The stage is set for waterfowl – The Courier-Journal

Local conditions are great; now it’s all up to the weatherBy Gary Garth • Special to The Courier-Journal • November 21, 2009 Comments Waterfowl hunters won’t have to contend with drought conditions when goose season opens Monday throughout most of Kentucky and duck season opens statewide Thursday.The wetlands are wet this year. Foodstuffs are plentiful.What the birds will do, of course, is anyone’s guess. Ducks and geese are among the most unpredictable of all wild critters.At the Sloughs Wildlife Management Area in Henderson and Union counties, where veteran WMA manager Mike Morton has returned after a brief retirement, around 6,000 ducks and a couple thousand geese including about 700 Canada geese are already using the lush habitat.Related Kentucky waterfowl season dates and limits Kentucky waterfowl season dates and limits“We’ve picked up a lot of ducks recently,” said Morton, who expects a busy opening day for both ducks and geese. “Of course, a lot of what will happen during the season depends on what the Ohio river does and what Mother Nature gives us.”Weather and water are the most volatile variables in waterfowl hunting. What most hunters want nature to deliver is enough snow and freezing weather north of the Ohio River to drive birds south, and moderate weather locally to keep lakes, sloughs, creeks and swamps from turning into ice.Ducks and geese that have easy access to food and open water typically don’t wander up and down the flyway just to satisfy their curiosity.If the birds cooperate, the Sloughs WMA will provide varied hunting opportunities. The area allotted 34 waterfowl blinds by preseason draw; 26 of them were seasonlong assignments, and eight were for two- or three-day hunts. As in past seasons, any blinds not occupied by the permit holders at least one hour before sunrise become available to standby hunters.In a change for this season, buoys will mark six assigned blind locations in the Grassy Pond area. Hunters will be allowed to use boat blinds at these six spots. Boats must be within 25 yards of the buoy markers.“We had a lot of requests for hunters wanting to use their own stuff,” Morton said.About 5,000 acres at Sloughs are accessible for open hunting — no check-in, no standby. Blinds must be at least 200 yards apart, and all hunters must be off the property by 2 p.m. CST. Click link below for full story!

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