# So, does everywhere suck now?



## buckpasser (Dec 30, 2019)

Years ago, when all the public water in my area was good (Seminole, Iamonia, Jackson, Micosukee, coastal big bend, Aucilla River) I lived for waterfowl hunting. I was blessed to be raised by a man that allowed me to hunt almost every weekend as a kid. It was great. Since then, I’ll admit, deer hunting is much more enjoyable to me. Not that deer are more enjoyable so much, but duck hunting at Seminole for example is maybe 1/100th the quality it was 20 years ago. In my current job I established a beautiful flooded field duck pond this fall.  Heavy yielding corn, grain sorghum and sorghum alum planted in rows, fertilized and sprayed to perfection. Around the shallow edges is a thick band of jap millet. I had to run a portable pump from a nearby fish pond for weeks to flood it. At last full pool arrived around Nov 1. As suspected hundreds of woodies and around 15 bluewing with a dozen hooded mergansers showed up, and a seven gun limit shoot was the highlight. Since that day, no more than 5 woodies have visited at one time. After scrolling through this forum at what should be a fevered part of the GA duck season, it begs the question; does everywhere suck?


----------



## ucfireman (Dec 30, 2019)

Too much pressure?
Just a guess. I have no experience. But 7 gun limit is 42 right, seems like a lot, maybe scared them too much?


----------



## 27metalman (Dec 31, 2019)

Too much water and the fronts haven't pushed across the U.S. like they need to just yet.


----------



## Dustin Pate (Dec 31, 2019)

I’ve hunted some zero pressure private land and also public this year. All of it is off drastically. This is the 3rd year that wood duck numbers have dwindled in places that have produced for 20 years plus.


----------



## across the river (Dec 31, 2019)

There is essentially nowhere east of the Mississippi River that is considered to be under drought conditions, and hardly any place in the entire US is under sever drought conditions.  Couple that with the fact that there is hardly any snow cover below Michigan and Wisconsin, and there are plenty of places for ducks to go sit, all across the country.  It isn't just Georgia.   I've got buddies in flyway states that aren't hitting on much either.   That is just part of waterfowl hunting.   When you are trying to hunt a bird that has to fly thousands of miles and pick your spot out of millions upon millions of others, then you realize that there is a lot that has to happen for you to kill a duck.   I agree with you about 20 years ago, and while some of that is without question due to the increased pressure public land gets,  remember that most of Georgia was in a sever drought in the mid to late 90s.   There wasn't really anywhere for ducks to go other than the lakes, rivers, and the few private holes that had water.  We had a pond we could flood from  a well, and our biggest problem then was the ducks would eat all the food out so quick, there was nothing left for the last half of the season.  Today there is food everywhere, so flooded corn ponds aren't getting touched in a lot of cases.  Supply and demand.   Currently, every low spot in the state has water on it so everything is spread out.   I saw a six wood ducks the other day sitting on this little low spot in the woods that isn't a 1/2 acre in size and 99.9% of the time is a dry a bone.  Those spots are now everywhere, which is why they are sitting they eating acorns without being bothered, rather than sitting on your pond eating jap millet and getting shot at.   Don't give up on it yet as it can change in a matter of days.


----------



## WaterwackerSiah (Dec 31, 2019)

We had a lot of woodies around early in the season in the swamps. 

Since the rain it does seem like the woodies are spread out. I thought it was because they migrated on from the area, but it could be they spread out. The pond we have planted does not have any ducks on it. However, there does seem to be increase in big duck numbers around.


----------



## Hunter/Mason (Dec 31, 2019)

I own a 52ac. Swamp and we’ve only killed 30 wood ducks so far. We have saw an uncountable number of birds there just headed everywhere but our place. Only saw 1 group of mallards passing on by. It’s also planted in sorghum, millet, and buckwheat.  Last year was terrible. The year before was great we killed wood ducks, teal, gadwall, pintails, geese, and black ducks. I’m sitting at my place on the Alabama coast and have been here since Friday. We haven’t pulled the trigger yet. All we have saw is a few buffleheads and I mean very few of those. We’re gonna Hunt 1 more time in the morning if nothing changes we will fish the rest of the week. Haven’t heard a shot from anyone else either.


----------



## delacroix (Jan 1, 2020)

Short answer is yes.


----------



## mizzippi jb (Jan 1, 2020)

There's been a change, and for the worse in the southern states mainly. There are plenty of theories... From flyway shifting to the NA waterfowl treaty changing the wording of the law in 1989 to allow flooding corn fields to "bait" ducks around the Ms River north of Arkansas.  As long as the water and ground isn't frozen, the ducks and geese can feed.  Whatever it is, it's taking a toll on my desires.  Been at it for a while... Sitting in the passenger seat on the way back from trip no. 3 across the big river.   And it ain't what it used to be


----------



## mizzippi jb (Jan 1, 2020)

I talked to some boys out there who know your folks.  2 boys who own goose grabbers and occasionally guide for retriever lodge.   Me and them boys are in the same tax bracket..... Their clients are quite a few notches above


----------



## Hooked On Quack (Jan 1, 2020)

Gimme a call  Jb..


----------



## kingfish (Jan 1, 2020)

Got a buddy in McClure Illinois that has 800 acres right on the Mississippi River.  That entire parcel has been set up for ducks.  CRP, DU, Delta etc have all been out there getting it set up.  3 pits, one leased the other 2 for him, family and buddies.  There's over 1000 decoys in the area.  2 years ago his count was over 300 ducks for the season.  Last year just over 60, this year he is in the 40's with this month left.  Something is up.  Not sure what, but something is up.  No one really knows the answer.


