Fascinating revelations in the waterfowl world

[Howboutthemdawgs]

For any of us who care about waterfowl, this research is scary and eye opening. Once again “wildlife” game farms are screwing up native populations. Deer farms, quail and pheasant farms and waterfowl farms have to be shut down. They are a net negative by an exponential factor on native game. Basically the main finding is almost 97% of mallards on the Atlantic flyway have game bird dna. That dna is making them horrible breeders and inefficient migrators. They even have started developing adaptations to their beaks and legs making survival on natural foods impossible. France is already at 100% release birds to sustain a “season”. We are headed there.

 

[SD51555]

Interesting topic. I wish they'd test for more things in their environment. I bet you'd be shocked at what's in those birds.

 

[jsasker007]

I would like to see much more research before hitting the panic button declaring that it ALL has to go. jmo

 

[SwampCat]

Been going on for awhile in the Atlantic flyway. The farther duck hunting falls in the MS flyway - especially Arkansas - the more common place wholesale stocking of pen raised mallards is going to be in the MS flyway. Ducks are following the path of turkey and quail - just slower - for now.

 

[Howboutthemdawgs]

I would like to see much more research before hitting the panic button declaring that it ALL has to go. jmo

Give it a listen. Pretty definitive. Not much evidence to support game farms existence

 

[jsasker007]

As far as deer farms go I have been hoping that some day I would be able to buy venison at the store just like beef,pork,chicken and fish. Would be a nice option when I don't fill my tags during season.

 

[H20fwler]

For any of us who care about waterfowl, this research is scary and eye opening. Once again “wildlife” game farms are screwing up native populations. Deer farms, quail and pheasant farms and waterfowl farms have to be shut down. They are a net negative by an exponential factor on native game. Basically the main finding is almost 97% of mallards on the Atlantic flyway have game bird dna. That dna is making them horrible breeders and inefficient migrators. They even have started developing adaptations to their beaks and legs making survival on natural foods impossible. France is already at 100% release birds to sustain a “season”. We are headed there.

The east coast clubs stocking flying mallards is nothing new. When I hunted the Chesapeake Bay area and eastern shore back in the 80's we used to get club banded mallards all the time, we liked it because those didn't count against our limit back then. I think the clubs have stocked ducks there for a long time, prolly well over 100 years. I'm not surprised at all that the DNA on mallards there is crossed up.

Deer farms are just wrong all the way around breeding freakish comical huge bucks so rich posers can shoot them and pretend they are big hunters. They are the reason we have CWD in our wild herds.
I would like to see all the game farms in my state banned. Lots of small-time private set ups with a dozen deer or less set up right in my county, and a couple are larger commercial operations selling bucks/meat/velvet.

The pheasant quail shooting preserves don't bother me too much, we haven't had many wild birds in my part of the state since the blizzard of 78, and "clean" farming practices have destroyed all the cover upland birds need in my area. The preserve is the only way some can ever shoot a pheasant or quail or work their dogs.

As far as deer farms go I have been hoping that some day I would be able to buy venison at the store just like beef,pork,chicken and fish. Would be a nice option when I don't fill my tags during season.

A couple of our local custom butcher shops here sell game farm venison, can buy steaks/roasts/burger/summer sausage/jerky.. it's from fallow deer and whitetail.