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| Pretty pintails on display with trademark sprigs crossed |
The end of waterfowl season included a memorable hunt for
thirteen duck hunters lucky enough to be on the final hunt at Bear Island WMA
on January 25. The cold winter and the polar vortex phenomenon brought plenty
of ducks to the impoundments of Colleton County that are under the care of
SCDNR’s Ross Catterton. The coldest night of the year so far added the
challenge of icy conditions to the hunt, but waterfowlers are known for their
persistence and often yearn for such sporting conditions.
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| Happy hunter with a rare limit on drake pintails - Thanks SCDNR! |
Breaking
ice in order to put out a decoy spread tested the thickness of our waders and
the muscles in our legs in a way that is rarely seen here in the Lowcountry. In
December of 2010 I recall hunting ducks when it was 18-degrees and we faced
similar challenges in regards to ice. As shooting time arrived shortly after a
magnificent sunrise over the Edisto River, we were waiting in the duck blind
watching helplessly as the ice began to reform in our decoys.
Ducks
were flying around by this time and the first pair to notice our decoys pitched
in and literally slid across the ice sheet briefly before breaking through into
the water. This scenario provided us with a good laugh, but it was a sign that
the weather would play a role during our hunt. At the far corner of the
impoundment a raft of ducks had found open water and soon scores of other ducks
began flying over our frozen position to join that flock.
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| Drake Wigeon duck for me too! |
On a side note, I have to mention that it takes roughly
three consecutive years of applications to be drawn for an SCDNR waterfowl draw
hunt. My hunting party, and most everyone else had been waiting three years to
have access to the state-owned property for a hunt, and demand is only
increasing. The SCDNR waterfowl advisory committee is aware of this trend and
is working towards a solution, but for now hunters must practice patience in
this process.
One
of the reasons for the high demand is that SCDNR managed lands provide a high
quality hunt experience with a chance for a mixed bag of ducks worthy of
praise. Father Sully Johnston and 15-year old son Maddox were glad to be on the
Bear Island hunt and came away with a great bag that included green-winged
teal, gadwall and more. “We had a long trek to our blind through the ice but we
had a lot of shooting early and easily picked up our 6-duck limits,” said
Johnston. “As we were leaving the blind a little later we began to see a lot of
pintails.”
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| Old School Waterfowler |
In
our frozen pond we decided to make a move and paddle our john boat through the
ice in order to get closer to the ducks on our pond. It must have been about
the same time that Johnston saw the majestic pintails arrive because it was
soon that I harvested my limit of two bull sprig pintails, while my hunting
partner took one pintail drake and one pintail hen. A drake widgeon and a
mottled duck with a federal leg band added some real color to our mixed bag.
A
mighty wind began to blow my mid-morning and we had to work hard to move the
14-foot john boat around to pick up our downed ducks and our decoys by the
10:30 hunt ending. The physicality
required for this hunt that made it seem more real, or perhaps more earned. Being in the
right place at the right time was literally a luck of the draw. But the icy
conditions and pristine habitat served to illustrate a banner day in the field
that will generate hunting stories for years to come, and helps to continue the
heritage of hunting.
To view my feature story in the newspaper click on Colletonian.
To view past blog entries from Bear Island WMA click draw hunt, youth duck hunt, birding and drop tine buck.
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