C’mon ducks!

With only three weeks left in duck season, it’s finally starting to feel like duck season.
The Arctic cold front has brought snow and freezing temperatures into the state, and it should bring more ducks as well.
Generally, it’s been a slow season for Oklahoma waterfowlers.
“We’ve had birds around all season but getting to them has been pretty tough,” said Josh Richardson, migratory bird biologist for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation.
“The warm weather (earlier this season) kept more birds farther north than usual. Also, the birds down here have been spread out over every little piece of water.”
With lake levels low across the state, the best duck hunting has been on small water where ducks are able to find food nearby.
The major lakes have been so low that ducks haven’t been able to get to food: the natural vegetation and the millet planted along shorelines by the Wildlife Department.
Usually, ducks always will find something to eat on a big body of water, Richardson said.
“This year there is nothing. That’s part of the reason farm ponds are doing good. There is no added benefit to going to a big lake.”
However, the recent Arctic weather and snowstorm up north should benefit Oklahoma duck hunting the rest of the season, which ends Jan 30.
Kansas waters are freezing which should push more birds south to Oklahoma.
“I look forward to it improving,” Richardson said. “I am hoping for myself and everybody else that it will pick up some more.”

Thank you for joining our conversation on Outdoors. We encourage your discussion but ask that you stay within the bounds of our commenting and posting policy.