Young duck hunters find success; cover thick for grouse

Featured comment

I agree with gregoup

The amount of money I spend on duck hunting every year on travel, lodging, state and federal duck stamps, camo everything including my … read more boat, and very expensive non-toxic shotgun shells is almost prohibitive, and I do believe the youth hunt diminishes the local duck population available to adults (and youth) on opening day. What started out as a politically popular pilot program 14 years ago has become institutionalized without any published outcomes I know of other than the estimated numbers of youth participating each year. I'd like to see 14 years of results somewhere. For example, does the DNR know how many 14 year old hunters introduced to duck hunting for the first time 14 years ago, who are now 28 years old, are still duck hunting? How many early season youth duck hunters have already been introduced to hunting ducks with an adult since earlier childhood on the regular opener? How many youth hunting the early season are really being "introduced" to duck hunting for the first time? Does the DNR really know if the supposed "non-hunting" adult is actually not shooting during the youth hunt?("Let me show you how it's done kid.") Was the early youth hunt program supposed to become a standard part of the annual hunting season or is it ever going sunset? If there are not more local ducks easily harvested during the early youth hunt, the why have it at all? If the idea is to have new and continuing duck hunters in the sport, then instead of the early youth hunt, why not try keeping local ducks around for the opener and see if adult hunters like myself keep on duck hunting instead of quitting, like many have and like I'm considering doing while I'm deciding how to best spend my annual hunting budget?