Dramatic duck population recovery brightens prospects for bountiful season

A large flock of early migrant-snow geese, converge on the Schell-Osage Wildlife Area last November. Area officials said they haven’t seen any snow geese so far this season, but there are a few Canada and white front geese currently in the area.

Ken White | Special to the Daily Mail

Weather permitting, the 2017 duck season is forecast to be a good one. Duck season opens in the north and middle zones today, while the opening day in the south zone starts on Nov. 23. The daily limit on ducks is six, which includes four mallards with no more than two hens. Other popular ducks, including wood ducks, have three included in the daily limit and, one pintail. The Canada goose season will start again on Nov. 11 and run through Feb. 6, with a daily limit of three.

At the Schell-Osage Wildlife Area, water conditions are good; but due to early flooding some crops were damaged. Last Monday, there were 3,400 ducks resting on the area with teal and gadwalls making up a large percentage of those ducks. At nearby Four Rivers the food plots were in better shape.

It wasn’t long ago when waterfowl hunters like John Butler decided to give up duck hunting — because as Butler said, “there aren’t enough ducks, the season is short and the daily limit is so little that it just isn’t worth the time and expense to justify me going.”

However, with a big recovery in the waterfowl population the past few years, Butler now has plans on hitting the marshes when the duck season opens.

“It’s very impressive to see how the ducks have come back,” noted Butler. “I didn’t think I would be going duck hunting again, but since the birds have made a big recovery, I have checked my decoys, gun and shells and got my duck calls out to see if they still work.”

Once again, the state is divided into three zones for the 2017-18 season. The north zone season that opens today will run through Jan. 2, while both the middle and south zones have a split season. In the middle, the season that opens today through Nov. 10, will reopen on Nov. 16 and run through Jan. 7. The south zone will open on Nov. 23 through Nov. 16, and reopen Dec. 4 through Jan. 28.

Jack Ward, a veteran duck hunter from Chillicothe, who has seen changes in the ducks flying south, said, “I am not too surprised at the dramatic recovery of the ducks. We have had big comebacks back in the 50s and 70s. With water and food conditions looking good this fall and a big number heading our way this year, we should have a very good season for the number of waterfowl hunters in the state. It could very well be an outstanding season.”

A scene duck hunters eagerly anticipate.

Photo courtesy of Missouri Dept. Of Conservation

Another hunter who gave up duck hunting years ago, Bill Oliver, said, “I spent many early mornings in the blind without firing a shot and some days I never saw a duck. That is why I put up my duck hunting gear back in the 80s. I never thought that the ducks would make such a big recovery. Being a mallard hunter, I am pleased that the daily limit is four, so I will be back in the duck blind again this season for the first time in many years.”

Waterfowl officials agree that the dramatic recovery of the duck population is due in part to the Conservation Reserve Program, providing thousands of acres on nesting cover — as well as efforts of organizations like Ducks Unlimited, along with some wet years on the northern prairies in the breeding grounds.

The breeding grounds survey released in August contained good news for hunters The duck numbers are similar to last season, which was 34 percent above the 1955-2016 average, with mallards numbering nearly 13 million birds that will be heading south this season.

Dedicated duck hunters are a special breed. They sit for hours in cold weather waiting for a chance to have a flock of ducks sail over their spread of decoys. Once you have experienced the thrill of calling a passing flock of mallards into shooting range as they look over your blind and decoy — you are hooked.

Beginning this month, many duck hunters who thought they had given up the sport will once again be scanning the sky from a blind and, they should be rewarded by seeing plenty of ducks. Quite a change from a few years ago.