Bird Watching And Missouri Waterfowl Hunting

By Nelda Rich


Migratory birds stop off during their seasonal journeys at wetlands. With checklists, the number of ducks sighted and recorded is made. Hunters remember freezing mornings in November with the fond memories of a heavy cloud bank with noisy quacking and honking and a furry friend that retrieved their catch when they went Missouri Waterfowl hunting.

Experienced hunters and birders know that wearing and having the right equipment goes a long way in having a successful day. The right shoes with enough traction will keep your feet warm, dry and comfortable. Muddy trails will not become a danger. Hats will keep your head and ears warm or provide shade on warm days. Hats with a long bill can steady a pair of binoculars. Dress in layers or bring a change of clothing for drastic weather changes. Experts know that dressing in layers saves time and leads to a more enjoyable day.

The Department of conservation allows hunters to use unplugged shotguns. Shooting can commence a half hour before sunrise but must end no later than a half hour after sunset. MO state does not allow hunters to hunt migratory birds from any moving vehicle or boat motorized or not. Hunters can only use a three shot shotgun. They must use only a 10 gauge or small shotgun. No baiting or decoys use allowed.

People hunt ducks and geese in Missouri. Some of the ducks include scaup, pintails, redheads, mottled and black, mergansers, wood, canvasbacks, and mallards. The geese include Canada and white-fronted and Brant geese. These waterfowl forage along ponds, rivers, and lakes near the Mississippi Flyway for seeds and pond grasses. The migratory route for migrating birds is the Mississippi Flyway. The birds fly from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico. Small ducks arrive in late November, teals and mallards arrive later in season.

In MO conservation areas and wildlife refuges offer places to hunt and view ducks and geese. In North Central MO, Fountain Grove, Grand Pass, Eagle Bluffs, and Swan Lake Wildlife Refuge feature mallards and Canada geese. These two species are also plentiful at Marais Temps Claire and Columbia Bottom in Northeast MO. Mallards are abundant in the Northwest; at Bob Brown and Nodaway Valley and at Squaw Creek National Wildlife Refuge, Canada geese fill the waterways. The southeast corner of MO with its five conservation areas and Mingo National Wildlife Refuge plays host to myriads of ducks.

Hunters of geese will find Canada geese at Duck Creek and Mingo National Wildlife Refuge; Canada and snow geese are found at Otter Slough; find multitudes of snow geese at Ten Mile Island in the southeast; Montrose and Four Rivers have only ducks; the southwest regions finds Schell-Osage and Settles Ford and the best bet for Canada and snow geese.

Hunting season for geese is the first week of October and November 25 to January 31. Duck season is November to February check with the Department of Conservation for exact dates because they change annually. Hunters can take teal in early September. Read more about: missouri waterfowl hunting




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