----------



## Duckbuster82 (Jan 1, 2020)

There are plenty of birds to be found, they have changed areas due to food sources changing and moving. Overall numbers may be down in areas that use to hold them but I think it’s due to birds being spread out, more ponds being planted, and the fact that all of the food has been removed from the majority of public waterways has changed the migration path of birds.


----------



## Triple BB (Jan 1, 2020)

Weather


----------



## jdgator (Jan 1, 2020)

The duck population is still healthy. The birds just aren’t heading south like they used to.


----------



## Duckbuster82 (Jan 1, 2020)

Birds are not going south because of food not weather. If we depended on weather we would never see birds. There are birds that already migrate south. My roommate from college is killing 6 gun limits 2 times a week in Florida. How is that possible if we are waiting on weather it’s hot as can be there. We no longer have large amounts of food here, birds are staying north were there is food and what birds do make it this way continue on down the road to where there is ample food.


----------



## across the river (Jan 1, 2020)

Duckbuster82 said:


> Birds are not going south because of food not weather. If we depended on weather we would never see birds. There are birds that already migrate south. My roommate from college is killing 6 gun limits 2 times a week in Florida. How is that possible if we are waiting on weather it’s hot as can be there. We no longer have large amounts of food here, birds are staying north were there is food and what birds do make it this way continue on down the road to where there is ample food.



Food and the weather go hand in hand.   When the water is all frozen up, they can't feed, so they are force to move south.  Some species move based on the sun and other factors, but most move when the water freezes up, or a huge front pushes them out.  

If you look at the telemetry studies they do on ducks, they typically don't just fly down a couple of miles at a time.  They tend to hang out wherever they are hangin out and then when they leave they head down to wherever they are imprinted to and set on going, whether that be Louisiana, Florida, or Georgia.  They often fly hundreds of miles at a time.  When they leave to head north they do the same thing.   The ringneck that delta tagged on Seminole and Santee didn't state hop all the way up and down the U.S.   They tend to hang out until the decide they need to go, and then head out for a long trip to go to wherever they have been before.  GPS studies on Mallards have shown the same thing.   Many hang out in Canada or the Northern U.S. and then when frozen out, head straight to Arkansa, Oklahoma or where they are going.   The Ringneck, Blue wing teal, and Redheads your buddy is killing probably flew pretty much to wherever they were going in Florida when they left Michigan or wherever the came from. They aren't following the snow line all the way down the states.  It isn't the weather in Florida affecting them as much as it is the weather in Canada, where they flew there from.

While I do think it impacts Georgia some, it is a much bigger factor in flyway states where people are used to hunting the same spot everyday and counting on new birds flying through every day.  In that situation it is a numbers game.  It just isn't happening like it used to, because they just don't get the numbers like they used to, because the birds aren't having to leave where they are.   Some birds will always fly South, you just won't get as many if the states north of here don't freeze up.  Once reason the lakes in Georgia aren't anything like they used to be is because the birds never have a chance to imprint on the lake until after the season. If they do land there some redneck runs them up before they have 24 hours to sit.   When they are frozen out of Canada the next year, they head straight to Florida or wherever they ended up that no one messed with them for long enough for them to imprint on the place.


----------



## Duckbuster82 (Jan 1, 2020)

Yes, but if there is no food here there will be no reason for birds to return. Birds seem to be imprinting new areas and changing their migration tracks. birds we see here are not affected by ice. Ringnecks gadwall teal are all birds that migrate to migrate. There is no reason to be here. When new birds show up they go to large bodies of water then fan out from there finding better food sources and safe areas. They do the same when they arrive at a private club. But when the birds show up at all our rivers and likes there is no food so they find more suitable states.


----------



## Mexican Squealer (Jan 1, 2020)

My club is in a heavily managed area with more acres of flooded impoundments than I can count. I speak daily to waterfowl managers that (other than this year and last year) hold thousands of ducks and have since the 1700’s...The food we plant and that they plant as well as the moist soil foods we manage for have not changed one bit. Three seasons ago was incredible at all of the places I speak of. The past two have been pathetic.  I am 4 miles off the Savannah river. The other places I speak of are in the Santee Delta, Ace Basin and other parts of the lowcountry. Not Georgia but not far away. The places that I do agree are suffering due to the killing off of the hydrilla etc are the public rivers and waterways....thousands and thousands of acres of duck food gone. Hated when they started killing off the grass and am sure we are feeling the effects now. I do believe weather is a factor though. Photo period migrators will always move. Birds with food and accessible water don’t go any further than they have to.  On a lighter note, we did kill mallards, ringnecks and a couple of teal last Saturday.


----------



## across the river (Jan 1, 2020)

Duckbuster82 said:


> Yes, but if there is no food here there will be no reason for birds to return. Birds seem to be imprinting new areas and changing their migration tracks. birds we see here are not affected by ice. Ringnecks gadwall teal are all birds that migrate to migrate. There is no reason to be here. When new birds show up they go to large bodies of water then fan out from there finding better food sources and safe areas. They do the same when they arrive at a private club. But when the birds show up at all our rivers and likes there is no food so they find more suitable states.



