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FEATURE STORIES
The Waterfowl Report
ATLANTIC FLYWAY
Different locations call for different hunting techniques. Do your research before heading off to hunt.
Rust-ticked shotgun across my lap, and salt spray crusted on my face. I sit in a bobbing converted sailboat with an outboard clamped to it. Miles offshore, the sky’s a gunmetal blue, and I’m at the mercy of the Atlantic Ocean. Then it hits me: this is a waterfowler’s paradise.
New Hampshire’s Coastline
Pick a spot, any spot, along the 18 miles of rocky coastline. Three kinds of sea ducks loaf here—common eiders, scoters (common, white-winged, and surf), and oldsquaw (a.k.a. “long-tailed ducks,” though only the drakes have long tails; the hens—legal to shoot—wear stubby fans). As gunning goes, target exposed ledges on shifting tides for shellfish-feeding sea ducks. Offshore of Rye, NH, the Isles of Shoals is a reliable haunt for the hardy hunter. Then again, some of the best hunting is not far offshore. Dekes can be run in a line off your bow and stern, clipped to an anchored float. Pass shooting as ocean-going birds circle and swing past for a look is the usual deal.
The season runs Oct. 1, 2007 through Jan. 15, 2008, in all coastal waters, rivers and streams seaward from the first upstream bridge. Daily bag limit is 7 birds, with no more than 4 scoters, 4 eiders or 4 long-tailed ducks. The possession limit is 14 birds, with no more than 8 scoters, 8 eiders or 8 long-tailed ducks. In all other Granite State areas, sea ducks may be taken only during the regular season for ducks and are included in the regular season daily bag and possession limit.
Access is made at two Rye, NH locations: Odiorne State Park, and Rye Harbor Marina, both on Rte. 1-A North. Hampton, NH access (Rte. 1-A South) is made at Hampton Marina.
New Hampshire’s Great Bay Estuary
After you’re done sea-ducking the coastline, this rugged New Hampshire wintering waterfowl location offers 8.9 square miles of water surface at high tide (and 4.2 at dead low). You’ll find black ducks, mallards and Canada geese rafting up, and trading back and forth, particularly during the early morning shooting hours. I’ve decoyed Great Bay black ducks and mallards to rock blinds, securing access from landowners. I’ve hunted them from boats, and belly-crawled ducks at low tide locales to jumpshoot them when they flushed.
As Great Bay public boat launches go, find Depot Road or the so-called “Great Bay Access” (via Greenland/Stratham and Rte. 33). In Durham, NH, use Adams Point or the Town Landing (Oyster River) to hunt. Check www.wildlife.state.nh.us for ongoing waterfowl seasons.
Dress warmly in Advantage Max-4 patterned apparel. My wife and I once rented a farmhouse here, one that also offered direct Great Bay waterfowling access. As we squared the deal, she casually remarked to the landowner that there was probably a nice breeze there in the summer. “Nice breeze in the win-tah, too,” the old New Englander wisely offered.
Maryland’s Eastern Shore
The location is legendary. If you’ve ever visited here, the place just feels like a waterfowl hot spot. Maybe that’s why Realtree pro-staffer Sean Mann makes his home here (www.duck-goosecalls.com). A variety of ducks hit these coastal marshes and shoreline haunts, plus both Canada and snow geese.
As public access goes, try the Hart-Miller Island and Days Cove blind sites at the 18,000-acre Gunpowder Falls State Park (410.592.2897). Maryland seasons for black ducks and mallards, among a variety of others, plus sea ducks, and Canada geese all conclude Jan. 26, 2008. A bonus hunt for so-called resident honkers with specific hunt zones runs through Feb. 15. And if that isn’t a great opportunity, you can gun greater snow geese until March 8, 2008 (15 birds per day; no possession limit). Check out www.dnr.state.md.us for specifics.
MISSISSIPPI FLYWAY
Want more big bang for your waterfowling buck? Try public flooded timber where greenheads maple-leaf from the sky. Some of the best of it is in Arkansas’ WMAs.
Arkansas’ Bayou Meto WMA
Numbers don’t lie. At 33,832 acres, it’s one of the largest state-owned WMAs in the country. You’ll find some of the best greenhead shooting in the country at Arkansas’s “Bayou Meto Public Shooting Area,” as locals call it. On peak flight times, limits can easily be had. Early-season hunts keep mallards moving overhead as waterfowler numbers are often higher then. Some 13,000 of these acres are flooded each fall to attract ducks. Follow Arkansas Game & Fish Commission signs along highways here. Sixteen all-weather graveled roads put you into hunting spots. Visit www.agfc.com to plan your Bayou Meto hunt.
