Short-Stopping Ducks
Why Only Greenheads
 Editor’s
Note: Missouri has become one of the top duck states
in the nation. Many waterfowl hunters wonder why so
many ducks stop in Missouri and Illinois and not come
further south. To learn the answer to this question,
we went to Missouri and hunted with Avery Pro Staff
Team member, Tony Vandemore of Kirksville, Missouri.
We also wanted to know how Vandemore takes a limit of
ducks almost every day of the season.
Question: Tony, on our hunt, the only ducks we had
coming to our spread were mallards. As each flight came
in, you let each hunter know which birds in the flight
were greenheads (male mallards), and you asked us only
to shoot the greenhead mallards. Why?
Vandemore: I guess I’m somewhat blessed where
I live. We get to shoot plenty of m allards
here. I know wildlife specialists say you can’t
stockpile ducks, and I’m definitely no biologist.
However, I believe that if we get the right water conditions
in Canada in the spring, you’ll send more hen
mallards back to the breeding grounds in the fall, and
you’ll have more mallards coming down the flyway
the next year. Therefore, if we only harvest the male
mallards, hopefully we’re leaving more females
that will make it down the flyway and return to Canada
to produce more ducks for the next season. If Canada
has a wet year, and there are plenty of places for the
ducks to breed, if you let the hens survive to fly back
north, you should have more mallards coming down the
flyway the next fall. I’ve made it a practice
to ask the hunters who hunt with me to only shoot the
greenheads to help ensure that this happens. I try to
see the greenheads in the flock as soon as I can and
then tell my hunters before the shot where the greenheads
are located in the flock, and in what area of the decoy
spread to look for the greenhead s.
This way, when I call the shot, the hunters have better
chances of seeing and taking the greenheads, allowing
the hens to not be shot. Occasionally, someone will
mistakenly or accidentally take a hen mallard, and I
don’t make a big deal of it. But I know that by
talking to my hunters before the hunt, trying to see
and identify the greenheads as soon as possible and
letting my hunters know where to look for the greenheads
as the ducks begin to cup their wings and light into
the decoys, we’ll take fewer hen mallards than
we’ll usually take.
Question: Tony, I see that you keep a floater jacket
on Ruff, your labrador retriever, even though he doesn’t
have to go in the water to retrieve ducks. Why are you
keeping that vest on him when you’re hunting dry
ground?
Vandemore: The Avery Floating TUFF Dog Parka isn’t
necessarily a floating jacket. I keep it on my dog at
all times during the winter months to protect him. Ruff
is a hard-charging dog, and every time he’s set
to make a retrieve, he throws caution to the wind and
goes as hard as he can to find and bring either the
duck or the goose back that we’ve shot. When we
have cold weather with ice and sleet on the g round,
and the corn stalks are frozen and rigid, the dogs may
hit corn stalks. If they’re not protected, the
corn stalks can go into their chests like spears. Also,
the bellies of the dogs are real soft and prone to injury.
I probably wouldn’t go running into a cornfield
naked in the dead of winter, and I don’t want
to send Ruff out into that type of environment without
some type of protection like the Avery Floating TUFF
Dog Parka. The other aspect of the vest is that it keeps
the dog warm. Sure, I can shoot ducks without any clothes
on, but I won’t be able to concentrate, stay as
long and hunt as hard as if I will if I’m wearing
a Gore-Tex insulated outer shell with some warm clothes
under it. The same is true of the dog. But if you’re
keeping your dog in the house part of the time, he won’t
develop the same kind of coat he will if he lives outdoors
all year. Even though my dog’s an outside dog,
I spend money to keep myself warm, so I don’t
mind spending money to keep my dog warm. If a retriever
is warm, he’ll perform at his maximum level of
competency much more than if he’s cold and sluggish.
Many times, if a dog gets too cold, he’ll quit
retrieving and that may happen when you need him the
most. Keeping a vest on your dog, whether you’re
hunting water or not, is a smart investment and a better
way to take care of your hunting partner.
To learn more about Avery Outdoors’ waterfowling
products, go to www.averyoutdoors.com.
Tomorrow: How Weather Affects
Ducks
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