Weather too nice for duck hunting

Submitted photo Submitted photo/ Daryn Rostic, 15 of Ozark, holds the four ducks she shot near the Schell-Osage Wildlife Area Saturday as the Youth Weekend Hunt opened in the Middle Zone. Daryn was with her father, Gary. Daryn also likes to hunt turkeys and will try her luck at deer hunting this year.

Nevada Daily Mail

Weather wise, it was a great weekend, but for serious young duck hunters, it wasn't duck hunting weather. With temperatures hovering around 80 degrees and a bright blue sky, most of the hunters in the Middle Zone Youth Weekend Duck Hunt had headed for home before noon without firing a shot.

There were some successful hunters including Daryn Rostic, 15, from Ozark, who was hunting near the Schell-Osage Wildlife Area with her father, Gary, who could only help guide his daughter, but not shoot. Daryn, although only 15, has duck hunted for the past eight years. On opening day of the youth hunt she shot four ducks, but her father said, "We had a lot of action and maybe should have had the limit of six ducks."

Other youngsters didn't fare as well including Branden Harter, 15, of Nevada who was hunting at Four Rivers Wildlife Area. He said, "We saw some ducks and heard some shooting, but it was too nice of a day for duck hunting."

The young hunters were able to only shoot 12 ducks over the weekend at Schell-Osage. On the opening weekend of the youth Hunt in the North zone, 50 hunters took 109 ducks at Fountain Grove Wildlife Area.

To learn the locations of the various zones, check the Missouri Department of Conservation's 2014-15 Waterfowl Hunting Digest available at Conservation offices or at permit vendors across the state.

Although the warm and dry weather has caused most of the ducks to stay north of Missouri, the forecast for a good waterfowl season is bright. On both Schell-Osage and Four Rivers, water and food conditions look good for the upcoming regular duck season. With a drop in temperatures to help move the ducks south, it could be one of the best hunting season in years. Nearly every duck species has show an increase from last fall, including the popular mallard whose numbers of birds heading south are more than 10 million. Only pintails show a decrease of 20 percent from last season.

Jack Williams, Clinton, drove down to the Schell-Osage Area on Saturday just to see what the conditions looked like prior to this Saturday's start of the regular duck season in the Middle Zone.

Williams said, "I was pleased to see how good the water and food conditions were. I know where I will be on opening day, I just hope more ducks will move in before then. On the drive down, I knew it would be a poor day for duck hunting. You have to suffer to be successful. It seems the worse the weather, the better the hunting. While I was standing by a road on the area, a small flock of wood ducks flew over and got my duck hunting fever up. I am ready for a great season."

It looks like the stage is set for one of the largest waterfowl migrations in recent history. Missouri hunters are among those to benefit the most. Southeast Saskatchewan is one of the areas where there is always a large migration of the ducks that pass our way. The main migration is still several weeks away due to abnormally warm temperatures and a delayed harvest. Only about 70 percent of the grain crops have been harvested, which is well behind normal.

Scott Stephens of Ducks Unlimited Canada said, "I went hunting with my son and a friend, we bagged 24 ducks. The daily limit there is 8. We have had warm weather last month so there has been little movement of our local ducks. Every pot hole is full of water and there are ducks on every one."

The regular duck season in the North Zone opened last Saturday, the Middle Zone opens Nov. 1, while the South Zone starts Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 27. The Youth Weekend Hunt in the South Zone will be Nov. 22-23.

With the prospects of an outstanding duck season this fall, Missouri hunters have something to look forward to starting in November.