Date: 1/10/25 7:54 am From: Christopher T. Tessaglia-Hymes <cth4...> Subject: [cayugabirds-l] ADMIN: Duck Hunting Issues
Sending this again, as there were formatting problems with my previous email.
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I want to alert birders in the Ithaca area of a concerning situation at the south end of Cayuga Lake.
As some of you may be aware, in recent weeks, there has been a sizable mixed Aythya sp. flock of Redheads, Greater and Lesser Scaup, Ring-necked Ducks, and Gadwall as well as other species (including the rare visiting Tufted Duck, a Eurasian species). The flock size has numbered into the several thousand, which is not too uncommon down here, but with ice-up at the north end of Cayuga Lake, this is driving the birds south. This increase in duck numbers has not gone unnoticed by birders, and it similarly has not gone unnoticed by regional duck hunters.
I have witnessed certain illegal activities myself, such as driving or rallying birds and shooting from a moving boat, and issues of trespass by boats tied up to and using Cornell University docks at the Merrill Family Sailing Center.
This morning, I received a call from DEC Officer Krueger. Officer Krueger's number is 607-227-9584. He and another officer are working this entire weekend. He is asking for support from the birders in this area.
In sum, this is the busiest they have seen it down here in over 10 years. They now have guides who are bringing people from out-of-state and from out-of-area to this specific location to hunt the Redhead and scaup flock. The guides will run multiple trips per day, bringing out duck hunters for the opportunity to bag their birds.
If there is any evidence of "rallying birds” or "driving birds" specifically in flight or toward another team of hunters to shoot them, that is illegal. If you see this, get photos or video of the boat and immediately call Officer Krueger. They will respond.
There are also "over limit issues” they are dealing with. They are only permitted to have 3 shells per gun. If for example, you see a boat with definitely and visibly only three guys in it, but you hear 7+ rounds go off, that's illegal. Get photos or video of the boat and immediately call Officer Krueger. They will respond.
He said this has been a logistical nightmare with the duck hunting guides running people in and out multiple times per day and trying to figure out how many birds they are actually shooting (bag limit per person). Bag limit is only 2 Redheads or 2 scaup per guy, but if someone is shooting more than their limit and "averaging it for the boat," that's illegal. Document and call Officer Krueger. They will respond.
