FP Info

[Mike L]

Effective tomorrow FP will be going to a self registration, and will be that way the rest of the season. They will be there for "T" day draws only. Then after that it returns to the self registration. It's going to run the same as the early goose season. Just show up fill out a registration card and turn it in at the end of your hunt. First come first serve etc..........:)

[Shiawassee_Kid]

guessin shi will go the same route. usually is a blanket move by the dnr to save some cash when parties get thin.

[Trippin' Dipsies]

So what does Tim do with the time off? Brush hog the dogwoods and phragmites growing in the zones? Maybe cut down some of the full grown trees growing on the dikes? Man, wish we could bring back the days of Don Schafer.

[Mike L]

So what does Tim do with the time off? Brush hog the dogwoods and phragmites growing in the zones? Maybe cut down some of the full grown trees growing on the dikes? Man, wish we could bring back the days of Don Schafer.

Spoke to him about that very subject, and yes part of what he does now is brush hog, cut/ trim wood growing in the ditches, repair equip. malfunctions that broke during the summer season, monitor the pump stations, winterize etc.
Tabulate the numbers of ducks and geese taken.How many, young, old, the number of people for each hunt, how many hours each hunted. And do whatever his bosses want him to. There's more than meets the eye.......:)

And yes Kid, there's a sign that says due to party size FP will be going to a self registration.

[just ducky]

So what does Tim do with the time off? Brush hog the dogwoods and phragmites growing in the zones? Maybe cut down some of the full grown trees growing on the dikes? Man, wish we could bring back the days of Don Schafer.

don't know either one of these guys, but I'll make a general observation based on my knowledge of the state of the DNR budget, and what the future holds...don't expect these areas to be maintained to previous levels, certainly not compared with years ago, unless it's by volunteers in organizations such as the one at FP, or the Shiawassee Flats group. I've been part of the SFCHA for a couple years now, basically just an observer to get a feel for what's going on at the area. But I've been telling everyone that cares to listen...if it wasn't for the volunteers in the SFCHA who do A TON of physical work on the area, it wouldn't be half of what it is. You name it...they do it. I expect it's the case at FP as well...the organization there does a ton. And don't get me wrong...that's not a shot at the DNR staff at Shiawassee, because they do the best they can with limited resources. But spend a bit of time studying their budget and the manpower they've lost lately and likely won't fill, and you'll start to get it. And let's don't start venting about how the money is being misspent somewhere...the fact is the money simply isn't there. Numbers of hunters and fisherman are dropping...fact. Therefore, since the DNR budget was changed many years ago to be almost exclusively fee based, the income drops. That's only getting worse as our population ages, and people leave the state.

Bottom line guys, the days of the DNR, or most any other state agency providing the level of service that they used to are gone. There just isn't the revenue anymore, and what there is is committed to other programs...certainly not DNR. And hold on to your ass...in the next couple weeks leading into X-mas there will be more bad news coming about the state budget that we all will have to deal with.

[Shiawassee_Kid]

And hold on to your ass...in the next couple weeks leading into X-mas there will be more bad news coming about the state budget that we all will have to deal with.

boy i can't wait for this years rounds....this should be interesting.

[just ducky]

Yeah, ho ho ho :evilsmile

I tell ya, if I were 10 years younger (kinda like someone I know ;)) I'd be outta this state slicker than goose **** on a golf course. Kinda like that ad on the radio that says "Vegas is calling baby", except mine would be "Dakota is calling baby" :idea:

[Shiawassee_Kid]

Yeah, ho ho ho :evilsmile

I tell ya, if I were 10 years younger (kinda like someone I know ;)) I'd be outta this state slicker than goose **** on a golf course. Kinda like that ad on the radio that says "Vegas is calling baby", except mine would be "Dakota is calling baby" :idea:

if only i knew someone who could pull some strings to get me out on the bernstien farm for the summer. hrm.....

[SuperBlackEagle2]

And hold on to your ass...in the next couple weeks leading into X-mas there will be more bad news coming about the state budget that we all will have to deal with.
Aww c-mon, I know you're an insider.....share some breaking news. You've got the heads up on something. Spill it.

[waxico]

You guys want out, the Dakotas are dying for skilled workers. I sent a friend to a job fair, and he's going! He was out of work for 16 months.

The Mich. budget is going to be devastated. We're all going to have to volunteer for work at our favorite holes, or else good bye, Golden Goose.

