Home Resorts and Lodging
Camping
Guides
Boat
Sales and Storage
Sporting
Goods, Bait and Tackle
Restaurants
Kentucky Lake
Maps
Hunting Stories and
Information
Fishing Report
Fishing
Stories
and Information
Other
Stories and Information
Tennessee
Fishing Records
Weather
Lake Levels
Land
Between
the Lakes
Sportsmen's
Calendar
Seasons and regulations
Links
Advertising
Contact
Us
|
This page brought to you by:
Kentucky Lake Duck Hunting
CURTAIN FALLS FOR DREARY DUCK HUNTERS
Duck hunters are about to sing their swan song as the annual Tennessee
season draws to a close on Sunday at sunset.
The 60-day season, which began back on November 27, has been mixed for
most hunters in this immediate area despite a series of cold fronts and
pretty good weather throughout the season.
While the first half of season was good for a lot of wildlife management
areas across West Tennessee it seems the second half has been off a bit.
Ice entered the picture for a lot of shallow areas these last few weeks
while other private fields and farms across drainage areas in the Obion,
Forked Deer, and Hatchie suffered from a lack of water.
Rainfall has been off this fall and winter across much of the area and
that has had a negative impact on some spots that depend on runoff to
inundate swamps and harvested grain fields.
A few private fields that pumped up water and left standing corn, rice,
or some soybeans seem to have fared best and the lack of water across
the region made it that much better for those who did have flooded areas
as it seem to concentrate the ducks at times.
Other open water areas of Kentucky Lake had good shooting at times but
it has been inconsistent the last week to ten days at a time when
hunting is usually good. A lack of wind has not favored many open water
blinds as ducks succumb to stagnant conditions and don’t move much.
Reelfoot Lake has also been the victim of low water conditions
throughout the season as many blinds were simply high and dry and could
not be hunted. A few open water blinds has good shooting at times,
however, but battled ice during the cold weather.
Some private fields adjacent to refuges or private hunt clubs that held
ducks fared well these last two weeks as the ducks and geese were
staying pretty close on the refuge units and not venturing off much.
Waterfowl updates from aerial surveys taken at both Tennessee National
Wildlife Refuge on Kentucky Lake and Cross Creeks National Wildlife
Refuge on Barkley Lake indicate good numbers were in the area last week.
The most recent surveys available were taken back on January 19th at
both refuges.
TNWR was holding 214,119 ducks and 11,269 geese. The duck numbers are 30
percent above the 5-year average and 36 percent above the 10-year
average for this time of year.
Topping the list as to species were mallards at 153, 302, followed by
gadwall at 14,411. Third was greenwing teal at 10,879, followed by
pintails at 8,535 and ringneck at 7,215.
Over on CCNWR at Dover the aerial survey showed 42,660 ducks on hand and
4,518 geese using the refuge. The duck numbers are 8 percent below the
5-year average but 26 percent above the 10-year average.
Although the statewide season draws to a close on Sunday youngsters will
get another crack at waterfowling when the special Youth Waterfowl Hunt
arrives on February 5-6.
The two-day season will be for youngsters age 6-15 years of age.
|
|
