I went duck hunting weekend before last. I will not say where but it required me to drive through WV if that helps. There I saw everything I needed to see to answer all or most of the questions that have been asked here, even the rhetorical ones. What I saw had so much of an impact on me, I did not even go to SC this past weekend. I am not sure that humans could do much to change the reason those birds were in that place and at that time. What I will say is that replicating that great habitat in SC means little if there are no birds here to use it.

As an exercise, you should look at every state north of use and see when their duck season ends. Then ask yourself, "Why would they use their 60 days at the end of January?" Like the story of the bank robber when asked why he robs banks, he scratched his head in confusion, the simply said, "because that is where the money is." This is the same reason why some northern states have season deep into January. MG