|
| / |
| / |
| / |
Early Duck Season Provides Plenty of Hunting Opportunity
Lots of ducks. Lots of hunters. Lots of shooting. That's the way most Iowa waterfowl hunting enthusiasts are summing up the results of the September 19 kickoff to the first, five-day segment of the 2009 Iowa duck season. But the fact that wild ducks were in plentiful supply didn't necessarily mean the pickings were easy. As late summer weather turned hot and dry across much of the state, potholes and marshes began to shrink across northern Iowa's marsh country where wetlands dropped to more than a foot below normal crest by mid-September. The end result was greater concentrations of ducks at remaining pools, which led to a corresponding concentration of hunters. At Cerro Gordo County's Union Hills Waterfowl Production Area, for example, DNR Waterfowl Biologist, Guy Zenner, reported a parking lot 'car count' of 64 vehicles. Other public areas noted similar hunter densities. In spite of the crowded conditions and keen competition, DNR conservation officers reported that most hunters were successful in bagging ducks, and that most hunters harvested several birds on Saturday. Some hunters even managed to attain their six-duck limits during the first 10 to 15 minutes of legal shooting and had literally bagged their decoys and were leaving the marsh by the time sun appeared on the eastern horizon. By the time the Saturday opener concluded, the first day harvest averaged about five ducks per hunter, said Zenner. For most hunters, migrating blue-winged teal became the bread and butter species for the early, September season. According to the results of a statewide waterfowl survey conducted just two days prior to the opener, blue-winged teal represented nearly half [46 percent] of the total ducks present in the state, followed by wood ducks [32 percent] and mallards [14 percent]. Greatest teal densities were surveyed in the north central and northwestern regions of the state. One notable exception was a concentration containing nearly 3,000 teal surveyed on southwest Iowa's Riverton Wildlife Unit. Initial hunter interviews revealed that 4 out of every 6 ducks bagged on opening day were blue-winged teal. Farther to the south and east, wood ducks and mallards comprised a larger percentage of the opening day bag. Generally speaking, the closer hunters were to the Mississippi River, the greater those percentages became. Although overall hunter numbers decreased by nearly 50 percent on Sunday, large numbers of ducks were still reported. Hunting success was fair on Monday and Tuesday, but increased on Wednesday as a new wave of southbound blue-winged teal invaded the state. On Thursday night [Sep. 24], a widespread band of precipitation dropped from two to five inches of much needed rainfall across much of northern Iowa. Potholes and shallow marsh areas that had been completely dry were restored to crest levels in a matter of hours. This important weather event will set the stage for improved hunting conditions as ducks, geese, and snipe continue to migrate into Iowa during the remainder of the season. Iowa's split duck season resumes October 10 in the state's North Zone [north of Highway 30] and on Oct. 17 in the South Zone.
|
|
|
|
|