Southern states had for years pushed for a later season. Almost all opposed the change. The refusal took courage. Lott had already threatened the agency. A Matter of Perspective Where you live has a lot to do with how you view duck management.
Northern hunters live and hunt in the region where ducks nest.
In the fall, tens of millions of ducks scattered across thousands of square miles in Minnesota and neighboring states and provinces trickle into the Mississippi Flyway, as if into the mouth of a huge funnel. Southern duck hunters, on the other hand, are at the bottom of the funnel. Even in years of poor duck production, waterfowl pour out of the funnel by the millions. Duck production states also have to be careful to not overharvest the local breeding birds. The Southern states see large concentrations of waterfowl even in bad years, and it's understandable that hunters there might think there is no end to them.