Why do mallards like flooded timber?
Why do mallards like flooded timber?
They want a place to hide out and loaf. The ducks we’re after are trading back and forth between a couple of refuges, or coming back to the woods after feeding in the cornfields. They need enticement. In the words of a famous timber hunter: “There are two places you can kill a duck.
Do wood ducks like flooded timber?
The reason is simple: It attracts ducks. Ducks, especially mallards, like flooded woods. Almost all flooded green timber has some duck food available — macroinvertebrates, acorns, some grasses — but mostly, a green timber area is a place for rest and refuge instead of feeding.
What should I look for in a flooded timber duck hunt?
Aside from the ducks themselves, you’re looking for a hole, a natural clearing in the timber large enough to attract ducks flying overhead while providing cover for you around the edges. If you have permission to hunt someone else’s land, talk to the landowner to find out if they’re aware of good spots.
Will mallards eat acorns?
Acorns from four oak species comprised > 89% and > 99% of the diets of mallards and wood ducks, respectively. Nuttall oak (Quercus texana) acorns made up > 67% of the diet of each species both years.
How do you hunt mallards in timber?
Here’s what it looks like when they get it right.
- Your Place in the Sun. If possible, hunt with the sun at your back.
- Ringer Decoys. Leave the middle of the hole free, and place spinning-wing mallard decoys in the timber just off the hole, facing the wind [1].
- Center of Attention. Hug a tree [4].
- Take Four.
How do you scout ducks in timber?
Scout that travel path as you search out their final destination, especially if you see large groups moving over an area. If you can find a spot under that flyway, you can usually break a few into your hole. If you’re not seeing ducks in the air but know birds are in the area, start riding and walking.
How do you find a good duck hole?
Take a good pair of binoculars for better long-range viewing. Pay special attention to watershed areas between two refuges or large duck concentration areas. When birds circulate to find food or rest areas, they frequently do so along creeks or rivers adjacent to their desired line of travel.
Why are there so many Mallards in the MAV?
The key attraction for mallards was that at least one or more of the river systems in the MAV typically flooded annually, providing predictable habitat in the unpredictable world of wetlands. Such annual winter floods created, in all but extreme drought years, hundreds of thousands of acres of flooded forested wetlands.
Why do mallards go to the forest in winter?
Thus, mallards have evolved to use forested wetlands in winter for food, for refuge from post-frontal winds and cold temperatures, and as places to seek refuge from unpaired birds that may interfere with daily activities.
What happened to the great floodplain?
Over several thousand years, as the period of warming continued and the glaciers retreated, the volume of runoff declined, and an intricate secondary network of rivers and swamps developed on the face of this roughly 24-million-acre floodplain.