It isn’t just Ga.  I have a good buddy in Arkansas that is a member of a club that is thousands of acres of rice plantation.  Historically,  they have hunted many of the blinds pretty much everyday and essentially all of them every weekend when the all show up.   I have typically just keep days open and headed out when the masses showed up, but the last two year they haven’t.   I haven’t even gone this year it has been so bad.   I have another buddy in Mississippi that has a much smaller place all to himself.   He has corn planted in one pond and does moist soil in another.   He has killed some birds this year, but he is only hunting once a week and by himself with one other guy.  He said there just aren’t enough birds coming in to replenish any numbers to hunt it more than that.  That is essentially what it has typically been like on my place here in Georgia, but it hasn’t picked up much other than woodrows the last couple of years and it hasn’t been hunted much at all. There is no less food than there has ever been.   I know a guy right now with acres of corn on a place that hasn’t had much of anything show up this year and he isnt alone.  There are plenty of private holes full of food that just don’t have the birds that they have historically had.  It isn’t lack of food causing them to not have birds like they have in the past.


----------



## duckyaker90 (Jan 1, 2020)

I blame Al Gore.


----------



## Swamprat (Jan 1, 2020)

Duck Commander killed it for the last several years....18 year old kid gets rich daddy to buy him a Benelli to accessorize his jacked up Chevy 1500 with loud exhaust and the Yeti in the back with is Costa stickers on the back window and goes out and sky busts every thing that flies by.

I don't duck hunt but see plenty but now they are more scattered, several in this cypress pond, several in this, etc, not like 20 - 30 or so years ago when the sky went black from ducks coming out of one pond.


----------



## Arrow3 (Jan 2, 2020)

It's pitiful around me. I used to kill a good many birds in Georgia.  Granted they were 90 % woodies but I don't even have that to kill anymore. I've been twice this year. Can't find any birds at all. I'm not going to see 2 or 3 wood ducks fly by high . I hate it too because I've got an aging dog that loves it and I wanted to get him on a few more good hunts before he has to be retired.


----------



## mizzippi jb (Jan 2, 2020)

Truth is.....nobody really knows or has any hard evidence as to why this is happening. (Aka the real reason or combo of reasons)   Not you, not me, not DU and delta,   Not the scientists and biologists who get paid to figure it out.  If there was a hard and definite answer and a feasible solution, we'd be on the fast track to fixing it.  

And I haven't seen anyone mention the phenomenon of ducks adapting to pressure by feeding at night and loafing on rest areas and skinny non huntable water during the day.    That's a contributor IMO as well


----------



## buckpasser (Jan 2, 2020)

I’ll sneak in and check my pond again tomorrow. I’m hopeful that something will be enjoying all my hard work and eating some of the tons of grains sitting right at water level out there...

I deer hunted yesterday’s morning in Thomas county and personally witnessed around 500 or so high flying ringnecks headed to Heards Pond. I don’t think they even hunt it anymore, so maybe that’s why they’re using it.


----------



## Mexican Squealer (Jan 3, 2020)

mizzippi jb said:


> Truth is.....nobody really knows or has any hard evidence as to why this is happening. (Aka the real reason or combo of reasons)   Not you, not me, not DU and delta,   Not the scientists and biologists who get paid to figure it out.  If there was a hard and definite answer and a feasible solution, we'd be on the fast track to fixing it.
> 
> And I haven't seen anyone mention the phenomenon of ducks adapting to pressure by feeding at night and loafing on rest areas and skinny non huntable water during the day.    That's a contributor IMO as well



JB, that adaptation is absolutely occurring. Ducks are feeding at night in the corn ponds then loafing on the Santee refuge during the day. I have a “friend of a friend” who is a biologist and has been documenting this for the last few years. I watched a video he did and narratated about how the numbers of birds doing this have grown exponentially through the past 10  years.  Great point.


----------



## little rascal (Jan 3, 2020)

The Glaciers are melting.


----------



## mallardsx2 (Jan 3, 2020)

Bottom line, Interior Georgia is a JOKE for waterfowl hunting.


----------



## Gaducker (Jan 6, 2020)

Im here to tell yall, Im glad NOBODY took me up on going to Venice at thanksgiving.  In the past it seems to be that venice has been on a down hill slide as far as numbers and I have been there plenty of times when we had to work till lunch time and I have been when we had to work till dark for limits.   BUT this past thanksgiving turned out be even worse.  From baptiste collette all the way down we could not find anything worth loading the gun for.

I didn't load the gun the three days we were there and we were going to stay 7 days.    The guides were shooting some but the sky was empty.  Worst I have ever witnessed on thanksgiving week.     

And on top of that PLAQ parrish wants 500 a head to hunt public land down there, Im contemplating selling out and goin back to deer huntin.


----------



## Gaducker (Jan 6, 2020)

mizzippi jb said:


> Truth is.....nobody really knows or has any hard evidence as to why this is happening. (Aka the real reason or combo of reasons)   Not you, not me, not DU and delta,   Not the scientists and biologists who get paid to figure it out.  If there was a hard and definite answer and a feasible solution, we'd be on the fast track to fixing it.
> 
> And I haven't seen anyone mention the phenomenon of ducks adapting to pressure by feeding at night and loafing on rest areas and skinny non huntable water during the day.    That's a contributor IMO as well



Jim   Even the 70k acre refuge down river was void of all waterfowl life.


----------



## Hunter/Mason (Jan 6, 2020)

We killed 6, 4 wood ducks and 2 mergansers on my place this am. Spaulding Co. We saw well over 100 all wood ducks except the 2 mergansers. Hunted costal Alabama 3 days last week put 90 miles on my boat didn’t see a single red head or blue Bill on the legal huntable water. We killed 2 drake buffleheads and 1 hooded merganser. Saw 3 other groups  hunting and 1 of them shot only twice. We’re up to around 40 ducks killed total for the year so far.


----------



## Core Lokt (Jan 6, 2020)

I've been deer hunting for a couple of weeks. Had a good front come through Friday night. 30* temp drop/change. I got home yesterday and hunted the lake yesterday afternoon. didn't see 1 duck......

