I ask the question in hopes of getting some response back from some of our younger Hunters but for us older guys its never to late.

But whats some of your goals for the hunting industry mainly Waterfowling,What are your wanting to do to sustain the business,improve the business,ect,ect.
We spend as a whole millions upon millions of dollars a year in this industry and there's still room for growth and new Ideas to come in and make more money.I was talking to a friend in Arkansas who's son is going to college to be a farmer he said "For the Ducks", and I thought to myself,he's a true Arkansian.When you live in a state where hunting birds changes the whole economy in a matter of three months then you can see why those boys focus more on their future being in that.
I was reading a post on here about the DC and someone ask the question can you make millions making duckcalls? And thats one of the things I do as a goal,I want to get to the younger guys and let them see what opportunities are out their.

Remember their is still a future in the industry and all though I will never quit my day job at this point for it, I still have goals and Im doing alot of things in the off season to try to bring new guys into Waterfowling.

I would like the hunting industry to shrink. It's gotten way out of control lately with people trying to make a buck.

Agreed. Just like fishing it is getting way to commercialized. Every Tom, Dick and Harry wants to wear the black hoodie with the skulled up beanie. I don't have a solution for this but I know it is part of the problem. It isn't the manufacturers fault because they are gonna take the free advertising and support at shows but hunters need not be whores and push a product they don't believe in or do it for nothing. That makes the guys who aren't whores and do a good job for a company able to make a little bit of money. Before you know it there are more whores and less people you can search out for good quality information about a product.

Here is one example and I'll bow out. I had a boat deal when I was fishing and it was a boat manufacturer that I believed was the best (still do) boat on the market. I had that boat deal because I worked my tail off selling boats for them and supporting their products. I was offered (even went to a recruitment dinner, as a favor to a buddy) a deal on another boat that was actually a better deal but I didn't believe in the product so I didn't do it. I was a 1%'er...meaning 99% of the other guys out there would've jumped ship. That is a boat whore...there are a lot more of those guys out there than the guys that legitimately believe in the products they are pushing.

I just want to kill ducks and will cut a check to Delta and DU every year so they continue to support a good duck environment. I'll do my part trying to keep the numbers down and give'em someplace to come and die

Improve public land stewardship in Texas.

Make it more attractive for private land owners to enroll their properties in public hunting.

Restore/protect what is left of Texas' bottomland hardwoods. The water crisis associated with our population growth is threatening to flood and kill every remaining natural river bottom we have.

Show land owners that their bottomland timber can be more profittable properly levee'd and flooded as a green tree reservoir than it can be by being cleared and row cropped or turned into a hay field.

A couple of dry years in the PPHR could ruin the industry. It's been record rains up there, but that can end at any time, and then duck numbers drop, duck limits drop, duck hunters drop, and the money to the industry drops.

I’m not wanting waterfowl to be a business for me. For me duck hunting is an escape from the business world and that rat race. I have had many chances to make a business out of it and make a little coin, but after thinking it through it would take away from my “escape”. But that’s just me, maybe one day that will change. If I did ever make a business out of duck hunting, I sure would not want it to be a situation where I had to depend on that money, that would for sure ruin it. Maybe when I retire.

Sory man but that's not called whoring... it's called comercial enterprise.

When you stop talking about the sport of hunting or fishing and start talking about the business of selling products to hunters and fisherman you get just that... business.

I applaud you for sticking with the company you believe in. It is the same sittuation companies from all industries face day in and day out. Keeping the good employees by creating a working atmosphere that is more attractive than the extra $ at the shop across the street.

I always thought this was what boat whoring was...



Find it all summer long on Loserville at party cove. You can throw net some good shad there in the cut for catching hybrids.

But back on topic, I'm afraid making it a job would take the fun out of it. It happened to me back in the day when I went to college to play basketball. Turns out is wasn't near as much fun on somebody else's terms.

WOW Guy thats My Duck Hunting in a Nutshell Right there.

I agree. As soon as you think of it as a way to make money, it is no longer hunting in my book and I would think it would also take the fun out of a sport I truly enjoy with my kids and friends.

I agree but we aren't talking about employees we are talking about pro staff/team positions. Big difference in my opinion. There are less than 300 guys in the country out pushing products and actually making a living on it (fishing world). I don't want in the hunting game and know very little about it. I want to hunt and have fun without turning it into a free labor part time gig

If a guy works directly for a manufacturer that is one thing but to just pimp products and not as a primary source of income (meaning you ain't making a living hunting like Phil Robertson, etc) and go to the highest bidder then he is whoring. Robertson swapping guns from Benelli to Winchester because of money makes sense to me this guy is doing what he can to survive and put food on his table but a weekend guy do that is a completely different situation in my opinion.

30 day - 3 limit season would cut a lot of that crap out!!!!

Well, im not the youngest of the generations, but Im 34. I agree that the hunting industry should shrink..The bigger the business the cheaper the crap they sell for it, and the more of it that is being made. When i walk into a shop like cabelas or bass pro and see all the gimmicky cheap crap being sold as duck hunting equipment (or as any hunting equipment for that matter) and the stuff that is way overpriced and can be made yourself for a third of the cost and only a few minutes worth of time, it really bugs me.