Louisiana’s Public Waterfowling
Hunt hard, hunt long here in Haydel’s Game Calls country (www.haydels.com) . . . “West Zone” waterfowling lasts until Jan. 20; “East Zone” hunts conclude Jan. 27 for both ducks and Canada geese. As so-called light geese go (snows, blues, and Ross’s), you can target these through Feb. 1, 2008. White-fronted specklebellies end Jan. 27 (East), and Feb. 1 (West). Bonus conservation order hunts on light geese also run through Mar. 9, 2008. Check out www.state.la.us for more waterfowl season details, including a zone map.
For a specific area, try Atchafalaya Delta Wildlife Management Area. Its 141,000 acres offers great waterfowling along the Atchafalaya River and the Wax Lake Outlet in St. Mary Parish. The area is located some 25 miles south of the towns of Morgan City and Calumet and is accessible only by boat. Call (337) 373-0032 for more information or visit www.wlf.louisiana.gov.
CENTRAL FLYWAY
Want honkers and quackers? The Central Flyway includes Northwest Territories, Alberta and Saskatchewan early-season hunts, and stateside you’re looking at opportunities in Montana, the Dakotas, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Wyoming, Colorado and Texas. Many die-hards begin their north-of-the-border hunts as early as September, and follow the migration south to Texas, where private land hunts, while often excellent, are the norm.
South Dakota’s Prairie Potholes, Missouri River, and Lake Oahe Region
An estimated 15 million ducks pass through this state, heading south. For starters, hit the Missouri River where migration tends to peak in mid- to late-November, though specific seasons run into December and even January. Sometimes this late-season hunting is even better (less pressure). The Missouri River system here also sees 400,000 Canadas move through. For a super must-hunt destination, try the Lower Oahe Waterfowl Hunting Area (roughly 30,000 acres), where land is leased by the South Dakota Dept. of Game, Fish & Parks. Honker hunting is unrivaled here, where birds can be decoyed in grain fields. At night, they loaf over on Lake Oahe, then typically return to these field-feeding zones the next day. Be there. Eastern SD also sees snow-and blue-goose populations (roughly 350,000). Want something different? Check out bonus tundra swan and sandhill crane hunts. Go to www.sdgfp.info/Wildlife/hunting for more information.
Kansas’s Three Zone Waterfowl Hunts
It starts early and lasts long. From late Sept. (youth waterfowl) to Feb. 17, 2008 (Canada, white-fronted, and light geese) there’s something for every waterfowler. The Sunflower State establishes hunts in the so-called Early, Late, and High Plain Zones (see www.kdwp.state.ks.us for specifics). Public areas include McPherson Valley Wetlands (3,000+ acres) and Jamestown Wildlife Area (some 4,729 acres of public hunting here). Look for mallards, pintails, both blue- and green-winged teal, redheads, wigeon, and even buffleheads and goldeneyes in these locations.
On my recent Kansas visit I spent some time with several duck and goose chasers who were road-tripping their way to Sasketchewan, truck beds loaded with dekes and other gear. I reckon they’re back on home ground catching the migratory flight right about now.
Colorado’s South Platte River
Quick tip: As waterfowling administration goes, Colorado is a member of both the Central and Pacific Flyways. Duck and goose guys simply know this place has action. Seasons run into the first and second months of ’08 (see http://wildlife.state.co.us for information). Make sure you do your research here. There are many different zones and season dates, so don’t get caught off guard by them. Always scout hard before hunting here. Unless hunting with an outfitter, don’t rely on traditional places. Make sure you know where the birds are.
PACIFIC FLYWAY
Here are a couple sure-shot Left Coast Flyway states to target:
Oregon’s Public Waterfowling
Though many opportunities are on private land, Oregon’s Dept. of Fish & Wildlife suggests the following public spots: Ladd Marsh (La Grande), Public hunting access at Willow Creek (Pendleton). La Grande’s Ladd Marsh. Columbia River and Port of Morrow Regulated Hunt Areas near Boardman in Morrow County are also available.
Northern California’s Tule Lake Marsh
As this controlled California hunt goes. Tule Lake Marsh, just 25 miles south of Klamath Falls, Oregon, offers boat-accessible gunning over marsh, and harvested-grain field hunts. Sixty-five space blinds are offered for use. Click on www.fws.gov/klamathbasinrefuges/tulehunt.htmlfor an application.
Plan for the next season, or hunt what’s left of the current one in some of these states where action continues into the New Year.
New England Chow-Down
Sea ducks are highly edible, despite the bad rap—often from guys other than the camp cook who often knows better. Trick is, you need to treat sea-duck breast meat like beef. Bleed it in a bowl of water in the fridge for several days, and changing the water each day (it turns from burgundy to pink during this time). Finger it for stir-frying. —S.H.
Steve Hickoff, who shot his first duck, a drake woodie, back in the previous century when waterfowlers were all still legally gunning with lead, is a regular realtree.com contributor.
Locations for Google Map
Jamestown Wildlife Area (will have to plug in GPS coordinates in Google Maps: 39.660504-97.894816)
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I duck hunt every weekend