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ost who've seen it, agree the place we call our "pond up on the hill" is one of the prettiest waters in
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Kansas. The acre of water sits at
BY MICHAEL PEARCE,OUTDOOR WRITER ts
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the base of two steep, rocky ridges. The pond seldom sees daylight because of the towering oaks, hickory, and walnut trees that shroud the valley with long shadows. For me, the pond is best when multi-colored, autumn leaves cover the
water's surface. That's when it's visited by birds even more vibrantly colored than those leaves - wood ducks.
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Last fall, Caleb Hawkins, a 15-year-old relative I've mentored for four seasons, fell
in love with the wooded pond, too. The teen was wearing one of the largest grins I've seen when he got to hold and behold the beauty of his first harvested drake wood duck. Caleb obviously realized it would be one of the most memorable moments of
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what should be a very long career in the ●»V'
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Kansas outdoors.
I feel the same every time I take one of the spectacular ducks, but my appreciation goes beyond the beauty of the birds.
BACK FROM THE BRINK America's solid wood duck population is one of our nation's greatest wildlife conservation stories. They are one of many species that owe their current existence to the combined efforts of hunters and other conservationists.
According to Ducks Unlimited, in the
early 1900s it was feared wood ducks might follow the one-way path of passenger pigeons and Carolina parakeets into extinction.
Destruction of mature timber needed for
nesting, and relentless hunting pressure by commercial and subsistence hunting, had wood duck numbers dangerously low. Fears were so intense that wood duck
hunting was nationally banned from 1918-1941 through the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. In fact, some state game departments.
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funded with sportsmen's dollars, halted wood duck hunting through most of the 1950s to ensure populations had fully recovered.
Ducks Unlimited credited
wholesale slaughter, and the natural regrowth of forest lands near waterways, for much of the wood duck's recovery. The addition of thousands of man-made nesting boxes have also proven to help
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the end of the
rebuild the species. Wood ducks are usually the most common nesting
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duck in Kansas and several southern states. In some
of those states, wood ducks are the primary species '
hunted. In Kansas, most harvested wood ducks are
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incidental takes when the birds work a spread of
decoys set for other waterfowl. Tom Bidrowski, Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks migratory game bird program manager, said wood ducks average 10th for total season harvest in Kansas,
trailing about every species of common puddle duck.
That ranking would probably climb if more
waterfowl hunters realized how much wood ducks have to offer.
EARLY SEASON SUCCESS ■».
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Much of Kansas' best wood duck action comes
weeks before migrating birds like drake pintails and mallards appear on our wetlands. Some September teal seasons see more wood ducks on state-managed
waterfowl areas than blue-winged or green-winged teal. That means wood duck hunting is often at its
best immediately after the October opening days of Kansas' early and late low plains duck zones. Sadly, many wood ducks have already moved through by the time the season begins in our southeast duck zone, which is usually mid to late November.
Like with all kinds of hunting, early-season wood
duck hunters will do best in the habitat their game
prefers. As their name indicates, wood ducks are usually creatures of lakes, ponds and creeks near mature woodlands. Ideally, that water will be within
waddling, or a short flight distance of foods wood ducks prefer, like acorns. A diet of such mast, by the way, is probably one reason wood ducks are as tasty
on a plate as they are stunning to the eye.
As well as creeks, wood ducks like to hang out at
the upper ends of lakes and reservoirs. The birds also seem to appreciate any pond surrounded by hardwoods. Some popular roosting ponds may hold dozens of wood ducLs at a time - which was often
the case on our pond last season. The drought had the small creeks dry for miles. Chinkapin oaks had a nice crop of acorns falling directly into the water and nearby forest floor.
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WOOD DUCK HUNTING IS OFTEN AT ITS BEST IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE OCTOBER OPENING DAYS OF KANSAS’ EARLY AND LATE LOW PLAINS DUCK ZONES. »
Fortunately, there are many miles of streams and rivers open to public hunting in Kansas. The upper ends of most reservoirs and state lakes in the eastern half of the state can hold good wood duck habitat. I have friends who have done
well on creeks that flow through Walk-Tn Hunting Areas. Pre-hunt scouting is as important for planning a wood duck
hunt as for any other species of waterfowl. Walking creek bottoms or floating along in a kayak, maybe fishing along the way, can be good ways to scout birds. Often, it's someone's
ears that lead them to a gathering of wood ducks, which can be real blabber-bills, and their high-pitched squeals carry a long way on calm mornings.
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SIMPLE GEAR AND TACTICS
numbers, fly in just a few minutes after legal
One of the joys of targeting wood ducks is there is no need for fancy equipment. Usually, the best hunting places are accessed by foot, kayak or canoe. Hip boots often work well. Caleb and 1 towed our waders, along with eight or ten decoys and other gear, in a single decoy sled to make better time
along creeks, planning routes that can get them within shotgun range of resting wood ducks. Walking those same creek bottoms can also lead to some good mixed-bag hunts. I've shot woodcock on
walking the steep woodlands. There's no need for huge decoy spreads. Most
well on squirrels.
hunters can get by with a half-dozen floaters. While
wood duck decoys help, I've taken quite a few birds
shooting time.
Mid-day hunters can often find success sneaking
Kansas wood duck hunts. The same non-toxic
shotgun ammo that works on wood ducks, works Some of my most memorable wood duck hunts have required quite a bit of that ammo. While wood
with a few mallard fakes.
ducks are noted for their beauty, and quality of table
Being set up where the birds have been landing for days is much more important than style or
fare, they can also provide challenging shooting.
number of decoys.
Wood ducks are smaller and faster than most
hunters realize. A lifetime of dodging tree limbs gives
Some of the few serious wood duck hunters I've
them a quickness many species of waterfowl lack.
met use a spinning wing decoy, to help grab the attention of wood ducks winging through the
for a few seconds and passing in and out of shadows
treetops.
Hunting in deep timber means they're often in sight or jumbled backgrounds at full speed.
Several companies make calls that imitate the
sounds of a hen wood duck. As well as calling
passing birds into shotgun range, the calls may get
CLASSIC WOOD DUCK MORNING
scouting trips.
Caleb's first wood duck hunt was a classic
clouds are often best for afternoon hunts as birds
The keen hearing of youth, and dedication to
wood ducks to give away their roosting locations on
The first and last hour of legal shooting time are example of how unique pursuing the gorgeous birds critical for decoying wood ducks. Days with heavy can be.
seem to return to roosting areas earlier. Several sunny afternoons we've had birds, sometimes in large
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protecting his hearing at all times, gave Caleb a few seconds of warning before the birds came
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within sight. The wings of the small
flocks
made the same
"whoosh" noise of full-speed teal or divers. The ducks would then
seemingly
appear
out
to
see
in
headed to a taxidermist.
My day was made when he
realized what a special treat hunting these wonderful
waterfowl can be. %
of
nowhere, barely topping the canopy of tall oaks and zipping down to the pond where they were harder shadows.
gorgeous first drake, a bird he excitedly stated would be
Caleb Ha
the
With eyes as good as any waterfowl, it was amazing how quickly the wood ducks picked out of camo forms sitting amid the mature timber. Several times
I couldn't react fast enough. A few times I clearly shot behind the plumed rockets as they accelerated to leave.
Fortunately, that morning we were blessed with many opportunities. Youthful reflexes took Caleb to an early limit of three colorful drakes.
I got one drake with my first shot of the day, and my second drake with my last shot of the day, with plenty of misses in between.
But
I
could
have
headed home happy with no ammo left, and no birds to show.
My day had been made with Caleb's
first
shot
on
that
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