Now there are at least 16 planted/flooded ponds around this lake. It has hurt the hunting. 2 seasons ago I started noticing ducks coming back to roost after dark. How do I know, very little ducks seen the evening before then the next morning you would drive through 1000's of ducks and or watch them leave the lake. This is now the normal pattern. They feed and sit on these ponds during the day now because they only get hunted once a week at best.


----------



## Para Bellum (Jan 6, 2020)

Lump it all into one basket with "adaptation due to pressure caused by popularity."


----------



## Long Cut (Jan 7, 2020)

mizzippi jb said:


> Truth is.....nobody really knows or has any hard evidence as to why this is happening. (Aka the real reason or combo of reasons)   Not you, not me, not DU and delta,   Not the scientists and biologists who get paid to figure it out.  If there was a hard and definite answer and a feasible solution, we'd be on the fast track to fixing it.
> 
> And I haven't seen anyone mention the phenomenon of ducks adapting to pressure by feeding at night and loafing on rest areas and skinny non huntable water during the day.    That's a contributor IMO as well



I was fixin to comment the same thing. Just like those big bucks, the ducks became dare I say... “nocturnal” to hunting pressure

How many tens of thousands of ducks have y’all seen loafing on those refugees or that lake nobody can hunt? Sure maybe your club is 2 miles away, but you kill a couple of their buddies every Saturday morning and they wise up quick. 

Those big public lakes... No food or time for those ducks to even loaf let alone imprint for future years. Yet we’re surprised the hunting progressively gets worse & worse?! 

Also some of y’all surprised Florida holds more ducks than GA, look at how much more QUALITY wetlands they have compared to us? 

I duck hunt maybe 2-3x per year now, truthfully it’s not worth my time anymore unless I’m hitting I-20 running. 

Good luck y’all


----------



## sowgabuckstalker (Jan 7, 2020)

this year and last year has been down at my spots, i think primarily due to the amount of rain we have had and how close I am to the river. the Thursday before Christmas I watched one of my holes and there were well over 100 woodies in there, shouldve shot them the next morning but life go in the way. right after we got more rain and finally went to shoot them on Christmas eve, SKUNKED! Think this was first time I had ever been skunked at this spot. Went this morning and killed a 3 gun limit, probably saw over 100 - 200.


----------



## leroy (Jan 10, 2020)

Got a friend who has been around kennett mo for last 10 days, they lease several pits. He hasnt killed a limit with all days combined.


----------



## chase870 (Jan 12, 2020)

DU and Delta have become ineffective in the Canadian prairie. I'm friends with several farmers there, and they never slow down on draining the pot holes and plowing them under. I've hunted the same area for 19 years and witnessed the transformation first hand.


----------



## HuntDawg (Jan 13, 2020)

I have 2 fields in the Mississippi Delta. One in Harvested Beans, one in Harvested Corn. My group has taken 13 ducks and 5 Specks. Roughly 24 days if hunting. I thought last year was bad. 
2 years ago, 1 bean field. Almost 200 ducks taken with fewer hunts.
It is aweful.


----------



## Nitram4891 (Jan 13, 2020)

Just got back from NW MS and as others have said, not a lot happening but killed a couple teal and some wood ducks.  Lots of water however.  The cold is coming next week and will finally bring some ducks down for the last weekend of the season.


----------



## Core Lokt (Jan 13, 2020)

It still sucks around here.....


----------



## Mexican Squealer (Jan 13, 2020)

Not a shot fired on my club Sat.


----------



## Arrow3 (Jan 13, 2020)

I've been running a cell cam on our best place. If there's not ducks there , no reason to try anywhere around me at my other spots. 

Been getting about 6 wood ducks and 4 hooded mergansers pretty regularly.  Be a heck of a hunt wouldn't it?


----------



## Juan De (Jan 13, 2020)

From most of the reports I have been given. I’m glad I had elbow surgery this duck season in preparation for turkey season.


----------



## king killer delete (Jan 13, 2020)

Way to hot


----------



## sowgabuckstalker (Jan 14, 2020)

Picking up around here. Went Saturday morning and killed a 5 gun limit of woodies, they were in there thick! 70 degrees at first light, couldnt believe it.


----------



## spring (Jan 19, 2020)

Like many here, we had a lot of ducks early in the season. I'd say we had the most coming into my flooded corn pond that I've seen in maybe 10 years.  We had two nice hunts between Thanksgiving and the December opening weekend.  After that, even with no hunting, the numbers dropped; probably by about 60%. Why? Well, who knows, but the ducks were roosting on someone else's property, and they may have gotten hunted. Most likely though, it's because of the winter rains filling up every hardwood bottom around, half of which are full of corn. 
Overall, I think the migration has been pretty good; it's just hard to keep them concentrated.


----------



## Core Lokt (Jan 20, 2020)

Don't think I have seen it this bad ever here. Hunted Sat-Mon and shot at 1 duck. Saw 4-500 up high Sat morning, saw 13 Sat afternoon, 6 Sun afternoon and 0 today. Saturday morning I heard a planted pond in the distance shoot solid from 8:30-10:30 steady. I don't get it. I'll be glad when it's over so I don't feel like I have to go and waste my time.


----------



## Core Lokt (Jan 23, 2020)

Hunted yesterday morning until 9:30. Saw 6 ducks total..... None were interested in decoying. Scouted during the day for 2 hrs and saw about 12. Hunted yesterday afternoon and saw a group of 10 when picking up the decoys. Come on turkey season LOL.


----------



## Para Bellum (Jan 23, 2020)

king killer delete said:


> Way to hot



It's "too."  Way "too" hot.


