Both the shotgun choke and smokeless powder was invented in the late 19th century which allowed for longer range shooting with the shotgun. With the advent of punt guns hunters could kill dozens of birds with a single blast. [ 6 ] European settlers in America hunted waterfowl with great zeal, as the supply of waterfowl seemed unlimited in the Atlantic coast. As more immigrants came to the Americas in the 19th century, the need for more food became greater. Market hunting started to take form, to supply the local population living along the East Coast with fresh ducks and geese. Live ducks were used as decoys to attract other waterfowl, something that today is considered animal cruelty. During the fall migrations, the skies were filled with waterfowl. Places such as Chesapeake Bay , Delaware Bay , and Barnegat Bay were hunted extensively. [ 7 ] In the Chesapeake Bay in the 1930s one of the biggest threats to waterfowl was local poachers using flat boats with swivel cannons that killed entire flocks with one shot. [ 8 ] [ 9 ] Species of waterfowl hunted Many species of ducks and geese share the same habitat and have overlapping hunting seasons . [ 10 ] In North America a variety of ducks and geese are hunted, the most common being mallards , Canada goose , snow goose , canvasback , redhead , northern pintail , gadwall , ruddy duck , coots , common merganser and red-breasted merganser . [ 11 ] Also hunted are black duck , wood duck , blue-winged teal , green-winged teal , bufflehead , northern shoveler , wigeon , and goldeneye . Sea ducks include long-tailed duck , eider , and scoter . [ 12 ] [ 13 ] Modern hunting techniques Duck hunting using decoys in the Chippewa National Forest , 1938. The waterfowl hunting season is generally in the autumn and winter. Hunting seasons are set by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service in the United States. In the autumn, the ducks and geese have finished raising their young and are migrating to warmer areas to feed. [ 14 ] A hunting blind is used to conceal the hunter while duck decoys are used to attract birds. Using a good spread of decoys and calling, an experienced waterfowl hunter can successfully bag ducks or geese if waterfowl are flying that day. [ 15 ] Boats can be used as a hunting blind , known as sneakbox . Most popular are flat-bottomed boats (usually johnboats ) for increased stability. Kayaks or canoes are also used. Pursuing diving ducks in lakes, bays or sounds requires larger and more stable boats, as small boats have been known to capsize. Sinkboxes that conceal the hunter under the water surface are illegal. [ 14 ] Retriever dogs are used to retrieve the shot ducks. Most often hunters use a Labrador Retriever , Golden Retriever or Chesapeake Bay Retriever to retrieve waterfowl. The retriever helps to retrieve birds, and hunts down crippled ducks that survived the shooting. [ 16 ] Shotguns and ammunition Since the 16th century lead shot has been used in waterfowl hunting. In the late 1960s lead shot was identified as a major cause of lead poisoning in waterfowl, which often feed off the bottom of lakes and wetlands. [ 17 ] [ 18 ] Shot pellets used for waterfowl must today be lead-free. [ 19 ] [ 20 ] The 12-gauge shotgun is the most common and larger than a 10-gauge are prohibited. Shotguns that can hold more than three cartridges must be modified to reduce their magazine capacity. The pellet size used depends on which waterfowl species are being hunted, buckshot is illegal. [ 21 ] When hunting with shotguns, there is always a risk of injuring ducks that survive but manage to escape, so called crippling losses. As ducks often fly in flocks, there is a potential for multiple ducks to be hit when hunters shoot into the flock to target an individual. The duck struck by the central cluster of the shot typically dies and falls to the ground. However, ducks on the periphery of the shot may still be hit by some pellets , which they survive but result in lifelong suffering. Shooting at too far a distance also increases the risk of causing injury due to the increased spread of shot pellets. [ 22 ] Regulations and sportsmanship European hunters in the Middle Ages had a deep sense of justice for their prey and saw hunting as a challenge, where the animals deserved a fair chance. Hunters used fair methods to minimize unnecessary suffering for the prey. This code of honor required hunters to actively pursue and kill all injured animals to prevent their suffering. Targeting a sitting duck was considered dishonest. [ 23 ] A shot mallard in distress gets help from the Ontario Provincial Police . X-ray of the mallard showing shot pellets in her hip and lung injury. To hunt waterfowl in Canada, one must first obtain a valid Canada Migratory Game Bird Hunting Permit , as well as additional licenses at the provincial level. [ 24 ] Hunters in Canada and the United States are also required to complete safety courses before they can obtain a license. [ 25 ] In the United States, hunters must also purchase a Federal Duck Stamp . It is illegal to shoot ducks from a motor vehicle or a moving boat. Laying baits such as corn and the use of live ducks as decoys, are also illegal. [ 26 ] It is considered good sportsmanship to make every possible attempt to retrieve injured or crippled waterfowl. [ 27 ] The losses resulting from hunters not retrieving their kills, referred to as crippling losses, likely range from 20% to 40% of all waterfowl shot in Canada and the United States. [ 28 ] The migratory bird harvest for the prairie provinces of Canada and the contiguous United States are estimated to 12 million birds annually. [ 29 ] Thus, each year, millions of ducks and geese are crippled or injured in North America due to hunting. [ 30 ] The probable fate for mutilated ducks is a prolonged, agonizing death, marked by relentless suffering and distress. [ 31 ] [ 32 ] An X-ray study of ducks caught using nets in Australia found that between 6% and 19% of the ducks live with embedded shot pellets in their bodies. [ 33 ] This act of animal cruelty has been mostly overlooked by government officials. [ 34 ] Flyways and hunting grounds Birds migrate between breeding and wintering grounds using flyways . Each flyway has a different composition of species and habitat. In the