Deltaman wrote:They show up here (Alabama Coast) in the Spring, and raise their young thru the summer. Come duck season, they are pretty much gone, and I suspect, back to the MS coast. I worked at the Chevron plant in Pascagoula for a few years, and would see them in pretty good numbers over there. Just seems weird that they wouldn't stick around, but based on the large groups of ducklings seen in early summer, I would assume the population is growing. They remind me of Mottled ducks, or summer Mallards as they are sometimes called, because they nest here, and hate that they disappear so soon after.
Would not have guessed that your mottleds leave for fall; we find them in the same places year round, fortunately the big duck season included. Do know, however, that our agencies are putting forth considerable efforts to better understand the coast wide mottled duck population and their travels to aid in proper management. Only issue we fight with them is.....they're smart! Know every little hole thats just wide of your pond where they can safely come and go from without crossing the pond with plastic ducks bobbing about in front of a brush pile.
Every now and then, though, they slip up, OR we are successful with a stalk and jump shoot, as was the case below. That said, our northern blinds on the lease killed more mottleds last season than I have in many seasons combined, birds just came right across the big ponds within range, a mistake on their part indeed. Had long heard of this happening and finally experienced it on a hunt of my own in one of those blinds later in season......pair just came right across the pond, right at the blind. Who knew!?
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They may know the potholes around my ponds, but don't let it be a slow morning in the blind and find them up wind of me in a walkable pothole. I'll be glad to stalk
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