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Phillip Gentry

Opening day of duck season begins next Wednesday. Waterfowl authorities have announced an increase in the bag limit for wood ducks, a popular duck found in the Upstate.

I need to brush up on my outdoor clichés, because I think the saying refers to a fish out of water. In any event, next Wednesday marks the opening day of the 2008-2009 South Carolina waterfowl season. Waterfowl seasons are set by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources within a framework of dates allowed by the Federal authorities.

Each year there is a push to set hunting dates later into the season to take advantage of later arriving ducks that migrate down from the north. The state’s waterfowl committee has set the state’s waterfowl season again this year to both have an early season during Thanksgiving and a late season almost to the end of January. The first season will open Nov. 26 and close on Nov. 30. The second season will reopen on Dec. 12 and run continuously until it closes on Jan. 25. This year’s season is a total of 50 days.

The downside for duck hunters, at least in the double secret drought status areas of the Upstate, is that ducks are fond of water and water is in short supply. It’s hard to attract ducks to a watering hole with no water. With our Upstate counties being somewhat off the beaten path from the richer duck environment of the coastal plains in the lower part of the state, Upstate hunters have come to rely on two main species of waterfowl for our hunting experiences – the wood duck and the Canada goose.

The good news is that the waterfowl authorities have heard the requests of duck hunters across the country who have been asking for an increase in the daily bag limit for wood ducks. Formerly, a duck hunter could only take two woodies per day and that number has now been increased to three.

“There certainly has been a request from hunters from all over this state as well as hunters in states all over the East Coast to raise the wood duck bag limit,” said Dean Harrigal, SCDNR Waterfowl Project Leader. “The problem was that federal biologists can’t fly over wood duck nesting areas and get an accurate sampling of wood ducks like they do for other waterfowl species that use Canadian prairies for breeding grounds. Wood ducks nest in trees, and the Northeast area of the United States is an important nesting area for these migratory birds. Nonetheless, we are confident the wood duck population can support an additional duck in the bag limit.”

As the name implies, wood ducks are fond of woody areas and actually roost in trees. They are considered by many to be one of the most beautiful ducks in the wild. Beaver swamps that are prevalent across many Upstate area hunting lands as well as farm ponds tucked back in the woods are likely places to encounter wood ducks. Woodies don’t require deep water and will congregate near areas where acorns and seeds find their way into the water.

In a contrast to “duck” hunting, the stronghold of Canada Goose hunting in South Carolina occurs west of I-95.

“One particular reason for this reversal of waterfowl habitat use is that gators and geese don’t mix,” Harrigal said, referring to the burgeoning alligator population found along the coastal plains.

The Upstate certainly has no shortage of the large birds as the population has expanded in recent years. In some cases geese are considered nuisances, especially among golf course and public park managers.

Harrigal estimates the state’s goose population to be somewhere around 80,000 birds and sees additional growth in their numbers for the future.

“The annual goose harvest is somewhere around 20 percent of the total population each year and recruitment seems to be more than keeping up with the annual harvest,” he said.

One of the saving grace habits of geese is that they regularly flock to open grain and grass fields to feed where savvy hunters often pattern their movements and hide in “lay-out” blinds in the open fields for geese to arrive.

Got outdoor news or photos to share? Contact Phillip Gentry at pgentry6@bellsouth.net