----------



## mizzippi jb (Jan 23, 2020)

Metro Trout said:


> It's "too."  Way "too" hot.


Unless hot is a destination. And you need to know the way to get to hot.


----------



## stumblingjoe (Jan 23, 2020)

The problem at least in SW Georgia is that every plantation between Quitman and Tallahassee has one or more flooded duck ponds with standing corn.  Some of these ponds hold tens of thousands of ducks that remain essentially undisturbed.  It sounds unbelievable but its true.  Duck hunting is not near as good as it was 15 years ago.  It gets worse each year.


----------



## mattuga (Jan 23, 2020)

The areas I've hunted the last couple years had birds when everyone had birds, AKA the opener.  The river corridors will always have passerbys.  Pressure is a big problem on the southern part of all flyways but the lack of birds just doesn't make sense until you see people killing on unpressured land.  I've only hunted the MS delta in NE AR area for 9 years or so and it is drastically different just driving around.  Used to be ducks in every ditch and field.  I'm starting to believe the bird counts aren't accurate and/or pressure has them holding noth more than we imagined possible.  I'm not a boat hunter but see that as the main way to kill dispersed and pressured ducks.  They find their quiet spot or move at night.


----------



## Para Bellum (Jan 24, 2020)

mizzippi jb said:


> Unless hot is a destination. And you need to know the way to get to hot.


----------



## Whitetailfreak23 (Jan 24, 2020)

I can tell you for sure everywhere does not suck i have flooded clearcut/timber with beaver pond. Also several holes in the clearcut. I have for a fact see hundreds of ducks early season but slows way down towards late season. I have mallards, teals, woodys, hoodys, and few ring necks. I also have geese that fly over but don't land. I do not bait but i do have some kinda seed that naturally grows in the clearcut and they love it has big seed pods on that fall out about middle of duck season.   

If you time my property right and start hunting end of December i have a awesome shoot. I do not go all the time and i only two people with when i do go. Mostly carry one cause no one likes to duck hunt like i do.


----------



## Core Lokt (Jan 24, 2020)

stumblingjoe said:


> The problem at least in SW Georgia is that every plantation between Quitman and Tallahassee has one or more flooded duck ponds with standing corn.  Some of these ponds hold tens of thousands of ducks that remain essentially undisturbed.  It sounds unbelievable but its true.  Duck hunting is not near as good as it was 15 years ago.  It gets worse each year.



Yes, the ponds are growing in numbers too. I got a report that 3 of the local plantations will hunt Sat and Sun so I'll go to the lake with hopes of getting a few stragglers showing up.


----------



## WaterwackerSiah (Jan 24, 2020)

stumblingjoe said:


> The problem at least in SW Georgia is that every plantation between Quitman and Tallahassee has one or more flooded duck ponds with standing corn.  Some of these ponds hold tens of thousands of ducks that remain essentially undisturbed.  It sounds unbelievable but its true.  Duck hunting is not near as good as it was 15 years ago.  It gets worse each year.



I don't understand why people always attribute and blame bad duck hunting to an increase in flooded duck impoundments and habitat. That's crazy to me if you really think about it. 

1. Why does Arkansas/Mississippi have such a large flyway of ducks? Why does the ACE Basin in SC have thousands of ducks use  while upland SC has hardly any? 
Well its because there are thousands upon thousands of acres of flooded rice fields, green timber, corn fields (flooded or not) 

2. With that the ducks know flying along the corridors will grant them an abundant supply of food, and many different spots they can come to.

3. Historically Georgia doesn't have much habitat that would encourage ducks to come through. Sandy soil, cotton fields, pine forests and mountains don't equate to ducks imprinting on the state or areas within the state. ( I am sure you all know this information just providing a background to drive the point)

4.  Thus, the main point of all this is that the more duck ponds and impoundments your neighbors have the better. Think of each impoundment as 100-1,000 additonal ducks that will make their way through our state. I feel most people think of it as "these are ducks that would be on the Lake or in my beaver pond" 
No, these ducks would be going all the way to Florida or flying the Mississippi River where there is abundantly more food and habitat. Without the flooded corn/grain, where are they going to get their corn from? 

 Ducks don't stay in the same spot once they come down from up north. As well their diet is not pure grain. They need natural seeds as well so will maybe feed in the impoundment one day then the next go to the swamp for food.


----------



## duckyaker90 (Jan 24, 2020)

Georgia is merely just a resting state before they continue on their journey. Now you have too much pressure on limited habitat.


----------



## across the river (Jan 24, 2020)

duckyaker90 said:


> Georgia is merely just a resting state before they continue on their journey. Now you have too much pressure on limited habitat.


I don’t agree with this at all.   Telemetry studies have shown that ducks don’t typically puddle jump down NA.   When they decide to leave as spot they typically fly long distances to get to a certain location.   If they are heading to Florida, then there is a better chance than not that they don’t even stop in Georgia.  As mentioned above there is a reason that certain areas hold more birds than others.  Birds don’t just happen to find the same areas and spots even year by randomly flying there.  The more birds imprinted in a spot the more that show up and more young ones they bring with them.  The wild card is the weather.  Birds migrate a different times but large pushes are weather driven.  A duck hole is like a restaurant in Athens.  If it has good food it will typically get its share of locals and stragglers come through, but the really good days occur when the big numbers show up on game day.  Unfortunately there haven’t been many game days (weather events) to push large numbers down.