[just ducky]

if only i knew someone who could pull some strings to get me out on the bernstien farm for the summer. hrm.....

did I tell ya that they had two guys in their 20's working for them this summer/fall from South Africa? Yep, apparently there's some kind of program to import farm workers in the country because they can't find people to work out there. And they were paying them like $15/hour for regular old labor...nothing fancy. And he had to teach them to drive semi's and tractors cause they'd never done it. And gave them free housing in the duck camp house, etc., etc. And the sad part was he said they weren't worth a ****! Apparently didn't know how to do an honest days work.

[just ducky]

You guys want out, the Dakotas are dying for skilled workers. I sent a friend to a job fair, and he's going! He was out of work for 16 months.


Yep, the farmer we stay with in Nodak is part owner of an agricultural co-op there, and they've been searching for someone with a background in ag to run the operation. Offering like 200k to do it, and no one will come. He was telling us about unemployment there being under 1%. Anyone with a skill, like electrician, carpenter, plumber or other trades can name their price there right now. Even regular old labor jobs are going unfilled (see my other post about the hired help from South Africa). It's really a shame.

[just ducky]

Aww c-mon, I know you're an insider.....share some breaking news. You've got the heads up on something. Spill it.

Just more of the same...people and jobs leaving, so less revenue, so less services. Targeted cuts to several key programs. Supposed to be an announcement in the next couple weeks. The cloud just gets lower over us here.

[Ieatantlers]

Bottom line guys, the days of the DNR, or most any other state agency providing the level of service that they used to are gone. There just isn't the revenue anymore, and what there is is committed to other programs...certainly not DNR.

Thought we voted on this a couple years ago? That money raised by hunting licenses or other DNR related programs won't leave the DNR? Maybe I am mistaken. I agree there is less money, but I don't think it can go to other programs. Maybe I'm wrong?

[Shiawassee_Kid]

Thought we voted on this a couple years ago? That money raised by hunting licenses or other DNR related programs won't leave the DNR? Maybe I am mistaken. I agree there is less money, but I don't think it can go to other programs. Maybe I'm wrong?

ya well dnr was....key word, was largly funded by the general fund years ago. That has since bet cut, sliced, robbed (use your favorite word here). used to be up around or above 25%, somewhere around 9% now. What that law we voted on did, was insure that money raised thru fees paid by us for priveledges (hunting, RV's, orv's...etc..) stayed in the DNR funding and could not be pilfered for other programs like the past.

[just ducky]

ya well dnr was....key word, was largly funded by the general fund years ago. That has since bet cut, sliced, robbed (use your favorite word here). used to be up around or above 25%, somewhere around 9% now. What that law we voted on did, was insure that money raised thru fees paid by us for priveledges (hunting, RV's, orv's...etc..) stayed in the DNR funding and could not be pilfered for other programs like the past.

:yeahthat: Exactly kid.

[Shiawassee_Kid]

:yeahthat: Exactly kid.

and on a side note of what i stated.....the incoming funds don't hardly match the spending it takes to keep all the places open that we use to hunt. This is where the problem lies down the road.

This is why i've stated in the past, no matter what is biologically and/or ethically right, DNR will fail to make good decision because they will fear losing the funding that balances on a decision they make.

and if anyone wishes to find out where our "lost" funding went, go look how much our dept. of corrections spending has increased in the last 10 years as our appropriations from the general fund for DNR have dwindled.

[just ducky]

...and if anyone wishes to find out where our "lost" funding went, go look how much our dept. of corrections spending has increased in the last 10 years as our appropriations from the general fund for DNR have dwindled.

:lol: Funny you should mention corrections...that is expected to be part of the budget announcement coming soon. And you're right, corrections spending has gone up astronomically in the last decade mainly because we citizen's cried for tougher penalties for bad guys, which meant more bad guys to be locked up, which meant more facilities and beds needed to be built, which meant more guards and staff to be hired, and so on. Corrections used to be a minor portion of the state budget, now it's one of the highest.

God Dan, you're awfully informed. I need to find you a job in my office...but wait a second, we don't close for duck season :lol:

[Shiawassee_Kid]

:lol: Funny you should mention corrections...that is expected to be part of the budget announcement coming soon. And you're right, corrections spending has gone up astronomically in the last decade mainly because we citizen's cried for tougher penalties for bad guys, which meant more bad guys to be locked up, which meant more facilities and beds needed to be built, which meant more guards and staff to be hired, and so on. Corrections used to be a minor portion of the state budget, now it's one of the highest.

God Dan, you're awfully informed. I need to find you a job in my office...but wait a second, we don't close for duck season :lol:

never owned a suit in my life, i would never survive there without goin postal on someone. ;)

[just ducky]

never owned a suit in my life, i would never survive there without goin postal on someone. ;)

Wouldn't be the first one :yikes: