Photo by R.E. Ilg

The weather on the 6 o’clock news called for warm temperatures for the next morning’s duck hunt.

For the first two weeks of 2005, a dome of warm air was smothering the Lowcountry of South Carolina. Still, moist air hanging over cold coastal waters formed nearly daylong fog every morning. Not real good duck-hunting weather.

My hunt the next day was a draw duck hunt supported by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) on their wildlife management areas (WMAs). After failing to be drawn the previous season, I had one preference point, which paid off with a late-season hunt for the 2004-05 season at Santee Coastal Reserve WMA.

When I gather up my equipment for a duck hunt, one of the questions I routinely struggle with is, “How many layers of clothes should I wear?”

My dilemma for this hunt was not how much to wear, but how little to wear so I didn’t sweat to death while still remaining camouflaged. Pale arms poking out of my dove-hunting shirt would have me resembling a scarecrow to the ducks, not to mention the all-you-can-eat buffet I’d provide for the mosquitoes.

It was dead still when I was dropped off at the paddleboat for the blind I had drawn. Occasional duck calls of assorted species drifted with the fog. I prayed for wind to keep the bugs at bay and I hoped would help move some birds around.

Shooting time came to the marsh. Green-winged and blue-winged teal wheeled about the marsh, while gadwalls and pintails took higher and more direct courses.

Some birds sneaked by without a shot, while others tolled like they were being pulled down on a kite string. A few cupcake shots were missed, but the nice double on a pair of blue-winged teal burning from left to right compensated for the missed “give-me” shots.

Constrained by the warm weather, the ducks stopped moving and the action faded very quickly. The bugs feasted on me, but I managed to take a drake gadwall and widgeon, the latter wearing a band, before the hunt was over. Despite the heat, it was a good morning on the marsh.

The majority of SCDNR draw duck hunts turn out to be a good bet. Every hunter might not kill a limit, but you are usually assured of some success. On average, hunters on these draw hunts shoot twice as many ducks per day as someone hunting elsewhere in the state.

While you may not be on one of these hunts this season, here is a rundown of some of the areas to help you decide where to apply for next season. If you were drawn for one of this season’s hunts, the summary should help you understand what to expect.

BEAVERDAM CREEK WMA
Beaverdam Creek WMA is a small WMA found in the Upstate near Clemson. Six hunters are selected for each Saturday hunt.

Don’t let the spot’s small size fool you. With the exception of last season’s down year at Beaverdam (a trend shared across this region of the state), this WMA has been a consistent producer.

Back in the 2001-02 season, hunters averaged 2.91 ducks per gun, ranking it third in the state that season. Success the subsequent season fell slightly to 2.71 ducks per hunter, but was still above the overall average for all draw duck hunts that year. Forty hunters killed 99 ducks in 2003-04 (2.48 ducks per hunter), and as mentioned, things were way down last season at 1.12 ducks per gun.

Ranking the area based solely on the ducks-per-gun average is deceiving. Wood ducks routinely make up 30 to 50 percent of the harvest. With hunters limited to only two woodies per person, if nothing else is flying or using the area, the average will remain near two. Fortunately, some other species are usually around.