Here's the story...

I've been hunting in the Ladner Marsh for the last twenty years. In the last several months, I have been appalled at the amount of garbage other hunters have left behind. Never before, in all the time I've spent hunting, have I seen such disgraceful behaviour.

And I know it's other waterfowlers leaving their garbage behind, because the proof is all in the evidence - expended shotgun shells, shotgun shell boxes, duck carcasses, and the rubber gloves used to clean said duck carcasses (who in the hell uses rubber gloves to clean their birds anyways...come on folks!).

Perhaps it's coincidence, perhaps it's not....but in the same time period, I've seen an influx of new hunters out in the marsh. I would hope someone new to the art of waterfowling would be a person aware of what our impact is on the environment, and that we are not the only ones who appreciate the beauty of the marsh. Bird watchers, kayakers and fisherman have the right to enjoy the Ladner Marsh in all it's pristine wetland splendour without having to view garbage left behind like a used condom. It's disgusting. We, as waterfowlers, need to do better.

When you go out into the wilderness, pack in what you need, and pack out what you do not use. Pick up your spent shells, remove your garbage (yes, that means packing it out) and respect our wetlands. We are losing land rights all over the place, and that's because sometimes we are our own worst enemies.

Duck hunting is a priviledge, not a right.

PS

To all you sky-busters out there - 3.5 inch shells DO NOT mean 90 yard shots - let em fly to you before they become so jakey they don't fly at all