The weather played a part in hunting success during mid-December through early January, when a prolonged period of subfreezing temperatures caused most ponds and small lakes to freeze. Temperatures turned warmer during mid-January, but the hunting continued to be fair to good through the end of the season.

WHAT TO EXPECT NOW
So just what does the 2006-07 waterfowl season have in store for Bluegrass State hunters this year? Once again, much of that depends on the weather! Habitat conditions in the northern breeding areas are highly variable.

With overall duck numbers at or near their long-term average, and favorable weather conditions up north, the stage could be set for an excellent waterfowl season for Kentucky hunters. The key will be getting the cold weather up north needed in order to push the birds south into Kentucky at just the right time --

And then, having enough water around to hold the birds here for as long as possible.

Even without the most favorable weather conditions, there are certain areas across the state where waterfowlers have the consistently best chance at getting in on some wingshooting action. From west to east, here are some spots to key in on this fall.

WEST
While warmer weather conditions over the last two years have caused poor goose hunting in traditional western strongholds like Ballard and the Sloughs WMAs, the duck hunting has been quite good at times.

Hunting on both areas is tightly controlled, and the requirements vary by unit. Several of the tracts require advanced applications, while limited walk-in opportunities exist at the Sloughs WMA.

Other areas worth noting in the west are Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley, which cover over 200,000 acres. More often than not, these two areas provide excellent waterfowl hunting opportunities.

Some bays on the Land Between the Lakes (LBL) side and some of the lakes' islands are designated as waterfowl refuges and are closed to hunting. Be sure and get a map of these areas before heading afield.

Another option for waterfowl hunters in the western portion of the state, is Peabody, covering over 60,000 acres scattered with strip-mine pits of all sizes. The area has a healthy population of resident Canada geese and can draw good numbers of mallards, wood ducks, scaup, ringnecks and gadwalls as well. Like many of these WMAs, Peabody has a few areas designated as waterfowl refuges, and all waterfowl hunting on the area ends at 2 p.m. each day.

Peabody also requires a $12.50 user permit, available wherever hunting and fishing licenses are sold.

CENTRAL
Although waterfowl hunting in Kentucky used to be synonymous with a trip to the western end of the state, that's just not the case anymore, reports Pritchert. Over the last 20 years, the creation of numerous small ponds, lakes and wetlands has greatly improved waterfowl hunting in the state's central and eastern portions. Consequently, most of the waterfowl hunting opportunities in the central portion of Kentucky are found on private lands.

Conversely, when the weather turns foul and the temperatures drop low enough for these smaller lakes and ponds to freeze over, the public-hunting opportunities can be excellent. During these conditions, waterfowl will start keying in on the area's larger lakes and reservoirs, such as Taylorsville and Green River lakes, plus Lake Cumberland.