So much of the stuff is junk. I would like to see more quality products and less cheap junk. Last year when i got into duck hunting. I got frustrated buying stuff and getting home to find out it was broke or a piece of junk and having to return it. This year i had the same issue. A friend gave me several brand new quiver magnets. I took one of them back to cabelas 4 different times to get one that worked. I finally returned all of them and will just rely on jerk strings from now on. No electronic junk for me.

Im not a big spender by any means. The only cost for me this year in hunting has been gas and ammo. I refuse to buy into all of the junk they say you have to have to hunt. I like a minimalist approach. But thats just me and in no way reflects how i feel others should hunt.

I would be ok with a reduction in the industry as well. I believe it would be healthy for the sport by encouraging only quality products. Unfortunately these days it seems that most companies are more interested in money than a quality product. By making cheap gear, they know it will not last long, and therefore the consumer will buy it again once it breaks. Sadly i feel it may have become the American way. You should not have to pay an arm and a leg for a quality product. If its not going to last, then it should not be sold. Again this is only my opinion.

I have absolutely no interest in being any sort of guide, paying a guide, or trying to make a living with hunting or anything i enjoy, because like others have mentioned... then its not recreation for me anymore. Its work!!! I tried being a mountain guide back in my 20s. I taught and guided rock and ice climbing for a number of years through out north america, and it burned me out so bad. I was no longer climbing for fun. I was doing it for work and I started to get tired of it. After quitting the sport for a few years, i finally got back into it again and its now the biggest passion in outdoor recreation again. Will i ever make a living at one of my recreational activities again. NO Thanks. It to is my release from work and from everyday life.

Those were some Great seasons. Lots of Birds. Few People. Just like this season.

1. To invent the ultimate camouflage that can be installed on a layout blind that will work in Winter wheat and Dry fields. Overcast or sunny Days.

2. Invent and design the FFR ( Feather Finding Radar )for a front Sight post that fits on all Shot guns. It also alerts you if you are dozing off or or not paying attention.

Not sure after that.......

To get as many youth hunters involved into the sport of hunting

I can see the point you have but also you have to remember its strength in numbers....anti hunting groups are going to try and get as many people to follow them and will never stop trying to band any type of hunting.

I am also not "the next generation" being 25, but I have duck hunted since I was 8, and I am up and coming in terms of actual management and the persistence of hunting. My hopes for the industry are 1)More education 2) simplify and 3)friendlier and more ethical hunters

1)I always think more education(for both youth and adults) is key for anything to prosper. Many of the private sector (a lot of you) practice land management for waterfowl, get both good and bad results, but the knowledge you find isn't relayed to the general public. Also, general animal behavior-things you see and hear when you're out in the field and may be common to you- a lot of people don't know about. Even researchers may not see the things we experience in the field, just because of the sheer number of hours we spend in the field. SO for the waterfowl hunting industry- I would like a better way to confer information between we as landowners and hunters and researchers, as well as getting the wealth of knowledge to the general public. THAT I believe is important for the success of our industry and smarter game/habitat management.

2) I think the waterfowl industry- as many have said before me- needs to be simplified. What happened to the days when we(as hunters) could make home-made decoys, paint clorox bottles, go out and harvest a limit of ducks? Obviously the sport has evolved with better technology, but the pure basics of hunting haven't changed. All you need is a gun,(now) non-toxic shells, and a place to hunt. That is the bare minimum. Yes, fancy mojo's and quiver magnets are available- but why not just pull a string or shuffle your feet to make wakes? Cheaper and just as effective. It amazes me the things people I hunt with will buy. I bring my gun, a box of shells in a ziplok bag, calls,and a bottle of water- all carried in my pockets- and decoys. My friends bring calls, 3 boxes of shells, wd-40, a rag, a rod to get shells unjammed, food, water, robo's, spare batteries, cameras, quiver magnets, duck straps, wind ducks, etc, etc, etc all in a huge blind bag that a small child could fit in. Yes, that stuff is nice to have at times-but is not essential to our sport. I, personally, am simplifying the way I hunt because I am tired of all the hype of new products.

3)I can't count the times in a given season I hear people yelling at each other for setting up too close, or shooting a bird on someone else's swing (because they set up too close), or getting yelled at for leaving a hunt area after their hunt- and not even intentionally cause birds to shy away from the area while they are leaving. I realize that some of us take duck hunting extremely seriously-and all these things can ruin a good/fun day of hunting for us. This year (I tried a lot of new things this year)- Instead of being one of those guys yelling because you are setting too close, I walked over and talked to the other hunters. I did 2 things- first- invite you to hunt with me so there would be no conflicts, or 2) you decline my offer- I discuss that I won't skybust, I wont shoot ducks unless they're over my decoys, and I would prefer if you do the same. I did the exact same if I happened to be the person doing the crowding- it takes the bad feeling in your gut away. This made my season a lot more enjoyable, and I only left hunting 1x this season disgusted with other people, instead of the usual dozen times a season. If everyone could do that, I think a lot more knowledge could be passed on, we'd meet more people that may end up becoming future hunting partners, and everyone may enjoy our sport a little more.

