Grady Gunn
Just like that, what we had waited the entire last year for has come to a close this season. Waterfowl hunting has had another tough year across the Mississippi flyway, with many hunters blaming a very mild December with low precipitation creating sheet water in agricultural fields in Arkansas, Mississippi, and Louisiana. Here in Mississippi, we had an average to above average year for dry ground hunting specklebellies. We logged 27 days in the field and successfully harvested 200 Greater White-Front Geese (GWFG). This number is lower than our take in previous years, but we also had fewer hunters in the blind on many of these days than we normally do. GWFG numbers in our area stayed consistent throughout the season, but started dwindling after mid January. Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks conducted aerial surveys in November, December, early and late January. It shows an interesting trend throughout the season as seen below:
For reference, where we hunt is located near the town of Sunflower. Our area held a noticeable population throughout the season, peaking in mid to late December and numbers declining from there until the end of the season.
What interests me is the trend toward the northeast part of the delta towards Quitman and Tallahatchie, which seems to be a common trend on aerial surveys over the past few years. As long as we hold a consistent population around our area throughout the season, the magic can happen. We did get to end our season on a high note, which was a couple of duck hunts! The slough came through nicely for us on both occasions. Outdoor writer David Rainer and my father, Jay Gunn, accompanied me on the first hunt, and on the second hunt it was only Jay and I. We limited out on both Gadwalls and teal both days, with Jay being able to shoot our 200th specklebelly when a group came low over the slough headed to a field to feed.
I know many others didn’t have the season they had hoped for, but I hope to see some change in regulations and seasons in the next few years to help restore waterfowl to a better state. Looking forward to next season, but I’m eager to get out there to turkey hunt and fish this spring!
Hook & Gunn Outfitters 