Illinois duck hunters continue ‘feast or famine’ season

Havana, Ill. — Illinois waterfowl hunters have been in a feast-or-famine situation, largely due to water levels in some key migration areas.

The state’s duck season ends Dec. 16 in the north zone and Dec. 23 in the central zone. South central zone hunters (Jan. 13) and south zone hunters (Jan. 27) have a little more time until their seasons wrap up.

“I think we’ve seen a few mallards trickle in, but a large portion of the ducks that arrived on the last front have grown stale, blind shy, and decoy shy,” Austin Matheny, who spends nearly every day of the season in a blind in the Illinois River Valley, said in late November.

The key difference between success and failure is the ability to manage water levels.

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Whether they are state, federal, or private tracts managed for waterfowl that have the capability to pump water or divert it, they are very likely holding excellent numbers of waterfowl.

However, tracts planted with crops or left in moist soil along the river valleys that rely on natural flooding, are high and dry.

“The river is low. It has been low, but it’s low-low now,” reported guide and property manager Sean Herrick. “I mean the food on the banks is way far away from the river. If it’s not a refuge or somewhere with controlled water, there is no habitat value. None.”

Duck food availability will play a major role in how long ducks stick around in the Illinois and Mississippi river valleys. Many species rely primarily on aquatic vegetation and invertebrates, and eventually resources run low. However, mallards are able to stick around long after other species have migrated further south.

While numerous species in the Illinois and Mississippi river valleys were present in good numbers as the final stretch of the season arrived, mallards were still well below long-term averages, according to aerial surveys conducted by the Illinois Natural History Survey’s Forbes Biological Station in Havana.

According to Wetland Bird Ecologist Josh Osborn, with the exception of mallards, puddle duck species were above the LTA across the board in the Illinois River Valley. In sharp contrast, the same species were well below the LTA in the adjacent Mississippi River, with the exception being diving duck species, which were outstanding.

“Other than redheads, scaup, and canvasbacks, all other species were also below long term averages,” said Osborn, who keeps a weekly blog on his counts.

Other surveys indicated decent numbers of birds present in many management areas, including those located in the southern third of the state.

Jay Anglin is a freelance contributor for Ducks Unlimited. This article originally appeared in DU’s Migration Alert newsletter.