Even though the slots for the 2007-08 season have been filled, an overview of some of the WMAs and how they've fared during the last season can give you an idea of what to expect if you were drawn this season or aid you in making a selection for the 2008-09 duck season.

SANTEE COASTAL RESERVE WMA
Santee Coastal Reserve WMA, between Charleston and Georgetown at the lower reaches of the Santee River, is viewed as the best WMA for a duck hunt. It is a great place for waterfowl, but its success continues to erode. Parcels of some other WMAs now support gunning as good as Santee Coastal Reserve WMA.

The WMA consists of three parcels, the Cape and Murphy and Cedar islands. Santee Coastal Reserve WMA averaged 3.64 ducks per hunter over the three parcels, which was down over a duck per hunter from recent seasons. During the 2003-04 season, hunters averaged 4.7 ducks, which fell to 3.9 and then to 3.7 during the two following seasons.

Murphy Island was the top parcel on the WMA last season, whereas the Cape was top for the two previous seasons. Hunters averaged 4.28 ducks per hunt last season on Murphy Island, followed by 3.88 ducks per hunter on the Cape.

Cedar Island routinely brings up the rear, and last season was no exception. Hunters averaged 2.26 ducks per hunter on Cedar Island during the 2006-07 season. Great hunts happen on Cedar Island, but they are hit or miss, so don't be fooled by its cellar-dweller status. It can and does produce high-bird days.

Santee Coastal Reserve WMA is the place if you want a varied bag. Hunters killed 18 different species of waterfowl there last season. But don't go there expecting to kill mallards. Gadwalls and green-winged teal usually make up about 40 percent of the total harvest. Northern shovelers, widgeons and blue-winged teal normally round out the top five species. In addition, hunters will see plenty of pintails, mottled ducks, scaup and ring-necked ducks and may even get a crack at a snow goose.

Pre-constructed blinds are provided for hunts on each area of Santee Coastal Reserve WMA. Hunters draw for these on the morning of their hunt, and SCDNR staff provides transportation to blinds. These are stable, well-constructed blinds that feature a bench and an area in front of the blind to hide the paddleboat.

All waterfowl areas of the WMA are old rice fields that feature holes and former ditches, so hunters should wear chest waders. If you plan to use a retriever, be mindful of alligators, especially if the weather has been warm. Also, note that the number of decoys is limited.

More information can be provided by calling SCDNR at (843) 546-8665.

SANTEE DELTA WMA
If there was a WMA that is a microcosm of Santee Coastal Reserve WMA, Santee Delta WMA is it with an added feature.

Santee Delta WMA is located a couple of miles upriver of its larger sibling and is bisected by Hwy. 17, cutting the WMA into what is called the East and West sides. The East side, characterized by open marsh, resembles Santee Coastal Reserve WMA in miniature. The West side is timber country, where ducks spill through tree canopies into decoys spread out below. It is like no other WMA the state owns or manages.

With green-winged teal swarming over the East side during the 2006-07 season, it was the better of the two parcels. Here, hunters draw for pre-constructed blinds and use a provided paddleboat to reach the blinds. Ninety-four hunters killed 152 green-winged teal alone, nearly half of the East side's total duck harvest. Shovelers accounted for another quarter of the harvest. Gadwalls and blue-winged teal combined made up another 15 percent of the harvest.

Hunters averaged 3.47 ducks per man last season on the East side, up from 2.95 during the 2005-06 season.

Hunters on the West side, where you have to provide your own boat, blind and decoys, often have mallards on the brain. As such, they forgo chances at other species that cover that side, such as green-winged teal and wood ducks. This can cause the average to suffer and not be a true depiction of the parcel's potential.