Journals

Mid to Late Season Mississippi Duck Hunting Tips

Last updated : December 24, 2012

As new ducks in the migration appear in the Mississippi Delta, they reinvigorate the wintering duck population but tend to be cautious from hunting pressure further north in the flyway. After they settle in and other migrating ducks join them, decoys and calling will become more effective. Until the numbers strengthen, mojos are more of a hindrance than advantage with the vigilant arrivals. In the mid-to-late portion of the season, I like to go with no more than a dozen mallard decoys in combination with three pintails off to the side. Also, I have experienced a great deal of January success from just eight decoys, five drakes and three hens. When in an area frequented by specks, four to six specklebelly decoys will add confidence to wary circling ducks as well as draw in small groups of specks. Soft calling and feed chuckling is key. Along with good decoy placement, being hidden well is important. Though mechanical ducks may cause flaring, movement in the decoys is still a major factor to success. I prefer a jerk string set up. Proper planning and experience pay big dividends on a January Mississippi duck hunting day.

First Annual Open House

The first MS Delta Ducks Open House this past Saturday, October 20, was a success. We had a combination of repeat groups (hunted with us in previous seasons and will again this year), new groups (hunting with us for the first time this season), and potential groups (looking over the hunting areas and meeting members of the staff and other groups). An Avery marsh stool and a dozen decoys were given away as door prizes. Barton Ramsey, who will be hunting with us for the third season, gave two retriever demonstrations. Barton is affiliated with Southaven Kennels of Eupora. He offered some excellent tips on tuning up our retrievers for the upcoming season as well as advice on how to hunt them from the blinds that will be available to the season hunters.

We have added some additional sled blinds this season and shored up our traditional field blinds. Last season we added burlap to our blinds and experimented with raffia which is equivalent to Avery Killer Weed. This season we moved away from the raffia and have added more substantial materials to the infrastructure. Five completed blinds were already in the fields for the tours. Senior field staffer, Garrett Holland, along with returning staffer, Britt Goodman, and new staffer, Dylan Peden, were available to meet the hunters and conduct tours of the hunting areas. The habitat complex areas were beginning to accumulate ducks which, at this point, consist primarily of gadwall, northern shovelers and teal joined by a number of local mallards. The hunt groups this season will have either Garrett or Britt as their primary staff member with Dylan floating among the groups. I will also take an active role in the field operations.

In this age of social media, it is our purpose and goal to be transparent and informative to potential hunters. We make ourselves available at trade shows, publish a wealth of information on the web site including FAQs, maintain a Facebook profile and Twitter following, and give tours frequently. It is always our intention that the expectations of the hunt groups meet our program. Whether you read something positive or negative about the program in a forum or chat room, I encourage you to talk directly to me and come take a look. Be direct with any and all questions and arm yourself with current, accurate information.

I was very pleased with the Open House and plan to schedule one early in 2013 following the season and then again in September 2013 after the trade shows. In the meantime, call me with your questions or to schedule a tour. I welcome the opportunity to meet you and talk ducks. Nathan Peden

Drought Limits Rest Stops

Drought Limits Rest Stops for Migrating Waterfowl - USA Today

National publications have begun discussing the possible effects of the drought on the patterns of migratory waterfowl. Chuck Raasch’s “Drought Limits Rest Stops” article appeared in the Thursday, September 6, 2012, edition of the USA Today. According to the article, though Hurricane Isaac did help conditions as far north as the Great Lakes, James Wortham, chief of migratory bird surveys for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was quoted that it “was too late to boost crops the birds use for food on the way south.” The piece continued that waterfowl species which would normally rest on wetlands on the way south “may have to just keep flying south.” Many of the northern and midwestern refuges will be dry or diminished when the bulk of the migration arrives. Dale Humburg, chief biologist for Ducks Unlimited was quoted, “In a normal year, they would kind of hopscotch down the flyways.” He continued, “In a year like this, there are really going to be a limited number of locations they will find en route.”

With duck numbers 43% above the average since 1955 and favorable conditions in the MS Delta, we hope to see a large wintering population this season.

