Better than your average Oklahoma duck opener
Field reports indicate fair to good numbers of ducks in area for Saturday opener
Oklahoma has good to fair numbers of ducks in the area for Saturday’s opener, and two people I spoke with Friday morning said they have seen more birds at this time of the year than in recent memory.
That doesn’t mean all those birds still around—or that they’re concentrated—but it does mean the last push of cold weather brought early migrators south and rainfall that put 2 to 4 inches on parched grounds across much of the state and raised reservoirs made food available and brought some ducks in to stay for a bit.
Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge reports 3,538 ducks and 114 geese in from its Nov. 3 survey but Outdoor Recreation Planner Chad Ford said the numbers have fluctuated and on one recent cold day the refuge biologist reported seeing largest concentration on the refuge he has ever seen for this time of year.
“They’ve moved out or spread out now, but that cold had them congregated,” Ford said.
Sequoyah reports waterfowl counts every two weeks on its call-in line at 918-773-5251 and on the refuge’s Facebook page.
While we’re talking Sequoyah, hunters should note an important rule change this year prohibits duck hunters from parking or waiting on the refuge lands until 5 a.m. on days open to duck hunting. The public boat ramps at Vian or Stony Point will be open, however.
The days of cars lined up overnight or for days at a time at the gate or at the pullout area are over.
Ford said the lines, which sort of turned into a social tradition for a few years, were a fine for a time but eventually grew out of control and brought complaints. The overnight parking also violates the refuge no-camping rules.
“We were kind of toeing the line of those no camping rules,” he said. “If you’re in your car sleeping on the refuge overnight are you camping? Well, yes.”
To the north of Tulsa guide Gordie Montgomery said he can’t wait for duck season to open so he can “save some groceries” with hunting activity to shoo some of the birds away from his managed fields.
He also said he has on some days seen more birds than he can ever recall seeing in late October and early November and that he’s expecting a busy and productive early season, which opens in areas outside the Panhandle Saturday until the split begins on Nov. 29. Late season runs Dec. 9 through Jan. 31, 2021.
“Things have kinda changed up this year and last,” he said. “I look back four years ago and the four prior to that I don’t think I set a decoy out early in November.”
With highly managed wetlands, Montgomery’s operation acts as a sort of bell weather for the potential across Green Country but the rain and weather of late should be a good indicator, he said.
“The duck opener, with a little scouting, statewide should be good,” he said.
Guide Jack Morris likewise reported good numbers of birds scouted across the areas he hunts across the region and west to I-35.
“It’s mixed bag like always early season, but it should be a good early season,” he said.
Hunters out early season on ducks likely will see a fair number of mallards but pintails, wood ducks, various divers (mostly scaup), northern shovelers, gadwalls, widgeons and teal will round out hunters’ daily bag limits.
Matt Mattioda, Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation biologist for the Candy Creek, Keystone, Heyburn and Skiatook wildlife management areas also said fair numbers of birds have been reported around the Candy Creek area.
“It seems like we have more than usual for this time of year,” he said. “Nothing spectacular, but there are definitely some birds around.”
Contacts:
Gordie’s Wildlife web site, mail@gordieswildlife.com or 918- 557-4791
Jacks’ Wildlife Facebook, jackswildlife@cox.net or 918-691-3840
Wildlife Department, Hunting and Where to Hunt and Waterfowl Hunting web pages