By Gene Hornbeck

December weather will play an important part in success for the Nebraska waterfowler this year, just as it has for decades. Most veterans on the scene look forward to some great mallard and Canada goose hunting along the Platte, North Platte, and South Platte rivers as well as the Loup, the Republican and the Missouri.

The greenheads and Canadas begin showing up along the Platte River valleys in November, and as the weather begins to seal up the ponds and shallow marshes in the Dakotas and northern Nebraska, bird numbers begin to climb where there is open water.

Water could be a factor in some areas this fall and winter as the extended drought in western Nebraska has cut into the flows on the Platte River as well as the Republican. However, there is still a lot of optimism among the hunters.

"We - my son Matt and I - had a really good season last year," said Dick Prasch of Lexington. "We have a blind on a ground water or warm-water slough along the Platte west of town and it really pulls in the mallards when it gets cold.

"We had good hunting right up until the end of the season on Jan. 4 last year," said the 60-year-old Prasch. "All we shoot are greenheads and we had a plentiful supply of them last year. I've hunted the Platte for years and I think it was just as good last year as it was in the 'old days' despite low water in the river."

Prasch said the mallards concentrate on areas along the river that are closed to hunting. Johnson and Elwood reservoirs also hold birds, as do numerous private sandpit lakes along the river.

"Duck numbers can of course go up and down," he said. "If a snowstorm hits the Dakotas you can bet the ducks will be coming into the Platte Valley."

Over the years, Prasch has used about every kind of shotgun made; most were 12 gauges.

"When we got the blind we have now on the slough I switched to a 3-inch, 20-gauge, over-under and shoot No. 4 steel," he said. "We have enough birds decoying that we shoot most of them at 15 to 20 yards. Sometimes we only take one drake apiece out of a flock - it's that good at times.

Columbus’ Todd Chinn, his Lab and a double brace of Canadas bagged on the Platte last December by the waterfowler and his dad, Randy. Photo courtesy of Randy Chinn

"We use about 100 duck decoys early in the season and then cut back to about 50 during the latter part as the ducks tend to get decoy shy," Prasch said.

Bagging some mallards and Canadas on the Missouri east of Yankton is also often dependent on bad weather says Jeff Schuckman of Norfolk. He rated his hunting last fall as average on the big river.

"If the river isn't running flow-ice, we can still take some birds in December, but November hunting is usually best," he said. "Last fall I had a good many 'blue sky' days, but there were days when a front would come through and bring in the mallards and even a few geese."

Over the years, the big river below Gavins Point Dam has always served up spotty duck and goose success. It is one of those areas wherein success does depend on the weather. If a winter storm hits the Dakotas, it pushes the birds south and onto the Missouri. The flocks may stay a day to two, but then move south to refuge and feeding areas such as the DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge just east of Blair.

Waterfowl hunting on the Missouri has gone through many changes. Those changes still continue. The river below Fort Randall Dam in South Dakota flows into Lewis and Clark Lake, which is the result of Gains Point Dam. Siltation has been occurring over the years, and it in turn has created shallow sloughs over the head end of the reservoir. That habitat, bulrush and cattail sloughs, attract a lot of mallards and the hunting stays productive well into December.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers annually allocates about 35 blind sites on the reservoir. However, there is no limit on the number of boat blinds allowed on the lake. For details on the blinds write or call U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Gavins Point Project, Duck Blind Information, P.O. Box 710, Yankton, S.D. 57072; or call (402) 667-7873.

In addition to the Corps managed reservoir the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission has the 4,500-acre, Bazile Creek Wildlife Management Area, which is located along the river two miles east of Niobrara, and it's open to hunting. No permanent blinds are allowed, but the bulrush and cattail sloughs offer plenty of concealment for the hunter who wants to throw out a couple of dozen decoys and play "come hither" on his "duck whistle."

The Corps of Engineers also allocates seasonal blind sites on Harlan County Reservoir. The drawing for blinds is held the first Sunday after Labor Day. For details on that popular area, contact U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at (308) 799-2105

Productive December waterfowling is fairly limited on public land in Nebraska. The Game Commission's Clear Creek Controlled Hunting Area on the west end of Lake McConaughy serves up a good chance at bagging a Canada or two, as well as a few greenheads. That's provided you draw the right blind, says Lance Hastings, the wildlife biologist at North Platte who monitors the area.

"The Clear Creek Area offers 11 blinds and each will hold four hunters," Hastings said. "We open the area when goose numbers become high enough to offer productive hunting, which is usually around the second week in November. Weather and bird numbers permitting we keep it open until the end of the season."

Currently, the daily blind fee at Clear Creek is $5 per gun - $30 for an annual ticket, which is good only Monday through Friday. Most of the geese are taken by pass-shooting. The area has been in operation since 1972. Last year 479 waterfowl hunters hunted 1,208 days and took 396 Canada geese and 406 ducks, 330 of which were mallards.

There is a daily drawing for the blinds, held at the headquarters one hour before shooting time. For an update on the hunting you can call the check station at (308) 778-5486.