It's almost that annual bird day again. That means Thanksgiving Day, and for most folks, it conjures up thoughts of pilgrims in funny hats, a house full of family and friends, and a luxurious feast of carved turkey with all the trimmings. However, for many others across Kentucky it puts images of other birds in mind, for Thanksgiving Day is the annual opening day of the state's regular duck season. Soon thereafter is the opening of goose season. Can't you feel the excitement?

The harvest results from last season are still being tallied, but early indications are that there was a lot of variation across the state. Some hunters had an excellent year, while others felt somewhat stymied by conditions and bird movement. The drought earlier in the year played a large part in hunters' success.

Many areas where good waterfowl hunting normally occurs had water levels that were much lower than usual. In some cases, this concentrated birds in available water sources and led to great shooting for area hunters. In other areas, the birds simply were not present in good numbers, so hunters there generally fared poorly.

Early indications this year were that the resident goose population might be down some. If we get a good push of migrants, that might not be an issue. However, since resident birds make up a good percentage of our annual harvest, hunting success could be down some this fall. Duck numbers continue to be good, so if we have good water levels and a kiss from Mother Nature, this season should yield some good days for waterfowlers.

Although there are plenty of places across the state for waterfowling, it's hard to know which one will be hot at a particular time. To help out, though, here's a look at three spots to consider this season for ducks and geese.

DOUG TRAVIS WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AREA
Over in the western end of the state is a gem of a property called the Doug Travis Wildlife Management Areas (WMA). There are over 4,000 acres here. Add the natural attraction of the Mississippi River corridor and surrounding wetlands, plus the extensive management to attract and hold migrating waterfowl -- and you have a real polished stone of a place to consider. Hunters can usually expect to find good numbers of both ducks and geese at Doug Travis WMA.

Tim Kreher is a public lands biologist for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources (KDFWR). He says a wide mix of waterfowl visits the property. Mallards and woodies make up the majority of the duck species, but there is also a good mix of other kinds of ducks, including pintails, gadwalls, shovelers, widgeons and teal. Diving ducks also show up at times, but the property is not well suited for hunting these birds. Geese are also there in good numbers. Canada geese are generally harvested the most, but snows and white-fronted geese are also prevalent.