----------



## Core Lokt (Jan 24, 2020)

Well, they showed up. Probably saw 800-1000 the last 20 min of legal time. Scouting not hunting


----------



## duckyaker90 (Jan 24, 2020)

across the river said:


> I don’t agree with this at all.   Telemetry studies have shown that ducks don’t typically puddle jump down NA.   When they decide to leave as spot they typically fly long distances to get to a certain location.   If they are heading to Florida, then there is a better chance than not that they don’t even stop in Georgia.  As mentioned above there is a reason that certain areas hold more birds than others.  Birds don’t just happen to find the same areas and spots even year by randomly flying there.  The more birds imprinted in a spot the more that show up and more young ones they bring with them.  The wild card is the weather.  Birds migrate a different times but large pushes are weather driven.  A duck hole is like a restaurant in Athens.  If it has good food it will typically get its share of locals and stragglers come through, but the really good days occur when the big numbers show up on game day.  Unfortunately there haven’t been many game days (weather events) to push large numbers down.


My point was if there was a place in Georgia that would hold ducks for the winter, chances are someone is hunting it. Hold long you reckon they will sit there.


----------



## rnelson5 (Jan 24, 2020)

duckyaker90 said:


> My point was if there was a place in Georgia that would hold ducks for the winter, chances are someone is hunting it. Hold long you reckon they will sit there.


Depends mostly on how they manage pressure.


----------



## Duckbuster82 (Jan 24, 2020)

Birds have made a push for sure. Had good hunts both Wednesday and today. Saw good numbers.


----------



## across the river (Jan 24, 2020)

duckyaker90 said:


> My point was if there was a place in Georgia that would hold ducks for the winter, chances are someone is hunting it. Hold long you reckon they will sit there.


Some interesting things to follow are the  waterfowl counts at some of the refuges.  They fluctuate a lot without any hunting pressure, and can change by tens of thousands of birds in a short period of time.  You can also tell when the push comes through due to weather because it goes up quickly to then falls off the map to nothing.  How many birds a place has and holds depends on a lot of factors but it has a lot to do with how far down the flyway the weather has force the majority of the birds.


----------



## Core Lokt (Jan 25, 2020)

Watched 1,000 + birds leave the lake about 15 minutes before shooting time like they do when they are here. Only problem is no plantations shot and they didn't return. They will sit on the corn ponds and eat all day.  Killed a merganser (not knowing)  and 1 ringneck, only birds I shot at. At least I was able to see another sunrise! I'll give it a go this afternoon with hopes they come back in.

Word in the woods is the ponds will get shot in the morning. I'll be there.


----------



## spring (Jan 26, 2020)

Birds numbers have really picked up in the last week; saw numbers this afternoon that were as large as we've had in years in late January.


----------



## king killer delete (Jan 26, 2020)

Coast is awful


----------



## Core Lokt (Jan 27, 2020)

Had a good hunt yesterday morning. Glad it's over. Time to change gears.


----------



## Core Lokt (Jan 27, 2020)




----------



## Arrow3 (Jan 27, 2020)

Closed it out yesterday in awesome fashion ??


----------



## billy336 (Jan 27, 2020)

Seen a bunch down here lately and many pics of full tailgates


----------



## Jason C (Jan 27, 2020)

Bad weekend for me, didn't even pull the trigger! Hunted swamp in Hartwell and nothing, but sounded like Docs place had no problems getting to shoot. I been trying to get a greenhead...for some reason that's like the hardest duck for me to get... such a bummer


----------



## Hunter/Mason (Jan 27, 2020)

We’re at 55 total on my place this year. 52ac in Spaulding Co. all wood ducks except for 5 mergansers and 1 goose. We’ve saw piles and piles of wood ducks every hunt. There mostly going to the reservoir we should be over 100 if we could shoot better. We have hunted it almost twice a week all year with 1 week we hunted a Monday, Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday. Just to make sure we didn’t miss any better birds but they never showed. Our neighbor has a big swamp as well and they’ve shot about the same as us w similar results. No big birds there either. Last year was the same. We were never skunked this year either .


----------



## Long Cut (Jan 27, 2020)

We hunted a popular quota pond the 25th... scouted the night before and watched hundreds of ringeneck, mallards, teal, gadwall, wood ducks and several hundred geese (plus a bonus snow goose) all pour in. Birds were there from 4PM when I arrived till dark, when I left.

Fearing it was a roost, we hunted the Quota hunt anyways.. 15 minutes to 2 minutes before shooting light, all of the ducks poured out. All we could do was listen & laugh as they flew past us in the dark. 

8 ring necks lit the dekes at 9AM, but I was too busy on my phone and calling the birds back when the other hunters tried hail calling from 500 yards away.. I just jumped them up and laughed at myself. 

It’s comical how the birds have us hunters better patterned than we have them. The birds roost on the food, loaf where it’s safe then repeat. 

I’m coming close to selling all of my decoys and focusing on deer and long beards. Thry can still give me the slip, but at least they’ll be in the same State when I return!


----------



## crow (Jan 27, 2020)

mizzippi jb said:


> Truth is.....nobody really knows or has any hard evidence as to why this is happening. (Aka the real reason or combo of reasons)   Not you, not me, not DU and delta,   Not the scientists and biologists who get paid to figure it out.  If there was a hard and definite answer and a feasible solution, we'd be on the fast track to fixing it.
> 
> And I haven't seen anyone mention the phenomenon of ducks adapting to pressure by feeding at night and loafing on rest areas and skinny non huntable water during the day.    That's a contributor IMO as well



JB, I have 56 seasons under my strap. Most of them around my hometown of Yazoo City in the MS Delta. I’ve hunted from north to south in almost every county of the delta. I hunted through the lean yrs of the ‘70’s, and I hunted the glory days. Hunting quality has steadily declined for the last ten yrs. I have never seen it like it has been the last two yrs. I’ve tried to isolate what has changed. The last two yrs have been been high water yrs all down the MS flyway, of course. But even in the bad yrs, floodwater meant good hunting.

