Last year, hunters saw varied conditions across the state. Depending on when and where hunting took place, their success ranged from excellent to very bad. But overall, bird numbers were high, and success was good.

The drought last year was a major concern for many Kentucky waterfowl hunters. Fortunately, for the most part, it was only a negative factor during the early seasons and actually turned out to be very beneficial in many areas.

“The drought was extreme enough to cause a number of Kentucky’s natural wetlands to dry completely,” stated Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources (KDFWR) waterfowl biologist Rocky Pritchert, in the annual Kentucky Waterfowl Habitat and Hunting Season Report.

“Deeper manmade ponds, small lakes and larger reservoirs had water levels well below normal through the summer growing season. The dry conditions created a nearly ideal situation for wetland recharge.

“Wetland basins, perimeters and other areas exposed by the drought often emerged in a lush growth of wetland vegetation, something not observed since 1988.

“These areas created a bounty of natural duck food and would provide excellent duck habitat if flooded again during the migration period.”

Luckily, most of these areas did refill with water, returning most of them to water levels normal or near normal for that time of year