"Because the ducks aren't going to let you [overharvest them]," replied Mike Swan matter of factly when asked how there could still possibly be healthy waterfowl populations in the United Kingdom. The UK is not quite twice the size of Mississippi, bag limits and shooting hours are nonexistent, baiting is allowable, and anything with a bore diameter less than 2 inches is considered a shotgun--yes, they can still shoot 2-, 4-, and 8-gauge shotguns, and even punt gunning is still practiced by a few die hards.  What's it like hunting here? A long-time biologist for Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust, Swan vividly describes his lifetime hunting and managing waterfowl in a landscape that was completely tamed a very long time ago. And how has duck hunting changed in the decades since he first started hunting? While his sobering answer is surprising, the entire discussion somewhat challenges "the sky is falling" narratives here on our own side of the pond where we are benefactors of an envy-of-the-world North American Model.

 

 

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