My take...programs such as wrp/crp have created exponentially more habitat...So, ducks are way more spread out. Every hole of water is hunted. Farmers are using every acre they can to lease...don’t blame them for making extra money. Pressure is changing duck behavior as they are hunted from Canada to Mexico with no periods of rest. Seasons are longer, limits are higher than ever. Methodology/technology has made incredible strides and make even neophytes into “instant hunters.” ( have you been on public land when they crank up the dozen mud motor! If I was a duck, I’d leave, too. Once upon a time you either waded or paddled a boat...or idled an outboard! Farming practices have improved harvest yield in short growing season, leaving less beans in early flooded ag fields. I walked fields this year and rarely saw even one grain of feed! As well predation on the nesting ground is incessant. Fewer ducklings are making it to migration.

Add all those factors up and you have a perfect storm for terrible hunting. If I was a duck, I’d be having a nervous breakdown trying to figure out how to eat, raise babies, and survive!


----------



## across the river (Jan 27, 2020)

crow said:


> JB, I have 56 seasons under my strap. Most of them around my hometown of Yazoo City in the MS Delta. I’ve hunted from north to south in almost every county of the delta. I hunted through the lean yrs of the ‘70’s, and I hunted the glory days. Hunting quality has steadily declined for the last ten yrs. I have never seen it like it has been the last two yrs. I’ve tried to isolate what has changed. The last two yrs have been been high water yrs all down the MS flyway, of course. But even in the bad yrs, floodwater meant good hunting.
> 
> My take...programs such as wrp/crp have created exponentially more habitat...So, ducks are way more spread out. Every hole of water is hunted. Farmers are using every acre they can to lease...don’t blame them for making extra money. Pressure is changing duck behavior as they are hunted from Canada to Mexico with no periods of rest. Seasons are longer, limits are higher than ever. Methodology/technology has made incredible strides and make even neophytes into “instant hunters.” ( have you been on public land when they crank up the dozen mud motor! If I was a duck, I’d leave, too. Once upon a time you either waded or paddled a boat...or idled an outboard! Farming practices have improved harvest yield in short growing season, leaving less beans in early flooded ag fields. I walked fields this year and rarely saw even one grain of feed! As well predation on the nesting ground is incessant. Fewer ducklings are making it to migration.
> 
> Add all those factors up and you have a perfect storm for terrible hunting. If I was a duck, I’d be having a nervous breakdown trying to figure out how to eat, raise babies, and survive!



It doesn't matter how much CRP and WRP there is North of us if it is snowed under and all of the water is frozen.  The problem is there is hardly anywhere in the entire United States that currently has any snow to amount to anything, and most on the current snow cover that does exist is in the 2" range.   That isn't going to push ducks down.   It has way more to do with what hasn't happened with the weather than it does with what has happened with WRP or CRP.


----------



## buckpasser (Jan 27, 2020)

WaterwackerSiah said:


> I don't understand why people always attribute and blame bad duck hunting to an increase in flooded duck impoundments and habitat. That's crazy to me if you really think about it.
> 
> 1. Why does Arkansas/Mississippi have such a large flyway of ducks? Why does the ACE Basin in SC have thousands of ducks use  while upland SC has hardly any?
> Well its because there are thousands upon thousands of acres of flooded rice fields, green timber, corn fields (flooded or not)
> ...



It would be cool if it worked out that way, and I see what you’re saying. If you had hunted this area twenty to thirty years ago, you’d see that the increase in those ponds has done absolutely nothing good for the “average guy” or public land hunter. There are so many of these described ponds that they can eat everything from peanuts, sorghum, corn, millet, natural plant seeds, etc, then roost elsewhere all without ever sipping water or cooling their little ducky tails in public water.  I don’t think the rich folks are even seeing the numbers that they were years ago, so I doubt your theory.


----------



## Bearit (Jan 28, 2020)

Pretty good season here! 401 total birds 98% Georgia hunts and most of those from public land. The ducks are around, and on the big public water were there constant pressured, we really had to find them. Little pockets of birds deep in the woods way off the big bodies of water. Probably the best season in years. But we’re hunting 60 plus days a season so we’re covering a lot of ground and requires a tremendous amount of time scouting.


----------



## WaterwackerSiah (Jan 28, 2020)

Bearit said:


> Pretty good season here! 401 total birds 98% Georgia hunts and most of those from public land. The ducks are around, and on the big public water were there constant pressured, we really had to find them. Little pockets of birds deep in the woods way off the big bodies of water. Probably the best season in years. But we’re hunting 60 plus days a season so we’re covering a lot of ground and requires a tremendous amount of time scouting.



Is this a joke comment or for real? There are only 60 days in a season????

How many shooters?


----------



## Duckbuster82 (Jan 28, 2020)

Add goose seasons in there and your up to close to 100 days


----------



## Bearit (Jan 28, 2020)

Not a joke comment. Between early teal, goose, 1st and second split. We spend a lot of time in the field. As far as how many hunters? Depends sometimes we have 2,3 or 8 or anywhere in between. Point is there’s ducks in Georgia. Plenty of opportunity to kill a limit everyday of the season  if the birds can be found. There’s enough local birds to hunt all season regardless of a push of birds. Just got to get out there a find em, lots of rivers in Georgia that hold a ton of birds.


----------



## Duckbuster82 (Jan 28, 2020)

400 birds over 60 days is still only like 6 birds a hunt. Not really setting the world on fire.


