April 29, 2024

The waterfowler’s help desk

November 24, 2010 John J. Woods Featured Story, Waterfowl & Duck Hunting

Last season, Catfish Flautt of Tallahatchie Hunts reported huge numbers of duck flights.

The internet has dramatically revolutionized hunters’ access to timely information about every aspect of hunting. This includes site information, state licensing, harvest data, hunting rules and regulations, public hunting areas, federal lands, hunting tips, tricks, tactics and strategies and everything else in between.

Simply put, it’s amazing.

Now duck hunters can access a fantastic amount of updated information via the web site hosted by the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks at www.mdwfp.com. Here is a sampling of data sources on their web site. Just go to the wildlife and hunting banner button, and follow it to the waterfowl program:

• Duck Migration Forecast. The Weather Severity Index (WSI) information provides weather information trends and how weather is impacting duck migrations from northern locations south through Mississippi.

• Mallard Migration Status. This report gathers information from 100 biologists up and down the Mississippi Flyway from Canada to the Texas and Louisiana coasts and everywhere in between. The map plots the movement of mallards down the flyway from September to January. The color-phased map overlays estimate the number of mallard ducks in the migration.

• Aerial Survey Results. Aerial surveys are conducted from November through January to obtain a duck count and GPS location plots. From this information, the MDWFP can estimate the number of ducks in the state and where they are located.

• WMA Harvest Reports. This data chart can be manipulated to show duck harvest numbers from various WMAs across the state from the first of October through the middle of February. The chart will give man-days of hunter activity and the number of ducks taken on each WMA by species. This is valuable information as the duck season unfolds.

Editor’s Note: This story appears as part of a feature in Mississippi Sportsman’s November issue. To ensure you don’t miss any information-packed issues in the future, click here to have each magazine delivered right to your mail box.