Mississippi Flyway wildfowl hunting generally occurs on lakes, marshes , swamps , or rivers where ducks and geese land during their migration . Cornfields and rice paddies are also common hunting grounds, since geese and ducks often feed on the grain that remains in the field after harvest. [ 35 ] The Atlantic Flyway is a migration route used by waterfowl flying from northern Quebec to Florida in the autumn and back in the springtime. [ 36 ] The habitats of waterfowl are marsh and wetlands , which are shrinking at alarming rates due to the drought and farmers draining wetland areas to plant crops. Wetland conservation and restoration is critical for the continuance of waterfowl hunting. [ 37 ] [ 38 ] References Ducks Unlimited (DU) is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to the conservation of wetlands and associated upland habitats for waterfowl, other wildlife, and people. History and profile In 1927, an offshoot of the Boone and Crockett Club was created specifically for sport bird management and operated until 1930 as the American Wild Fowlers. Membership included such people as Arthur Bartley and Nash Buckingham , who would later be involved in the conservation movement. In 1930, Joseph P. Knapp , a publishing tycoon who successfully obtained such notable publications as The Associated Sunday Magazine , Crowell Publishing Company, Collier’s Weekly , Farm and Fireside, and the book publisher P.F. Collier & Sons, founded More Game Birds in America and American Wild Fowlers was quickly absorbed into the new organization. [ 2 ] In 1937, Knapp, Robert Winthrop, E.H.Low and a small group of conservation philanthropists decided to focus on the decreasing waterfowl populations, and the habitat necessary to sustain them in Canada. Ducks Unlimited was incorporated on January 29, 1937. Local Winnipeg artist Ernie Wilson created the original Ducks Unlimited logo. [ 3 ] More Game Birds in America was then absorbed by the new waterfowl organization. [ 4 ] [ 5 ] [ 6 ] Ducks Unlimited Canada was incorporated in Winnipeg , Manitoba , on March 10, 1937. [ 7 ] As of 2020, Ducks Unlimited Canada has a conservation community of 111,025 people. [ 8 ] Ducks Unlimited also works in Mexico through their sister organization, Ducks Unlimited de Mexico. Other chapters have since begun operation in Latin America , Mexico , New Zealand , and Australia . [ 9 ] Ducks Unlimited has conserved at least 15 million acres [ 10 ] of waterfowl habitat in North America . [ 11 ] DU partners with a wide range of corporations, governments, other non-governmental organizations , landowners, and private citizens to restore and manage areas that have been degraded and to prevent further degradation of existing wetlands. DU is also active in working with others to recommend government policies that will influence wetlands and the environment. [ 12 ] DU generated more than $201 million in revenues during their 2019 fiscal year; [ 13 ] a minimum of 80 percent [ 14 ] of that revenue goes directly toward habitat conservation . [ 15 ] Their sources of revenue include federal and state habitat reimbursements, conservation easements, sponsors, members, major gifts, donations, royalties, and advertisement. The majority of DU's financial contributors and 90 percent of its members are hunters. [ 14 ] Its DU Magazine contains many historical and practical articles on waterfowl hunting. It obtains revenue from advertisements of waterfowling equipment such as shotguns, ammunition, decoys, and bird calls. Additional revenue is raised by commissioning artists to create duck artwork, with a portion going to the artist and the majority share of revenue going to Ducks Unlimited. Eric Thorsen is one wildlife artist who has contributed artwork for fundraising. [ 16 ] In 2019, Ducks Unlimited Canada and the University of Saskatchewan partnered to establish the "Ducks Unlimited Canada Endowed Chair in Wetland and Waterfowl Conservation". The position will aid the university faculty and students with environmental education, research, and outreach. [ 17 ] In March 2019, Ducks Unlimited named former Florida Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam the new Chief Executive Officer. [ 18 ] Conservation Traditionally, most Ducks Unlimited wetland conservation projects were conducted on waterfowl breeding areas in the Canadian prairies by its sister organization, Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC). DUC has since expanded its operations to include projects in every Canadian province and territory, not just in the prairies. Ducks Unlimited has also expanded its operations to include conservation projects in every state of the United States and Mexico. It retains a primary focus on habitats most important to waterfowl, including the restoration of duck breeding habitats in Canada and the northern central states and ducks overwintering habitat, mainly in the coastal and southern states and in Mexico. [ citation needed ] Coastal cleanup Following the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, Ducks Unlimited became involved with multiple clean-up efforts in Gulf states. The organization worked with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service to protect approximately 79,000 acres of waterfowl and other waterbird habitats. [ 19 ] In 2015, Ducks Unlimited partnered with The Trust for Public Land to build an online database that tracked conservation and cleanup efforts following the Deepwater Horizon spill. [ 20 ] On August 16, 2018, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced a $1.8 million cooperative agreement with Ducks Unlimited to clean up oil spills and hazardous waste in the State of Texas from releases originating from the Gulf of Mexico. [ 21 ] Regions of special interest Barringer Slough in Iowa , a remnant of the extensive prairie wetlands that once covered the region Prairie Pothole Region [ 22 ] Western Boreal Forest of Canada [ 23 ] Mississippi Alluvial Valley [ 24 ] Central Valley and Coastal California [ 25 ] Gulf Coastal Prairie [ 26 ] Ducks Unlimited TV Ducks Unlimited produces a television show, Ducks Unlimited TV a.k.a. DUTV . This show is hosted by Field Hudnall, Wade Bourne, and Ainsley Beeman. The show highlights conservation and waterfowl hunting across the United States. [ 27 ]