It is with mixed emotions that I am coming to grip with the
idea the duck hunting in northern Wisconsin is coming to a close. It’s hard to believe that duck season opened
60 days ago. The season started
with balmy temperatures and bluebird skies.
As the season progressed, it included breaking ice to get to a honey
hole that never quite lived-up to its billing.
There were limiting-out days and days of getting skunked.
As northern Wisconsin’s season closes, some states are just
starting to open their seasons. I’m
jealous that our southern brethren get to hunt “our ducks” after they’ve come
into their breeding plumage. In
September we shoot wood ducks, teal, and brown mallards. About the time the drake mallards develop
their full breeding plumage of effervescent green heads, they head south for
warmer climes.
Do southern duck hunters get jealous when they hear of
September and early October opening days?
On one hand we’ve had two months of hunting while the southern hunters
have been champing at the bit to get out.
We’ll be putting away decoys, organizing gear, and cleaning shotguns for
storage while the waterfowlers in the south will be scouting their early season
spots and planning late-season hunts.
‘Round these parts some of the best duck hunting occurs as
the lakes and potholes freeze. Depending
on the weather, freeze-up can come before season ends or after the season
closes. Generally, the best migration
occurs after many of the lakes and waters have frozen. As ducks ride fronts south, they will look
for any open water and if you have a spot with some water, you’ll often have
ducks. If the waters freeze later, then
some of the best hunting comes after close.
This causes many hunters to spend their offseason bemoaning the wildlife
biologists that weren’t able to predict freeze-up three months ahead of
time.
As the sun sets on waterfowl season 2013, I can’t help but
think of how badly I need to win the lottery.
Then, I’d be able to duck hunt every day of the season and travel to the
southern states to hunt their seasons, too.
Instead, I’m lamenting on the locations I wanted to hunt but didn't get to, which were
surely holding piles of poultry and the locations I hunted that weren’t as
productive as planned. I’m also starting
to think of waterfowl season 2014, the gear I need, and the locations I want to
hunt.
The sun sets on my 2013 waterfowl season.
