SCDNR Waterfowl Advisory Board meets at Pon Pon

           

Bobby Garmany, Tadpole Baldwin and Sam Hiott listen intently

Cypress Avenue leading to the main lodge

Rice trunks are integral to waterfowl management

Cypress gate post at Pon Pon Plantation

The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources is a large state-run organization, but it also calls on many members of the public to volunteer in leadership roles. One such opportunity is the SCDNR Waterfowl Advisory Committee, which can fine tune some facets of waterfowl hunting season in South Carolina. Colleton County resident Sam Hiott is chair of the waterfowl committee, and he convened their latest meeting on October 22 at Pon Pon Plantation overlooking the Edisto River.

            SCDNR staff, waterfowl advisory members and even the general public were invited to Pon Pon, thanks to the generosity of owner George Johnson. Longtime Pon Pon Plantation manager Tadpole Baldwin sits on the waterfowl advisory board and coordinated the morning meeting, followed by a plantation lunch prepared by Chris Rowe and a tour of this property with a rich history of waterfowling.

            “Pon Pon only has about 120-acres of pines and uplands, with the remainder being old rice fields and impoundments that are able to be flooded,” said Baldwin. “The history of Pon Pon is that this was once four separate rice production plantations, but they were united by the Dodge family around 1928. My grandfather became their plantation manager in 1929, and my father followed in his footsteps.”

            The agenda for this meeting included digesting waterfowl harvest stats from last season, talking about how best to communicate with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and a review of habitat management improvements at Bonneau Ferry WMA. The new business discussion entered into the realm of SCDNR public draw hunts for ducks, specifically what to do when last minute cancellations arise. Chairman Hiott conducted all of this business in a timely fashion.

            Public duck hunting opportunities are likely the biggest overall issue to South Carolina waterfowl enthusiasts. Presently, using the SCDNR preference point system, hunters can expect to be drawn only once every three years for a public duck hunt. The high quality of these duck hunts keep them in high demand and they maintain an annual attendance average of 90-percent or better. The draw hunt program was actually conceived 35 years ago to manage demand for duck hunting at Bear Island WMA.
          After lunch, the tour of Pon Pon revealed a gathering of bald eagles and the scampering of white-tailed deer. Waterfowl areas provide great habitat for all types of birds including songbirds, wading birds and shorebirds too. After controlled burns at Pon Pon, Tadpole will flood the impoundments in early November in anticipation of the 2013 waterfowl migration. S.C. duck season dates are November 23 through December 1, and December 7 through January 26.

To view my feature article in the newspaper click on Colletonian.

To view past bog entries about hunting ducks click here.