Brief Update on Units A and B: September, 2012

Any further "brief updates" on progress at Duck Creek Waterfowl Season?

If you click on the header at the top of this page (Duck Creek CA Updates) you'll see our latest post that will tell you that we started pumping at Duck Creek on Tuesday of this week.

Is there ANY work being done by the contractor to finish the few significant items in Unit A and B today October 18 at 1:30 PM and if the answer is no what is being done to encourage the contractor to finish the job? How much rain did Duck Creek receive on the 17th/18th?

would anyone be allowed to hunt the dry fields up in A -unit there were several ducks flying over it during early goose season and it would be possible to harvest some of those birds given the oppurtunity

You could double the available positions for the youth hunt by allowing the two spots on the main pool to be hunted. You could even allow them until unit A and B are ready. This is not a bad idea. Also, duck creek crew, hang in their! You are the middle man being hit with the bravado of people not having to put their name to what they say. Keep pushing the contractor for us and life will go on!

Is the contractor doing ANY work on site at this time today October 16th at 10:00 AM this morning? And if the answer is no what is being done to encourage the completion on the job site?

I'll try to answer many of questions in a rapid fire post:Water conditions at Mingo are lower than normal also, but should improve with each additional rain.  We can not use any water at Mingo for Pool 3 nor can they use any water for Pool 8.  Pool 8 is dependant on rainfall that normally falls in late November and December.  We'll capture every drop we can from here on out!  We will be hunting Pool 8 when conditions allow.  I believe we only gave out 1 reservation for the first month of duck season so they should not be effected by the current conditions.  Dark Cypress looks dry and was hit pretty hard by the drought.  Not sure what Delkin is referencing as we actually have some fairly decent looking crops in Unit A considering how poorly they looked in July.Thanks again for everyone's patience, please stay tuned as things are changing daily down here at Duck Creek!

What are the water condition like at Mingo? Could you use any of their water to flood pool 8 or 3?

How if any will this effect reservation holders? Are you guys hunting Mingo again this year? How is Dark Cypress looking? Everyone take it easy on the guys at Duck Creek their hands are tied, between apparently the "contractor" and the department having an issue unfortunately these guys are stuck in the middle. The guys at Duck Creek have been doing a superb job and I for one am grateful for them trying their hardest to get us (hunters) positions to try and bag some birds.

This is our tax dollars hard at work, NOT. To many politics involved in the planing of these renovations, i myself am tired of the excuses and would rather see results. We as hunters have a lot of time and money invested in equipment,permits to be told well guys, we've got 2 spots for ya !!!! I'm at the mercy of public hunting, i don't have $6,000.00 dollars to spend on a lease, so it's looking pretty bleak for the upcoming season !!! I think more research needs to take place when choosing a contractor, ya see, cheaper doesn't mean better, ya get what ya pay for, and we did !!!!

What can the waterfowl hunters do to bring pressure on the contractor to finish the job in units a and b?

no crops got planted anywhere. no water anywhere. no ability to catch rain water. roads still not open. seems to me the only part of the new renovations that has been successfully completed is the closing of pool 1 to waterfowl hunting. keep up the good work?

With all due respect, we have been hearing the same excuses since july. I think we would all be a little more at ease if someone would tell us exactly what the issues were with the electric in units A and B and what steps are being taken to resolve them. Also, are the stops in place at dark cypress to catch any of the rain we are receiving?

Two spots for the opening. This is really unbelievable, two years in the making and still not complete. And why did DC allow for reservations this year?

To address the last two comments, the rumor mill is correct on a couple points. First and foremost, you all have been extremely patient and we thank you for that. We know it is getting extremely close to waterfowl season and feel the pressure.  We want to get out there too. However, at the present time we can only guarantee 2 hunting spots come opening day, the Fishponds and Field 1 because of two small wells on site. Depending upon Pool 1 levels, we should be able to put some water into Pool 2 and provide some additional hunting spots, but we don’t know how much water we’ll have and how far that will take us. But do please note that there is some room to build upon the two guaranteed spots. In regards to Units A and B, the status hasn’t changed, but I am hopeful that the electrical work will be addressed in the next couple of weeks.  I know that this isn’t the news you all wanted to hear. However, we do have room for improvement depending upon rain and potentially getting some work done in Units A and B in the short term. 

