Hunters find early luck with ducks

Duck season got under way with more than a few bangs Saturday as hunters did their best to fill their bag limits at the three state wildlife management areas closest to Las Vegas. Though the annual waterfowl migration has yet to begin in earnest, there were plenty of birds to keep shooters busy at the Overton, Key Pittman and Kirch wildlife management areas.

For upland game bird hunters, however, the situation was far different, as dry conditions have severely affected bird populations.

Located at the southern end of Moapa Valley, about an hour north of Las Vegas, Overton had what Nevada Department of Wildlife employee Dale Wheeler described as "a fair opener. We have had better, but this year was not too bad, and there are still some birds working the area."

Hunters averaged about three birds a piece despite the warm temperatures.

Hunters should also expect a good goose opener Saturday, Wheeler said. There are already some Canada geese using the area.

At Key Pittman, hunters enjoyed a success rate of about 87 percent on the season opener. Ron Mills, the area manager, said the top bird taken by hunters was the green-winged teal, followed by shovelers, mallards and pintails. Hunters averaged 3.6 birds, probably a mix of early migrants and resident birds.

Mills said bird activity has dropped since the opener, but he expects an increase if bad weather moves in up north. Daytime temperatures have been reaching into the 70s, and the lows have been in the 40s. If the nice weather holds, Mills said, the goose opener will be slow. Key Pittman is located on Highway 318, about 15 minutes north of Alamo and two hours north of Las Vegas.

More than 150 hunters made their way to Kirch for the duck opener, and only two of them left without bagging a duck. Many hunters left with a full bag limit of seven birds, and the average take was four per hunter, area manager Dana Johnson said. Hunters and anglers enjoyed warm weather, although the waterfowl hunters will undoubtedly welcome any change in the weather that will bring more birds from the north country.

Kirch is about 200 miles north of Las Vegas, an hour beyond Key Pittman. The area is still providing good fishing for planter rainbows, but some anglers have also pulled in fish in the 18- to 20-inch range. This will probably continue well into the fall. Be prepared for mosquitoes in the late-afternoon and evening hours. Long sleeves and bug spray should be at the top of your checklist. You might want to consider a face net.

If you don't want to hunt on the management areas, you might be able to jump-shoot ducks off stock tanks or other water sources. Ann Hirsch, a fellow writer from Arizona, once told me that these types of waters are where she and her family found much of their success during their state's duck season.

All the bird needs is enough water to float on, she said. They simply drive from one water source to another and park their vehicle far enough away that they don't spook the birds off the water before they can sneak up on them.

In contrast to the success enjoyed by duck hunters, upland game hunters struggled to find birds when the season opened Saturday. If the birds are already jumpy, they will leave water sources early and literally head for the hills before the sun gets to high. That means you might need to do some hiking and climbing to find the birds.

Doug Nielsen is an award-winning freelance writer and a conservation educator for the Nevada Department of Wildlife. His "In the Outdoors" column is published Thursday. He can be reached at doug@takinitoutside.com.