There are a number of pay-to-hunt waterfowl setups in Nebraska, however, some come and go on an annual basis. Kevin Hennecke of Wymore, who's been in the business for a number of years, offers early-season hunts in eastern Nebraska as well as duck hunting along the Platte and goose hunting on the North Platte in December. Phone (402) 645-8223 or go to his Web site: henneckehunts.com.

Ralph Kohler of Tekamah is the patriarch of waterfowling along the Missouri River. He has guided hunters for more than 60 years and hosted more than 50,000 in his pits. He said December hunting was about average on mallards last year and good on Canadas.

"We hunted almost every day in December last year, and even a couple of days in January," Kohler said. "Things have changed here along the river. In years past we shot a lot of snows and blues, and a few Canadas. In recent years we are taking more Canadas than we are the white geese. I think the restoration efforts of various states has had an impact on the Canada numbers. It seems as if every pond and lake, (even those in the cities) have some dark geese on them in the summer and early fall."

Kohler's grasp on the Canadas' increase is mirrored in surveys by the NGPC. The Canada kill on a statewide basis averaged over 70,000 birds between 1992 and 2001 - that represents a six-fold increase from the kill in the 1960s.

Biologists logged an average of 49,000 birds wintering on the North Platte during the 1990s; in 2004 that number was up to 176,000. The numbers on the Central Platte, between North Platte and Central City, showed similar increases. The wintering population in the '60s was counted in the hundreds. The count averaged 25,000 in the 1990s. The average count on Canadas wintering in the state climbed from about 10,000 in the 1960s to an all-time high of 386,000 in 1997. A good share of the increase can be credited to restoration efforts by many of the states in the Central and Mississippi flyways - not just by the conservation agencies, but by private landowners, who also wanted to see the big geese in their area.

Kohler charges $50 a day for a seat in his blind. He supplies the decoys, does the calling, etc. He can be reached at home at (402) 374-2747, or in his blind at (402) 374-2479.

Finding a place to hunt waterfowl in most any state is becoming more difficult every year for the average hunter. The prime lands along the Platte Rivers in Nebraska, for example, are either almost entirely leased, or the landowner simply doesn't allow hunting.

Hunting ducks and geese early in the season gives the average guy a break if he looks to south-central Nebraska. There is something like 100 places to hunt in this area called the Rainwater Basin. While these shallow-water marshes tend to freeze over early, there are a few that stay open well into December. There also are good numbers of Canadas that come off the reservoirs and rivers to feed, especially in Kearney, Gosper and Phelps counties, and they will decoy to a spread set up on the ice.

"We pump water into some of the areas and this helps keep them open," said Gene Mack, Supervisor of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Rainwater Basin Waterfowl Production Areas. "Even if it freezes over, the birds, especially the geese, can often be decoyed onto the ice.

"The ones that stay open the longest are of course the ones we pump or the larger ones," Mack continued. "They include among others - Massie, Funk, Johnson, Mallard Haven, Harvard, Eckhardt and Youngsen WPAs."

The NGPC has about 30 Wildlife Management Areas in the Rainwater Basin and they too can offer some December hunting, says Daylan Figgs, district wildlife manager for the NGPC at Kearney.

"The waterfowl hunting in the basin is of course dependent on the water levels," he said. "Spring rains put quite a bit of water in the eastern basins, but water was quite scarce in the western end of the area. Some of the areas that hold promise for late hunting in my mind would be Spikerush, Kissinger, Father Hupp, and South Kirkpatrick WMAs. If areas ice over, those closer to the Platte River or Harlan County Reservoir, where there is open water, would offer the best chance of decoying some birds, particularly geese."

Figgs said the Commission's 3,000-acre Sacramento WMA west of Wilcox offers fair to good duck hunting, along with a few Canadas. Part of the area is refuge, but the remainder is open to public hunting. There are some permanent blinds on the area that are offered on a first-come, first-served basis. Hunters can also use natural cover for a blind as long as they stay 200 yards away from the permanent blinds. Details are available by calling (308) 478-5238.

Successful December hunts in the Basin Country come as a result of scouting and getting an idea where the birds are feeding and resting.

Harlan County Reservoir remains one of the better public hunting spots in this area. The water had been low in the lake for the past two or three years, but that doesn't mean it isn't attractive to waterfowl. The low water has allowed vegetation to grow up and this cover in the shallow water at the back of the coves will draw ducks. The geese will usually stage on the main lake and they'll offer some good shooting on those days when your blind is in the right place to intercept them when they come back from feeding. These Canadas often trade back and forth from Harlan to Kansas reservoirs such as Kirwin.

Lynn Stockall, sporting goods store manger for Hogan's Sporting Goods in North Platte, has been hunting waterfowl along the Platte Valley for years. He says the mallards were plentiful last year.

"I hunt an area where the North Platte and South Platte River come together to form the Platte just east of town," he said. "The mallards were plentiful last year and we had a great season. The December hunting was excellent.

"We have a slough just off the river and use an aerator to keep the water open," Stockall said. "It attracts a lot of mallards when things begin to freeze up and we have some really good shooting."

Randy Chinn and his son Todd of Columbus hunt the Loup and Platte rivers a few miles from town. He reported a good year on both ducks and geese.

"We had to hunt the Loup up until early December when we finally got water in the Platte," said the elder Chinn. "The duck hunting was good on the Loup and the Canada goose hunting got hot just before Christmas on the Platte and stayed good for about a month."

"From the information we have it appears that last year's statewide hunter success on mallards and Canadas was average or a little above," said Mark Vrtiska, waterfowl program manager for the Game Commission in Lincoln. "The drought undoubtedly hurt some hunters and probably helped others. We would have had a tremendous duck season across the state last fall if we had had more water.

"We usually have 30,000 to 35,000 waterfowl hunters each year," said the biologist. "While figures aren't complete, we will usually harvest around 100,000 mallards, but the Canada kill can vary between 60,000 and 100,000. A hard freeze and heavy snows up north can bring the birds in, but if it hits here it can also push them out."

The goose seasons and limits are expected to be about the same as last year when the daily limit on Canadas was three with a possession limit of six. Duck limits will likely follow last year's, using the conventional system, which allowed a daily limit of six ducks that could include five mallards, of which no more than two could be hens. It is expected that the seasons and bag limits on pintail, redheads and canvasback will be limited again this fall.

Details on public hunting areas as well as the rules and regulations are available from the NGPC's Lincoln office. Call (402) 471-0641 for details. The Kearney (308-865-5310) and North Platte (308-535-8025) offices can be sources of information on guided hunts as well as a pulse on the migration in and along the Platte Valley.