Rumor has it that there will only be 2 positions on opening day due to the contract dispute, not being able to turn on the pumps, close the gates, and not enough water in pool 1 to flood pools 2,3, or 8. I can't believe that we have been this patient for years to get this completed to have to deal with this. It was a very dry year this year, so there is no room for excuses. This had better get resolved or you are going to have a lot of furious hunters on your hands. Quick Draw makes it very difficult to get into Otter and now there will be no hunting at Duck Creek

Has the problems in unit a and b been resolved? Any work being done by the contractor at this time? When do you think A and B units will be ready to hunt this fall?

How is the camping @ Duck Creek? We have reservations there in Dec. and will be staying about a week. We have hunted Otter Slough in the past but was able to get drawed @ Duck this time. We are hoping to hunt some @ Otter also but thinking of staying there @ Duck. Good spots??? not real fimiluar with Duck. Would like to try Ten Mile and Coon Island also, for hunting only. Any info is helpful. My back yard is Shell Osage/ Four Rivers if anyone wants to trade info.

Dear Anonymous,I appreciate your zeal. Please be assured, the Conservation Department is working to bring this phase of the Duck Creek Renovation to completion as soon as possible. It’s our goal to make the area available to the public as soon as we can.  We do have rules and procedures we must follow and cannot provide contact information about a private entity in a web reply. According to the Sunshine Law, these types of requests should go through the open records process. You may make an open records request at http://mdc.mo.gov/about-us/how-contact-us/open-records-requests for the information you seek.Thank you for your continued interest in Duck Creek CA.

I am sure there are many taxpayers out there who would like to know the phone numbers of the contractors responsible for finishing the work in unit A and B. Can you post that info asap???????

Hope everyone has taken the time to think about a plan B for this upcoming waterfowl season, its not looking real good at the moment for the area !!!

Can you tell us the name and phone numbers of the contracting company, contractor, foreman, and or Overseer responsible for completing the few significant items in Unit A and B? Specifically the stop logs replacements and the electrical problem with the wells.

Although each year is different from the last, Pool 1 is about a foot lower than normal for this time of year.  This matches up fairly well with how far behind we are in total rainfall as well.  One foot of water across 1800 acres definitely adds up.  Thanks for the question.

What is the average water level for pool 1 in early October? Given the drought and the current level of 343.2. How far behind is pool 1 from the average year?

Bandtaker1 - There are no crops in Field 1. Winter wheat was planted in Field 2.

Anonymous - The blinds have been camouflaged in Pools 2 and 3. The boat lanes have been mowed twice this year thanks to the unusually dry conditions. Some years we can not get mowers down them due to standing water throughout the summer. Stoplogs will be placed in the water control structures in Pools 2 and 3 the last week of October. Any water in Pool 1 above an elevation of 342.5 will be diverted into Pool 2 also at this time. Pool 1 is currently at 343.2

Can you tell us when the blinds in pool 2 and 3 will be brushed and when the boatlanes will be mowed? Can you tell us when the floodgates will be closed in pool 2 and 3 to catch any future fall precipitation?

Looking forward to another duck season at Duck Creek this year. Look to see you guys there!!! Good luck this year and I hope and pray we get the weather!!! Remember NO sky blasting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! IN THE DECOYS I ALWAYS SAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Was only asking if it was possible to add water to pool 2 and 3 from those wells. Not if they could be flooded by those two wells. I understand they are two larger areas. Are there any crops in Field 1 this year?

Bandtaker1 - it is not possible to flood Pools 2 or 3 with either of the current operational wells.  Even if it was possible, these wells are much too small to supply the necessary water needed to do so.