Opening Day Duck Numbers

[BEAR]

The pond I have hunted for several years, had zero Wood Ducks yesterday. They have been as consistent as the sun rising every morning for years, even prior to me hunting it. My wife’s cousin hunts towards Augusta, and he said the same, no Wood Ducks. Another buddy down towards the coast, said numbers are way down. I know Thanksgiving is early this year, but we’ve had some good cool weather to get ducks moving. What kind of numbers has everyone else been seeing? About average, below normal, above average?

[Sportin' Woodies]

No worries. As soon as we get a 2 mallard limit you'll have all the mallards you want to shoot.

[LabLuvR]

Best opener in years!!

[ducribb]

Opening day was above average. Probably the best in 5 or so years.

[Interceptor4]

I noticed the same thing. We hunted a hole that’s full of them year after year and there was hardly any this year.

[Catdaddy]

If you haven't noticed the wood duck population dropping the last few years, you haven't been paying attention.

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[BOGSTER]

A few impoundments are holding some ducks, but for the most part, the ducks haven’t really shown up yet.

They’ll be here in a few weeks.

[Highstrung]

I'm seeing wood ducks, pretty good numbers

[YoungBuckTX]

The best numbers I have seen early season in a few years. I also have 15 duck boxes, and hatch 100 new birds every year.

[Highstrung]

I would think for some of y'all.. in your areas, that there's just more space for them.

[jtmartin]

I would think for some of y'all.. in your areas, that there's just more space for them.

Bingo. that is my thought, or at least my hope after Saturday.

[BEAR]

If you haven't noticed the wood duck population dropping the last few years, you haven't been paying attention.

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I honestly haven’t paid attention. I had 42 Wood Ducks on this 3/4 acre pond I hunt, the day before season opened last year. As the season progressed, and the acorns got eaten up their numbers went down. I hunted this pond only a few times to keep pressure light on the pond, as I knew they’d be there all season. At the end of the season I had about a dozen and a half still coming into the pond. I hunted it at the end of the season in January 2017, and had watched it the rest of the season until I got permission and time to actually go hunt it. The pattern of birds had been the same. Maybe they should think about dropping it back to two Wood Ducks. I took seven Wood Ducks last season, and shot my limit of three, once.

[Griffin]

Was a blood bath Saturday and Sunday

[Duckkiller]

Numbers have been down for 3-4 years I think. We still kill a good amount though. The rain we got this past week had them spread out for sure. One drake had 18 acorns in him at 7:40 yesterday when he met his death. I don’t have acorns.

[SWAMPLIFE z71]

Not near as many ducks in a area we hunt that has been loaded the past few years, but still enough to line a tail gate.
Took some boys to the same place on youth day and bird numbers were low.

[Quack07]

Average on the pond I hunted in the pee dee area

[ChickenFlip]

Opening day was above average. Probably the best in 5 or so years.

I'll second that.

[BCR3]

Had about 80 - 100 woodies a week ago and more than half of them were gone after the rain last week. Hoping they show back up this weekend. One of my son's friends shot his first banded bird so the day was still a success.

Drake Wood Duck banded in Sept 2016 in Erie county Pennsylvania shot in upstate SC.

[Coot_Commander]

The woodies were thick as mosquitos during youth opener but dwindled after the rain.i shot a hen coming back from a duck pond with 68 kernels of corn in her throat for the regular opener.

[thunderchicken]

That corn looks mighty fresh.