Waterfowl Hunting Update
Duck Creek will offer 28 flooded positions to choose from on opening weekend. These positions are:
Pool 1 - L3 & L4 (available Saturday, Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday; 1:00 pm close)
Pool 2 - A1, B1, D1, E1 thru E-4, F-1, G-1, H1 thru H4, I1, J1, K1 & K2 (sunset close)
Pool 3 - AA3, BB4, X4, Y2 (sunset close)
Pool 3 will be gradually flooded to full pool elevation by mid-November, and the remaining hunting positions will be added as they become available.
Pool 8 - The water control gates will be closed the first week of November and it will depend on rainfall from that point to fill this pool. Depending on flooded acreage, between five and 40 individual hunters will be allowed. (1 p.m. close)
Dark Cypress Swamp - 2 positions (available Saturday, Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday; 1 p.m. close) More positions will become available as these pools fill from rainfall and/or flood from the Headwaters Diversion Channel.
New Pools - Fishponds WRP, Kinder, Field 1 (1 p.m. close)
The WRP pool is 1/2 mile south of the HQ adjacent to highway 51. You can see the drained fishponds from the highway, but there are approximately 30 flooded acres of mixed habitat behind them. The Kinder pool is an old, flat-graded rice field and lies directly east of Field 1 behind the houses near the juntion of highway K and 51. It has approximately 20 acres of shallow flooded water. Both of these land parcels were purchased by Ducks Unlimited and donated to Duck Creek to enhance the future development of this area. Approximately 8 acres of Field 1 were able to be flooded with a temporary levee and by borrowing water from the Kinder pool.
No reservations were issued for Duck Creek this year. The number of reservation positions is required to be submitted to the system by August and at this time the amount of water in Pool 1 reservoir could not be forecast for November. Water from Pool 1 is the only reliable source available to flood pools 2 and 3 and it is rapidly lost through evapotranspiration between these months. It is not uncommon to lose a foot of water in a month when conditions are hot, dry and rain-free. Fortunately, the relentless summer heat finally let up a bit, and we received several rains which allows enough water in Pool 1 to flood the other pools. If this were not the situation and we remained in droughty conditions (as the western portion of our state are currently experiencing) we could have very easily had no positions to hunt until conditions changed (remember last year?). Issuing reservations months in advance at Duck Creek is always a gamble but we usually have some guaranteed flooded positions to fall back on in units A and B. These positions are not available this year due to the renovation construction in this area.
The new structures have worked well in the offseason and have helped us move down the road with the renovation. We’re glad we can increase the number of positions compared to last year and also throw a couple new spots into the mix. Things are getting set for the season opener and we’re looking forward to the upcoming season. We hope you are too.
MDC's Mission, Vision, Priorities
MDC protects and manages Missouri's fish, forest, and wildlife resources.
We also facilitate your participation in resource-management activities, and we provide opportunities for you to use, enjoy and learn about nature.
Comments
On November 7th, 2011 at 9:44am Anonymous said:
On November 4th, 2011 at 9:26pm BigMule said:
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On October 31st, 2011 at 8:22pm Anonymousbill said:
On October 31st, 2011 at 3:46pm MattB said:
On October 31st, 2011 at 2:28pm Duck Hunter said:
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On October 28th, 2011 at 5:33pm Anonymous said: