Late Season Duck Hunting

Late Season Duck Hunting

By Travis Mueller

If you were to ask any seasoned waterfowler what his favorite time to hunts ducks would be, they’d probably tell you late. Well that leaves a lot to the imagination doesn’t it. Late could mean a lot of things. It could mean in the day, it could mean late in a month, but to die hard waterfowlers late means breaking ice, heaters running, wise mallards, and working hard for a very rewarding hunt. See late season is my favorite time of year to hunt ducks. The new has worn off most waterfowlers, the itch to chase deer has hit full swing, and the temperatures and conditions have become less than desirable. It’s now time to chase some ducks!!

Finding mallards late season can shut many people down right from the get go. The mornings of wood ducks and teal buzzing your decoys early are over. The mornings of uneducated ducks giving your spot a look even when they shouldn’t are a distant memory. Now is the time when a simple look at the wrong time into the sky will have the group of smart birds flaring like they’ve seen a ghost. Or the wrong cadence on that shiny call has them headed back towards the heavens. Now is the time when a spinner and two dozen decoys aren’t going to cut it. Now is when a group of mallards will circle as if their in the all too familiar holding pattern at O’Hare. See late season ducks can be the most frustrating, yet most rewarding hunts of the year.

When choosing spots for late season, I only take advice from one source. Birds themselves. I know of may hunters that will hunt the same hole over and over. And there’s times when they will do quite well. But overall success getting into birds in Iowa’s late season requires more than “assuming” the ducks will like your spot. When scouting late season ducks I look for four things. I look for open water, food, cover, and safety.

Open water is fairly obvious, but often overlooked. It could be as big as a river, or as small as a creek you could walk across, but open water is critical. You can survive with no food for a lot longer than you can with no water, and ducks are no different. They are very hearty, and as long as they have open water, they’ll have food. Remember that just because your favorite spot is frozen solid, doesn’t mean every duck is south filling their belly’s full of rice!

Food brings up a very close second when dealing with late season ducks in Iowa. See Arkansas, and beyond is quite a haul yet, and they need protein for the upcoming journey. Don’t give up on ducks because you can’t get the boat in. Start pounding gravel early in the morning and late at night. Watch those high protein corn fields like hawks and chances are you’re likely to find late season waterfowl. And when the snow begins to fall, you need to be out there at anytime of the day. Waterfowl could take any weatherman’s job in a second. They are very keen on fronts and pressures and will feed heavily right before a snowfall and well into one. They understand that as long as conditions aren’t life threatening, they need to eat. There is nothing more beautiful than watching a group of mallards work in a snowfall. The colors you will see on a mallard will truly take your breath away.

Mallards are extremely resilient, but can only take the brutal Iowa weather for so long. They need cover and protection from the elements like any other creature to Iowa, resident or migrator. When looking for these sanctuary type spots I will generally start later in the morning as they are returning from breakfast. My favorite time to hunt late season ducks on water are late morning early afternoon. You need to understand what make ducks tick when finding a spot to rest. Willows provide cover and also food to ducks. Even after every leaf is gone, ducks love taking refuge in willows. Many of the leaves sink to the bottom providing food, and a forest of stick willows provide essential protection from the elements. Any form of flooded grasses or timber will also provide ducks with amazing cover and protection. Those waterfowl migrating through the western part of the state will have many opportunities to find refuge in areas that normally don’t hold water, and should provide some very memorable hunts to Iowans alike. Think outside the box this year when scouting over on the western part along the big Missouri river.

Safety is all wrapped into the things we’ve covered, but can also mean thinking of a spot that you would never think to hunt. A few years back we found some ducks using a creek that you could literally throw a rock across. When I spotted the first pair drop into this spot usually used by an occasional frog on a good year, I had to wait until the third group dropped in before I could make my stubborn mind confirm that what I was seeing was true. After dark I snuck into see what they were using, and it literally was no wider than 6 feet, but had running water and exposed grasses. And the feathers and tracks were enough to make me not sleep that night. A spot such as this is very common in Iowa, and isn’t as far as you may think. Always keep an open mind when looking for late season mallards, and know that the deer will still be here long after those mallards have slipped below that Mason Dixon line!