Still a good news/bad news situation for Delta duck hunters
Normally, a three-inch rain similar to the one that hit Mississippi on Monday and Tuesday this week would have a dramatic impact on duck habitat in the Delta.
Not so much in this drought year, and that’s good news for some hunters and bad news for the majority as the second of two three-day early duck seasons opens Dec. 2 statewide.
“From what I saw last weekend, it was just that, a good news/bad news type of thing,” said Perry Clark of Greenwood. “Those of us who could pump water into our duck holes were in good shape. We had water and we had ducks, and since so much of the Delta is dry, those of us who had water had ducks concentrated.
“That rain we had this week just sucked right into the dirt. The ground is so dry, it just swallowed it up and there was little if any standing water left (Thursday) two days after the rain. That means ducks will still be concentrated where there is water.”
Clark said his club shot two days last weekend, Friday and Sunday, and there were some limits taken.
“Mostly greenies (green-winged teal) and gadwall, but we did have a few greenheads (mallards),” he said. “I doubt we will see anything different this weekend. The weather up north hasn’t pushed a lot of mallards in here and with water scarce; a lot of ducks overflew the Delta and went to the marsh.”
This three-day season (Dec. 2-4) will be followed by the main season opening on Dec. 7. It will continue through the season’s close on Jan. 29.
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