2012 Open House

2012 MS Delta Ducks Open House

In this fourth session of the season hunt program, I am excited to host our first Open House. I have been affiliated with the program all four years, and this will be my third year as director. If you have taken advantage of the materials offered on our web site, you realize that we endeavor to arm you with the information required to make your expectations meet the program. The offering descriptions along with the FAQs are detailed and thorough. Additionally, we set up booths at the main wildlife trade shows in Mississippi and Alabama where we have met many of you. Tours are conducted throughout the year, and hours spent on phone calls and emails disseminating information about the hunting opportunities. This is an affordable chance to hunt the strongest waterfowl areas in the MS Delta over a variety of venues. Of the $3,600.00 cost for a four man season hunt group, 60% goes directly to the landowners, 12% to the hunt staff, 8% to program operations (blind construction materials and food plot supplies), and 16% to the company for administrative costs and profit. Of the groups currently enrolled to participate in our hunt programs for the upcoming season, 55% have hunted with us in prior seasons while 45% are joining us for the first time. As we enter the fourth season, we have the advantage of the previous years' experience. The staff continues to make changes to the blind prototype and refine the method of assigning staff members to groups and groups to holes. The program benefits from the relationships built with many of the current groups. This Open House gives those of you who are interested in the program an opportunity to get a first hand look at what is offered. Tours of the hunting areas will be conducted, a retrieving demonstration conducted by one of our hunters, and a meal served offering the groups the opportunity to network with staff and other hunters. I am excited at the prospect of renewing friendships and embarking on new ones. I encourage you to take advantage of this showcase on Saturday, October 20, 2012, from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Give me a call at 601-479-4873 to reserve a spot at the Open House.

Numbers Conditions Are in Our Favor

Numbers and Conditions Are in Our Favor

We are still in the number crunching time of the year for duck hunters, though the season is quickly approaching. 2,240,248 mallards, 1,474,405 gadwall, and 1,001,902 greenwing teal were harvested in the Mississippi Flyway in 2011. Of course, the problem for the Southern portion of the flyway was that too many of those were bagged in the Midwest when the migration stalled due to a historically warm winter weather pattern in the North and Midwest. Since this year’s U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Breeding Survey reflected mallard numbers up by 15% (40% over the long-term average), gadwall numbers up by 10% (96% over the long-term average), and greenwing teal numbers up by 20% (44% over the long-term average), the numbers are in our favor. I’ve discussed the potential effect of the drought on pushing the migration south which also favors a strong southern migration.

Food and water levels look good for holding the ducks. Mallards feed extensively in harvested grain fields with gadwall frequenting these areas as well. Bumper corn and soybean crops, combined with no-till farming practices promise ample food. The historically high grain commodity prices have caused some of the private refuges to harvest more acres than in previous years which also helps to spread the ducks out and even the odds. The unknown remains the winter weather pattern.

The following excerpt by Doyle Rice from USA Today predicts a continuing warm weather trend. “The USA just endured its third-hottest summer on record, and it looks like the fall is on track to be warmer than average too, scientists reported Monday.” (September 10, 2012)

“For the entire year to date, the nation is having it’s warmest year since records began in 1895, said a report by the National Climate Data Center in Asheville, N.C.”

“About 80 million Americans sweltered through 100-degree temperatures at some point this summer, the climate center noted in it’s report.”

“The warmth should continue for much of the nation over the next several months; ‘We’re looking at a warmer-than-average fall, especially east of the Rockies’, AccuWether meteorologist Jack Boston said.”

“He adds that cooler-than-average temperatures should be confined to the far west this fall, however, with the mountain snows possible by early October.”

“With the El Nino Climate pattern now in effect, ‘the best chances for above – normal temperatures this fall are in the northern tier of the nation, mainly east of the Rockies’, forecaster Jon Gottschalck of the Climate Prediction Center said.”

…

“As for rainfall, the nation saw extremes this summer: Nebraska and Wyoming had their driest summer on record, while Florida had its wettest summer.”

The ducks will migrate. I am optimistic (as are many of the biologists and experts), that even if the northern weather trend is warm, the need for water and food will push the ducks south to the MS Delta. We should be the first stop off in the migration with favorable conditions for those mallards that we love to hunt. Hoping to do our part in improving the harvest numbers in the MS Delta Ducks portion of the Mississippi Flyway.

Our season hunt program has a good number of repeat groups. The field staff and I are excited about hunting with these guys again this year. We also have some newcomers that we are anxious to get to know. I feel that we provide the most affordable access to a diversity of hunting venues available in the MS Delta. We have room for more groups and welcome the opportunity to show you around, answer questions, and address any concerns that you might have. Come hunt with us.