Well, After publishing a story on A1 Saturday and then a full outdoors page for Sunday, I got plenty of feedback over the weekend.

I will address some of the most interesting (and in some cases, perplexing) feedback…now.

About Saturday’s story on abandoned hunting dogs, an anonymous e-mailer says:

I just want to start by saying how incredibly ignorant your articicle on “abandoned” hunting dogs is. You obviously know nothing about it. You must be an anti-hunter trying to make us (hunters) look bad. I own several treeing walkers. I am an avid deer, turkey, duck, and coon hunter. Let me set you straight on what is going on. There is not one single hunter in his right mind that would just let a dog go simply because he “didn’t want to pay for it anymore.”

Honestly, Mr. Anonymous? You believe there is “not one single hunter,” who would dump a dog out on the roadside to avoid paying for it? Send me a brochure for that dream world you’re living in. I’d like to buy a home there someday.

About Sunday’s column on the potential price increase for the Federal Duck Stamp, Conner says:

Bryan, Your heart’s in the right place, but your head is just lagging a bit behind the reality of the day. The federal government doesn’t need more revenue for anything wildlife, before they demonstrate that they can properly manage what they already have under their stewardship.

I agree, Conner. The U.S. Government doesn’t always do the best job of managing the money it takes from us. But it’s been 17 years since they raised the price of the stamp. I can’t think of a single thing on earth that has remained the same price for 17 years. If a $10 price increase helps even a litttle bit, wouldn’t it be worth it?

About Sunday’s story on the lower creel limits for crappie on some Mississippi lakes, JD says:

I have had about all I can take of fishermen getting the blame for the poor quality of crappie fishing on MS Reservoirs by the MDWF. (Fishing coordinator) Tom Holman should be told that food and water grow fish not creel limits and slot limits…The flood-control lakes in Mississippi are flushed every fall, taking food and water away from the fish. I owned a store on Sardis lake back in 1985 and we often had people lined up 20 deep to get minnows when the creel limit was 50 crappie. That continued year until they started lowering the lake levels. From that point on fishing has declined. Look at all the empty stores closed down around these lakes. Where is all the pressure coming from? All the pressure is coming from the Corps of Engineers who don”to give a hoot about fishermen or our fisheries.

You’re preaching to the preacher, JD. I’ve been saying for years that the Corps of Engineers and the various power companies that control the water levels on our reservoirs should be more considerate of fish and fishermen. But it hasn’t happened yet, and I don’t expect it to.

Back during the early 1990s, a scientific study proved the correlation between high winter pool levels and good crappie fishing on Weiss Lake near the Georgia/Alabama border. But Alabama Power, the organization that controls those water levels, has done little to address the issue.

During the late 1990s, the Corps of Engineers dropped the water level 8 feet on Alabama’s Lake Eufaula right during the middle of the shad spawn. They did it to accommodate barge traffic downstream, and they offered few apologies.

I agree we need higher average water levels on the Mississippi flood-control reservoirs of Arkabutla, Sardis, Enid and Grenada, but I don’t see it happening. The Corps’ first priority with those lakes is flood control/prevention, and it always will be.

Good note, though.