----------



## mizzippi jb (Jan 28, 2020)

crow said:


> JB, I have 56 seasons under my strap. Most of them around my hometown of Yazoo City in the MS Delta. I’ve hunted from north to south in almost every county of the delta. I hunted through the lean yrs of the ‘70’s, and I hunted the glory days. Hunting quality has steadily declined for the last ten yrs. I have never seen it like it has been the last two yrs. I’ve tried to isolate what has changed. The last two yrs have been been high water yrs all down the MS flyway, of course. But even in the bad yrs, floodwater meant good hunting.
> 
> My take...programs such as wrp/crp have created exponentially more habitat...So, ducks are way more spread out. Every hole of water is hunted. Farmers are using every acre they can to lease...don’t blame them for making extra money. Pressure is changing duck behavior as they are hunted from Canada to Mexico with no periods of rest. Seasons are longer, limits are higher than ever. Methodology/technology has made incredible strides and make even neophytes into “instant hunters.” ( have you been on public land when they crank up the dozen mud motor! If I was a duck, I’d leave, too. Once upon a time you either waded or paddled a boat...or idled an outboard! Farming practices have improved harvest yield in short growing season, leaving less beans in early flooded ag fields. I walked fields this year and rarely saw even one grain of feed! As well predation on the nesting ground is incessant. Fewer ducklings are making it to migration.
> 
> Add all those factors up and you have a perfect storm for terrible hunting. If I was a duck, I’d be having a nervous breakdown trying to figure out how to eat, raise babies, and survive!


Maybe you don't remember..... But you know me.  Does the name Durell ring a bell?  Seth Bradshaw?  Itta Bena Ms?  Hooded merganser "flooded timber" hole in Indianola?


----------



## Bearit (Jan 28, 2020)

Duckbuster82 said:


> 400 birds over 60 days is still only like 6 birds a hunt. Not really setting the world on fire.


Not trying to boast, just addressing the issue of “lack of waterfowl” in Georgia. Georgia definitely isn’t the central flyway, but we do have migratory ducks passing through consistently. To answer the question originally raised in this thread, no. Not everywhere sucks, but there are slow days and good days. But I’m saying the opportunity to be successful in Georgia is all about what you put into it. Don’t see birds? Go find them, and keep looking until you do. And when you do find them be there the next morning.


----------



## Arrow3 (Jan 28, 2020)

mizzippi jb said:


> Maybe you don't remember..... But you know me.  Does the name Durell ring a bell?  Seth Bradshaw?  Itta Bena Ms?  Hooded merganser "flooded timber" hole in Indianola?


Mafia


----------



## Duckbuster82 (Jan 28, 2020)

Bearit said:


> Not trying to boast, just addressing the issue of “lack of waterfowl” in Georgia. Georgia definitely isn’t the central flyway, but we do have migratory ducks passing through consistently. To answer the question originally raised in this thread, no. Not everywhere sucks, but there are slow days and good days. But I’m saying the opportunity to be successful in Georgia is all about what you put into it. Don’t see birds? Go find them, and keep looking until you do. And when you do find them be there the next morning.



I was more talking to the other it who was questioning you. But yea I have been fortunate enough to have time and ability to find birds it’s definitely possible to kill birds here. But not kind ago it was very easy.


----------



## duckyaker90 (Jan 28, 2020)

I guess I could hunt or fish 60 plus days a year if I didn’t have a job, a woman that loved me or a child. Good for you though enjoy it while you can.


----------



## Bearit (Jan 29, 2020)

duckyaker90 said:


> I guess I could hunt or fish 60 plus days a year if I didn’t have a job, a woman that loved me or a child. Good for you though enjoy it while you can.


Man I knew it was coming. Well I’m self employed. I’m blessed to be able to hunt a lot. I’m married to an amazing woman who is a stay at home mother and I have 5 kids, 3 of which are old enough and enjoy hunting and they do.


----------



## WaterwackerSiah (Jan 29, 2020)

Bearit said:


> Not trying to boast, just addressing the issue of “lack of waterfowl” in Georgia. Georgia definitely isn’t the central flyway, but we do have migratory ducks passing through consistently. To answer the question originally raised in this thread, no. Not everywhere sucks, but there are slow days and good days. But I’m saying the opportunity to be successful in Georgia is all about what you put into it. Don’t see birds? Go find them, and keep looking until you do. And when you do find them be there the next morning.




I think this is exceptional hunting especially for Georgia. Not sure why everyone on here is downplaying it, but all I see or hear people shooting in my area is a goose egg or a few woodies. I have good luck hunting, but it is on private land making it much easier. Group of hunters in GA getting 400+ birds has to be one of the best if not the best numbers in the whole state.

What is the species breakdown on the 400 birds? This year for us has been about 40% woodies and 40% gadwall with over 200 ducks harvested.


----------



## Bearit (Jan 29, 2020)

We’ve killed mostly wood ducks, geese, few teal and a good bit of ring necks. Most ring necks this year I have seen is quite a while. Haven’t seen a mallard all year until this past Tuesday on a big lake.


----------



## capt stan (Jan 30, 2020)

Bottom line is georgia generaly sucks bad for duck hunting. Go find them out of state. A buddy and I took a trip out of state this year. Self guided. Seven days of hunting limited out each day except the first...cause our shooting sucked...LOL

Our entire GA season was maybe 15 ducks combined between us...LOL  I dont care how good a hunter you may think you are...If your not where the ducks are...you cant kill them.  This trip made our season, we will plan one each year, Honestly for the most part, its just not worth the time and effort here at home to even get up out of bed, when you see what other parts of this great country has to offer!.


----------