Long live duck hunting.

You know as a younger guy the waterfowl industry I grew up in is not the same as the one that others did. My outlook is different just like every other hunter out there. First off over the past year or so I've seen a lot of hate on pro staff guys for various companies. Their are a lot of pro staffers that really do their jobs and endorse a product and help their customers. Why does that have be 'Whoring' or selling out? Can't it just be endorsing a product that they find worthy of the time and efforts.

I'm not pro staffer though I wouldn't mind being one for a company. 'Shrinking of the industry' does not sound like a good solution to me. Like someone mentioned above their is a huge amount of political enemies of not just duck hunters but all hunters. Why not let the industry grow and gain support. Because all it takes one political movement and the money in the right places to DESTROY all the we love about this sport. I will tell you this...The democrats don't need any help from us to do away with wildlife hunting. So instead of petty things like "Oh he's a sell out because he's a pro staffer.." Why not just take it as the man has a product that he trusts to increase the quality of his hunts? The same for some of those staffers that think they are above other hunters. We as a waterfowling community need to remain as a whole instead of separate peaces disliking one another. We all have one thing in common…hunting. Why bother with disliking each other when their so many who already dislike us ‘boom-stick wielding pretty duck slayers’

As for how I would like to change the industry. With Ducks Unlimited and Delta Waterfowl I would like to see a little less northern work and little more here in Texas. When comparing Acarage of DU habitat here to up north we are severely outclassed. I would like to see that equaled out a bit. I would like to open the industry to make it more attractive to people whom may have never considered it. Oh no! You mean he’s okay with barneys?! NO. I’m more then okay with people whom truly want to learn how to hunt and enjoy this sport as much as I do. But instead of putting down the ‘Barney’ WHY don’t you help him? Teach him techniques and give him information that will make him a better hunter. I want this sport to be around for a long time…one way to make sure that happens is to increase the numbers of Educated and Ethical hunters here in the U.S.

I could not have said it better Galvestonhuntr.

But I really hate to hear that a few people would like to see the industry as a whole shrink, thats pretty sad for younger guys future like my son.And I guess thats whats really going on in the industry is too, too many people are taking away and never giving back,No I'm not saying everyone needs to work or make money from it because thats not everyones calling but I sure would not wish that no one else comes in either.

Guy said it best hunting is an escape from the rat race but I still think that the guys who make our escape more enjoyable with new decoys,duckier sounding calls,safer boats,guns,and ammo,oh and the one's who keep us pumped in the off season deserve a pat on the back and a push with our support.

i dont believe anyone (or at least myself) was suggesting that the numbers of hunters should shrink. Just the numbers of junk and worthless products. I am all for quality products being made and sold. Personally im just fed up with the junk and those people who make the junk just to make money.. This is not just in hunting products...but all products these days. So many people out there are just after the money and do not care about making quality. American craftsmanship used to be a thing of pride. Things made in america were of very high quality. This it not so with many products today. Manufacturers seek out the lowest bids in foreign countries and then charge a high price for a cheap product in order to make the largest profit possible. This is greed in my book.

I was talking with my grandfather, who is 96, a few days ago who has been an avid hunter all his life. He began hunting out of necessity during the great depression because he had to to survive. Most of his younger life he hunted because he had to. One thing we talked about was the costs and quality of products throughout his life. He told me that at one time you could go out and buy a product for a few bucks...and you could expect it to last your lifetime. Now days there are so many products that many would consider expensive...that will not even last a few years.

My post above simply states that I would like to see the hunting market move towards more higher quality products at a reasonable price. I dont believe you should have to spend a fortune to get a good product. Unfortunately i think greed will prevent this from happening.

A shrink in the hunting market theoretically should have no effect on the numbers of hunters getting involved in the sport. I dont know for sure, but i dont believe that there are many non hunters who walk into an outdoors shop and see the massive amounts of hunting equipment and all of the sudden decide that they should become a hunter because of it. That seed has to already be there. Most young people get involved in hunting because it is something that the family does. A parent teaches his kid to hunt because its what they like to do.

I have two sons on the way as we speak, and I will be proud to teach them to hunt. I will teach them safe and ethical hunting practices as my dad and grandfather taught me. I will also teach them to be conservative with their money and not waste it on junk...just as my dad and grandfather taught me.

There is really only one reason there is so much cheap junk on the market.....because people buy it. If no one would buy the cheap junk it would either drive those companies out of business or promote them into making quality products. This is why I no longer buy into the junk. I do not want to support those who are just out to make a buck and do not care about the end result to the consumer. I will proudly teach my boys this too. That being said. I will continue to buy products that I believe are quality and sold at a reasonable price.

I have no problem with others wanting to make a living at hunting and hunting products. If thats your passion...i so go for it. For me it does not work. I work hard for my money at a career i love and chose to spend it only on things that enhance my quality of life. For me that equates more to spending it on gas and travel costs. Ill leave those cheap products to those who spend their days off going to buy them.

Hope you all have a wonderful day. Im off to go catch some colorado trout for dinner tonight. Cheers

I’d be lying if I said I would not like to see less hunters on public.