Mattamuskeet depressing

Hydemarsh

Six Pointer
The USFWS has spent most of their money on wall to wall carpeting, assistants, and "interpretive" centers. Fish and wildlife is a low priority. If you ask them a question about management the first thing out of their mouths is "no money". My question is if they have no money to do their jobs then why are we paying them to do nothing?

Before Covid i went to the refuge HQ because I needed a permit, was told the administrative assistant was working from home. They get insane salaries for Hyde and do very, very little.
I was referring to the lake. No SAV, no food, no ducks. Especially compared to historical performance when we hunted the lake 30 years ago and actually expected to kill ducks. We would commonly see thousands even on slow hunting days. All relative, of course, 40 years ago my grandfather used to talk about hunting Mattamuskeet (almost 100 years ago now) and his stories are unbelievable by today's standards.

You drive past a refuge-managed impoundment that is a couple miles from the public hunt area on the lake. Couple hundred pintails loafing in there last Tue. Food in the pond = ducks.

Refuge maintains other impoundments that are closed to the public. We got to tour those ponds years ago when I took my son on the youth hunt. You could have walked across the pond on the ducks, geese and swan. Hunted 2 days on the lake and did not kill a duck.

The lake is totally different than well maintained private land - which will involve food of some sort. The contrast is shocking.

the truth is that the Refuge's intended job when it was created was to provide a safe secure place and FEED ducks so they would be healthy and strong for the spring migration and nesting season. An old refuge manager would hammer home to the employees that their job was to feed ducks.. Those managed impoundments starting at Lake Landing used to be full of ducks, 100's of thousands. now they are growing pine trees and wax myrtle. No one is held accountable.
 

bigdrumnc

Ten Pointer
Weather(while it would feel good and make hunting slightly better) is not gonna make something move that does not exist. Hyde county is like the Dead Sea of waterfowl these days and mattamuskeet is the primary reason. It’s a sad state of affairs.
There are more puddle ducks in hyde right now than there was the entire last season. Private land.
 

ScottyB

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
that’s simply not a true statement. A lot of states rely on partnerships with USFWS and their research to help with not only establishing seasons for all critters and fish as well.
Uh ok....... thought the conversation was about improving habitat for waterfowl.... didn’t know it was about setting seasons....... one of us has veered off course, but no biggie..... when the studies result in improving habitat in ENC...... let me know guys!
 

Levi

Spike
If you would have had the number of impoundments 35 years ago as you do today , Skeet wouldn’t have held as many duck. But I’m just guessing. I just like reading y’all’s forum. I got the arthritis now, and can’t take the duck hunting anymore but I have the memories. Maybe somebody needs to just come out with some roundup ready eel grass and duck weed. Lol
 

Duckmauler dhc

Old Mossy Horns
If you would have had the number of impoundments 35 years ago as you do today , Skeet wouldn’t have held as many duck. But I’m just guessing. I just like reading y’all’s forum. I got the arthritis now, and can’t take the duck hunting anymore but I have the memories. Maybe somebody needs to just come out with some roundup ready eel grass and duck weed. Lol

Oh yes it would have. It was wall to wall grass mats as far as you could see. I waded a good 2 miles out in the lake bass fishing in the early 90s and never did see the end of grass mats. It was unreal. A duck and bass Mecca. You would drive down 94 looking across the lake in any direction and at times you could literally walk across the ducks sitting and the skies would be black. I know there are a lot of impoundments now(which there were them as well) and a large percentage of them never hold any birds. Some of them are good. But the public opportunity to kill ducks on a regular basis in that area is dead. Sure someone goes out and shoots a bufflehead and mergs every day but as far as the big divers and puddle ducks, those days are gone. The last few years I hunted down there I couldn’t even hardly find scoters to target. The interpretation of what one thinks is “a lot of ducks” varies from person to person based on experience.
 

Clark

Ten Pointer
I wanted to wait for my son before I shoot it the first time.
Same here, although he does not get to hunt much. I try to set him up downwind where I think the birds will come. We had a flock come in and land during the 2nd split - I was just watching him stand/flush/shoot - he turned and yelled "Shoot Dad!"
 

Blackwater

Twelve Pointer
I can't copy and paste at the moment but if you Google mattamuskeet restoration you will find a goid bit of info. As for it being a man-made impoundment I am not sure if that is sarcasm as it is a natural lake that thru ditching and draining is smaller bow and as you said they did try to drain and farm it in the past.

I seem to recall that an attempt was made to grow bulbs (tulips, etc,) but it was a bust. That's where the name of New Holland originated. Can't remember all the details.
 

todobien

Eight Pointer
I seem to recall that an attempt was made to grow bulbs (tulips, etc,) but it was a bust. That's where the name of New Holland originated. Can't remember all the details.
If I recall there were some bumper crops of wheat, sweet potatoes and other crops. Not sure about the tulip thing but probably so. There is a tulip farm not far away in Terra Ceia.
 

kahunter

Eight Pointer
been hunting down there for about 12 years. It hasnt been that long since the birds used the lake extensively. It 100% has to do with the lack of food. It a real shame. I remember every year we would cross the lake to bush blinds late october/early november and we would see a good number of birds. always got you excited for the season. I remember the little finger on right as you cross the lake heading south loaded with pintail ad blacks and swan most years and now its nothing. They need to fix it. Real shame.
 
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