Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Duck hunting improves with rains
Mark Taylor
Mark Taylor's Outdoors column and notebook appears regularly in The Roanoke Times.
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Trout anglers haven't been the only ones rejoicing since last week's rain.
Down for months, Smith Mountain Lake is finally again lapping at its banks and that has been good news for duck hunters.
My friend Erich Faber of Moneta was one of the guys who made a point to get out there Saturday, and he was rewarded with four beautiful mallard drakes.
"I didn't even bother going duck hunting on the lake in December because it's tough to hide on an open mud flat when the ducks are rafting way out in open water," Faber reported in an e-mail. "Now that the lake is up near full pond the ducks are pushing into the flooded shallows to feed."
Another group of four friends had 12 ducks among four hunters.
One of those guys was my buddy Freddy McGuire, who stepped out of the blind in mid-morning to clear some ice from around the decoys. Freddy, who lives in Goodview near the lake, was moving through the shallow water, kicking ice, when the water got not so shallow.
He fell in up to his neck.
"The guys were saying, 'We better get you back to the truck,' " Freddy told me Sunday evening. "I said, 'No way I'm leaving this kind of action.' "
This was a case where good gear, including neoprene waders and layers of high-tech clothes, really paid off.
"I never even got cold," he said.
The action didn't taper off until about noon.
Smith Mountain Lake isn't exactly Duck Central. But it gets some pressure and it seemed to be pretty busy Saturday, likely because a lot of the region's hunters have been waiting for favorable conditions.
Freddy's group had a boat slip into their hunting area in the pre-dawn darkness and had to ask the hunters to find another cove.
According to the waterfowl migration map compiled by Ducks Unlimited, user-submitted reports point to duck numbers being at or near peak number throughout the mid-Atlantic. Few reports are coming in from north of the region.
With more Arctic air pushing in from the north this week, the region could get its final good push of migratory ducks later this week.
While the cold weather could be good news, it can also produce its own set of challenges as those same shallow areas that are attracting ducks now could be covered with ice within the next few days.
Ice also has its advantages and disadvantages. It can shut down the hunting in ponds and shallow coves in big lakes, but it can also concentrate waterfowl on water that remains open, such as the New River.
Those concentrations of ducks and geese can also lead to concentration of hunters, of course.
Duck season runs through Jan. 24. The daily limit is five total ducks with several species-specific rules. (Detailed rules, along with some duck hunting pictures, are on my blog at blogs.roanoke.com/rtblogs/wildlife/.)
Goose season in the state's western region continues through Feb. 14. The daily bag limit jumps from three to five per day on Jan. 15 through the end of the season.
Ice coming, but how much?
With forecasts for the region calling for a couple of days with temperatures below freezing later this week, it's likely many smaller ponds will get a covering of ice.
But will it be enough to create a brief ice fishing window?
Probably not.
As of now it appears the most bitter cold will come Thursday and Friday.
Thursday is also supposed to bring some serious wind, which isn't good for ice development, especially on larger waters. Skies are also supposed to be fairly clear, and that daily dose of afternoon sun won't help, either.
The best chance to find fishable ice this time around will be small, shaded ponds, at higher elevations.
Even in the best case, ice will probably be pretty sketchy. So if you try, use extreme caution.
