Waterfowl hunting opportunities still limited at Duck Creek, Montrose CAs

Work continues to ensure the future of waterfowl hunting at two of Missouri?s oldest and most popular wetland areas.

Email to a Friend  Print this Article

JEFFERSON CITY—Continuing renovations at Duck Creek and Montrose conservation areas (CAs) will limit waterfowl hunting opportunities there this fall, but hunters will find some of their favorite spots open for business again.

Duck Creek CA in Bollinger, Stoddard and Wayne counties is a small remnant of the bottomland hardwood forest that once covered vast portions of the Mississippi Embayment in southeastern Missouri. The area went into service in the 1950s, with seasonally flooded forest and wetland pools. It quickly became popular for waterfowl hunting and viewing. Many veteran Missouri waterfowl hunters have vivid memories of splendid drake wood ducks and mallards splashing down among decoys there.

Similarly, the Montrose CA in Henry County opened its doors to waterfowl hunters around 1960. Its four management units are above the normal level of Truman Reservoir and were designed to be flooded and drained at will. This permitted managers to grow crops and native vegetation during the summer and then flood those areas slowly throughout the fall and winter to create ideal feeding and resting habitat for migrating ducks and geese.

Over the decades, however, water-control structures at both CAs have worn out. Furthermore, improved knowledge of wetland-area design and management has rendered some of the area’s original infrastructure obsolete. In 2005, the Missouri Conservation Commission approved a 10-year, $16 million Golden Anniversary Wetland Initiative to replace aging infrastructure and ensure maximum productivity of the state’s premier waterfowl areas.

Hunting and other uses continue at Duck Creek and Montrose CAs during the initiative. However, renovation and construction work necessarily limit areas available for waterfowl hunting.

Work currently under way at Duck Creek prevents using water from the Castor River to flood wetland units, but water pumps permit flooding of Units A and B. Ten to 12 positions will be available to hunt at the beginning of the season. Depending upon construction progress, rainfall and the amount of water in Pool 1, parts of Pools 2 and 3, including blinds for handicapped hunters, might be available for hunting later in the season.

For more information about hunting opportunities at Duck Creek, visit www.MissouriConservation.org/2446, and click on the Duck Creek CA Updates link.

Ongoing work at Montrose CA involves replacing water-control structures with state-of-the-art structures and changing the slope of levee faces to make them easier to maintain and enhance wetland habitat. The project was estimated to require 90 working days. However, heavy rains severely reduced the number of days workers could get into the area, so the project continues into the fall.

As a result, Blinds 15, 16 and 17 will not be available at the start of the season. Blind 15 is the disabled-hunter blind. Construction work and heavy rain could reduce the number of hunting spots at Montrose by two more positions, leaving hunters with 10 to 12 positions early in the season. More positions could be available later this year, depending on weather.

Daily draw procedures for hunting at both areas remain unchanged.

Partners in the Golden Anniversary Wetland Initiative include the University of Missouri, Ducks Unlimited, Missouri Waterfowl Association, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Big Muddy National Wildlife Refuge, the North American Wetlands Conservation Council, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Kansas City Power & Light Company.

-Jim Low-

Reader Comments

Would you like to comment?

Sign up for a free account, or sign in (if you're already a member).