Duck, goose hunting moving south as winter sets in

For duck and goose hunters, Missouri's northern areas may be mostly starting to freeze over for the season, but there are still good hunting opportunities in the Bootheel, as well as some central areas, such as Eagle Bluffs, Grand Pass and Otter Slough.

When wetland habitat in the middle zone freezes over, ducks take temporary refuge along the big rivers, said Frank Nelson, resource scientist based at the Open Rivers/Wetlands Field Station of the MDC.

"As soon as it warms back up, the ducks are back to the shallow wetlands, and there's good hunting opportunities," Nelson said.

"This year we have had a very gradual migration," he added. "Cold fronts have blown through the state about once a week through November. There hasn’t been one big migration event that has dumped a lot of birds in Missouri all at once."

While November has not brought the Bootheel the sort of rains that are typical for the area, because much habitat is artificially flooded, hunters should find good conditions.

Bootheel hunting areas should remain unfrozen for all but a few days during the duration of the season, which runs through January 25. Geese may be hunted there through January 30. For a complete list of zones and hunting dates, click here.

Don't count out the north zone just yet, Nelson said, as waterfowl continue to pass over the region and overnight on the open waters of rivers. Hunters can break ice in managed areas, such as Ted Shanks, to attract feeding ducks.

Here's a comparative look at duck numbers the past five seasons.