Blogging the Outdoors: “Land-fowl hunting”

Two weeks from today, the land-fowl season opens! What? You’ve never heard of land-fowl? Well, unless we get some much needed rain soon, that's what waterfowl hunters will be doing Thanksgiving morning. A happy tradition that started long ago around here could be a very disappointing one this year. As I've stated many times in my blog, I love to hunt, but duck hunting is my absolute favorite! I spoke with SC Department of Natural Resources spokesman Mike Willis earlier this week about the upcoming duck season in SC. According to Mike, his Chief Waterfowl Biologist says "the lack of water in some locations could lead to an alternate distribution of ducks and other waterfowl this season." In other words for us non-scientists, duck hunting in the Pee Dee and Grand Strand area could be bad this year. No water, no food, NO DUCKS!

Rivers and swamps I've hunted in years past are dry. No really, DRY! I can literally walk on land where my buddies and I sat last year in a boat to duck hunt. I've never seen anything like it. I talked with my duck hunting buddy Billy Hyatt over in Dillon last night and he said we may have to go to places we've never been before to hunt this year. Ducks love the water, and will fly as far as necessary to find it.

One thing is for sure, duck hunters are a tough bunch. Hunters around here who have a passion for duck hunting will get up at 4am, drive 50 miles one way, brave the freezing temperatures, sit in a duck blind for hours with no heat and be just as happy if they were sitting on the beach in the warm sun. Wait a minute, maybe that's where the ducks will be this year! The last time I checked, the ocean was full of water!

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