Duck Hunters Successful on Opening Day
LINCOLN, Neb. –-(AmmoLand.com)- Hunters in the area of Lake McConaughy had an excellent opening day of the duck season on Oct. 10, according to the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.
According to conservation officer reports, hunting pressure was heavy around McConaughy and nearby Clear Creek Wildlife Management Area (WMA) and most checked hunters got their limit of birds.
Among the birds checked by officers in the Panhandle and western Sandhills were mallards, pintails, redheads, scaup, wood ducks, gadwall, blue-winged teal, green-winged teal, and shovelers.
Southwest duck hunters had decent success, especially at Sacramento-Wilcox WMA and along the Platte River from North Platte to Sarben. A variety of ducks were harvested, including teal, mallards, scaup, and wigeon.
In south-central Nebraska, the opener was productive in areas where hunters found water, which was difficult to come by.
Conservation officers reported checking one to four birds per hunter. Most of those birds were teal, but there were good numbers of gadwall, as well as some wood ducks, mallards and a ring-necked drake.
While the number of hunters in the region was down, prospects should improve as some basins will have water pumped into them and more birds arrive.
The success rate was good to excellent in the southeast, with many hunters taking their limit Saturday. Hunting pressure was lower Sunday and hunters had fair to good success.
Saunders and Lancaster counties were busy, with at least 20 vehicles parked at Jack Sinn Memorial WMA. Memphis WMA was among the other lakes that had good numbers of hunters. Most of the birds in the bag were teal, gadwall and wood ducks, with a few pintail and wigeon also bagged.