DUCKS! DUCKS! DUCKS!

Hello everyone,

This week's post will not talk much about the news side of Ducks Unlimited, but more of the benefits of what they do. This past friday was the opening day of Mississippi duck season. It sure was a good one! Three of my close friends accompanied me on a trip to a public lake near my home. We arrived at the boat ramp early, because we knew there would be a crowd on opening morning. And boy were we right! We launched the boat and were able to get in a spot that we had scouted a couple of days before and waited for daylight. As shooting time approached, we could hear the sound of whistling wings above us and even had a rather large group of mallards land between us and our decoys. All we could do is watch. Finally when shooting time rolled around, there were ducks everywhere! We were able to complete our four man limit of 24 ducks by 8:30 a.m. Not too bad for public land!!

The next morning, I convinced my dad to come with us. That is an accomplishment in itself because he does not duck hunt very much nowadays. One of my close friends went with us Saturday morning and we were fortunate enough to get the same spot we hunted opening morning. It did not disappoint us. We had our three man limit of 18 ducks by 9:00. We would have had it a lot sooner if we could have shot a little better, but that's a story for another day.

Overall, the weekend was a huge success! We had two very successful hunts and I saw more ducks than I have ever seen this early in the year. The main point I wanted to get across with this blog post is that the number of ducks we saw and were able to harvest is a complement to all of DU's hard work. Without them, we would not have near the duck population we have today! I just want to take a second to thank them for all they do for the sport and conservation of Waterfowling!

Be safe and Good hunting!

3 DAYS!!!!!

Hey guys,

Did you read the post title? That's right, 3 DAYS til duck season is here!!! For me, it can't come fast enough! Just to back up what I posted last week, I did a little looking and it looks like the folks at DU are seeing the same thing I am- MORE DUCKS! According to the Mississippi Department of Wildlife Fisheries and Parks (MDWFP), the first major cold front to move through Mississippi has brought some ducks with it, including teal, gadwalls, pintails, shovelors, and suprisingly, MALLARDS! Thats right, I said MALLARDS! For the first  time in a long time there is a substantial population of mallards that have migrated to Mississippi for the early part of duck season. I don't know about  ya'll, but it's got me pumped for Friday.

What it boils down to:

If you've got water, you've probably got ducks. With a drier than usual year, many places that usually hold water for migrating waterfowl are dry. So my advice to you is: SCOUT, SCOUT,  SCOUT! Go find them. Duck hunting isn't easy, but with a little time invested and a few gallons of gas burned, you should be able to locate some birds for opening day!

Good Luck and Safe Hunting!!!

Information for this post can be found HERE

Mississippi Duck Season Approaching!

It's that time of year again! The cold air has finally reached us here in the south, and it has brought some ducks with it. In a few short days (10 to be exact), opening day of Mississippi Duck season will be here. For some of us, the wait has been too long!

The season will officially start on November 23, 2012 at 6:05 a.m. On this morning, thousands of Mississippians will take to the field to try their luck. From my recent observations, there will be plenty of ducks to hunt. I have observed more ducks around this year than I ever have this early in the year. This could be due to a couple of things: 1. Record duck populations
                                                    2. Cold weather in the Northern States arriving early
Either way, I'm not complaining. I can't wait to see what this duck season holds in store.

SIDENOTE: Have you ever wondered where the ducks we harvest in MS come from? I have. I did a little research and this is what I found. The majority of the migrating ducks harvested in the state of Mississippi come from the Prarie Pothole Region a.k.a. "The Duck Factory." This region includes parts of North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, and the Canadian provinces of Mannitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta. Some of our ducks also come from the Great Lakes region. Here is a map showing the distribution of ducks that migrate to MS. This information is based on the data gathered from ducks that were harvested that had a band.

That's all for this week, good luck to all who venture out for the season opener!

Information for this blog can be found HERE

Mississippi State Chapter Banquet This Week

It's that time again! The Mississippi State Chapter of Ducks Unlimited is holding their yearly banquet this week. The event will be held at Rick's Cafe this Wednesday evening at 6 p.m. Events of the night include: A pork Tenderloin Dinner, both silent and live auctions, and raffles. Some of the prizes being raffled/auctioned include: Yeti Coolers, RNT Duck Calls, and many other hunting items. Tickets are $35 if you buy them early and $45 at the door. Your ticket also gets you a year long membership to Ducks Unlimited!

Information about the banquet can be found HERE.