Hunting Iowa’s Common Waterfowl

Hunting Iowa’s Common Waterfowl

By Nick Johnson

Ive been an avid waterfowl hunter for many years and I still remember when I first found my love for the sport, one of the most fascinating aspects was the sheer diversity of species one could encounter. If my memory serves me right, there are 41 unique species of waterfowl across North America and Iowa itself sees close to half of those in a given year which is really cool! Some species are quite common and most hunters that hunt throughout the season can expect to at least see or encounter them. Other species may be common in terms of numbers but more isolated to certain regions of the state or pass through in narrow timeframes during the migration.

When most hunters venture afield they aren’t targeting one specific species unless of course you are hunting the September team season, late goose season or spring snow goose season. Often times you may be targeting Mallards but wind up encountering other puddle ducks or maybe you are after Bluebills and wind up getting a crack at some Bufflehead or Canvasback. This is part of what makes this sport so fun.

Hunting common species to Iowa is a very broad topic and generally speaking, most of your typical duck and goose setups whether field or water will work. However, some species take a different approach than others and it often depends on the time of year because not all of these species migrate at the same time or utilize the same habitats.

Early Season Migrants
The early waterfowl season encompasses the month of September and the first week or two of October. This is often when the bulk of Blue Winged Teal migrate along with some Green Winged Teal, Wood Ducks and a few other puddler species. Hunters bagging mallards and geese are often chipping away at resident Iowa birds not yet savvy to hunting pressure. During this time of the season, hunting water is king along with pastures and green ag fields such as alfalfa. Many hunters enjoy mild weather and birds willing to decoy while they get out in the field prior to deer and pheasant seasons ramping up.

The tactics in the early season are very straightforward. Scout a lot to find birds using a specific area or pattern and tailor your decoys and concealment accordingly. You often don’t need large decoy spreads either. Calling is up to the users discretion and in many cases you don’t have to call much at all. Give flocks of circling birds soft tones to get their attention or turn them your way.

Mid-Season Migrants
I consider the middle of the season to be about the second week in October through the middle of November in terms of ducks. For geese this might even stretch out to December. This period of time is when the bulk of migrating ducks travel through or fly over Iowa on their journey south. You also begin to see the first big flocks of geese coming down and setting up shop in our state. Duck species that become common are Mallards, Wood Ducks, Green Winged Teal, Shovelers, Gadwall, Wigeon, Pintails and some of the smaller diving duck species like Bufflehead, Ring Necked Ducks and Lesser Scaup. On the Mississippi River, Pool 9 begins to load up with Canvasbacks and a host of other species as well.

With Deer and Pheasant season in full swing, often times you will see a slight decline in waterfowl hunting pressure. This doesn’t always mean the hunting is easier though. Many of these birds have migrated the gauntlet of guns through southern Canada and states to our north. The first couple days of their arrival can bode excellent hunting but once they get the lay of the land the hunting becomes more challenging. This is where scouting becomes paramount for success and taking the time to make a good hide whether that’s a boat blind, layout blinds, shoreline blinds, you name it. Put in the extra work scouting to find groups of birds that appear comfortable in an area.

Fields are just starting to be picked during this time also and that can offer some of the best gunning of the season for species like Mallards, Pintails, Wigeon and Geese. The severe cold has yet to set in throughout much of the state so they are less inclined to be driven to fields by weather and sheer survival, however they will follow a fairly tight pattern for a few days at a time so watch closely and make note of this.

Diving ducks become quite numerous in Iowa around this time as well and if you want a change of pace from chasing puddle ducks and geese, pay close attention to larger bodies of water for rafts of diving ducks present. Early morning is a great time to get out and catch them trading about. If the weather gets nasty and the wind picks up it can make for some good gunning throughout the day. Just be smart and safe about it!

Late Season Migrants
Late season is arguably my favorite time of year to hunt waterfowl. Call me crazy but I love to hunt in the cold and especially snow and chase hardy species of ducks and geese, many of which are in full plumage by this time, or very close to it. This period of time for ducks starts around late November and goes til the close of season in December. For geese the real late season sets in around December and culminates in January at the close. You will see a general decrease in sheer numbers of many waterfowl species but also see an increase in a few others.

Puddle duck species common during late season are largely Mallards with a few Green Winged Teal, Gadwall, Pintails and Wigeon smattered about. Some of the biggest bunches of Mallards I have encountered in Iowa have been during late season. The other puddle duck species will often be mixed in with the mallard flocks so watch closely when approaching birds are near and you might see a prime bull Wigeon or Pintail in with the Mallards.

Some diving duck species like Canvasbacks, Red Heads, Buffleheads and Lesser or Greater Scaup will still be around but their numbers are on the fall as they migrate further south. Two species you will see a massive influx of when the weather gets real cold is the Goldeneye along with Common Mergansers. If you hunt rivers or larger lakes and reservoirs you are bound to see or encounter these. Despite having a bad reputation for table fare, Goldeneyes are one of my favorite species to hunt and I spend many days every year late season chasing them around central Iowa.

The tactics for hunting late season are much the same as mid-season except now you throw in the element of cold and sometimes very inclement weather. Scouting is still very key along with quality concealment. Running big spreads this time of year for both ducks and geese can play in your favor, especially with pressured birds. I really like to run a lot of goose decoys during this time for both water and field sets, not only for visibility and spread size but also because there are a lot of geese around this time of year and ducks are comfortable with big brother goose keeping watch.

You may need to put on a lot of miles driving around to find pockets of ducks and geese this time of year so plan the hunting accordingly. Try your best not to hunt a roost if possible unless that’s the only option you have, or its right at the end of the season and you know you won’t be hunting them anymore. Busting a roost will often send those birds elsewhere. Try to find where they are going when they leave the roost to feed or loaf and hunt them there, or at the very least get under their flight path to and from the roost.

There are countless topics to cover in terms of hunting the various species of ducks and geese that set their feet down in our state but one of the cool aspects of waterfowl hunting is the sheer diversity of species we can potentially encounter. Mallard and Goose hunting are seemingly the core of the sport but sometimes its fun to venture out after other species and mix things up a bit. It helps for me at least to hone my skills and capitalize on different species opportunities when others get stale or slow down. Be safe this season and good luck in the field!