Cold Front?

[catman529]

OK help this clueless duck hunting noob.... today was in the 50s, tonight a front blows through, tomorrow mostly clear skies and in the 30s. Do cold fronts get ducks flying? I will mainly be walking creeks looking for woodies.

 

[Chaneylake]

it helps but this front is not major enough in my opinion

 

[catman529]

it helps but this front is not major enough in my opinion

I went a week ago on the tail end of the single digit temps, the creek was half frozen and not a single duck to be found. If some birds came in since then, I figure they will still be hanging around?

 

[G8rntn]

Depends on how strong the front is and how far down it makes it. Temps in the 30's here isn't really enough to push them on down to us. But the last front that hit us was pretty bad. A lot of ducks went on further south. My brother in law and four more went yesterday morning and killed 33. Mainly Ringnecks and a few mallards and a couple redheads. But that was on deep water on Nicajack.

 

[Weaz]

Not to say there isnt exceptions, but Woodies are some of the first to go. Thats why there is an early season in Sept.

 

[Kritter Gitter]

There are more ducks in my area (N.E. TN) than I have seen in quite a long time. The front that you are talking about is not big enough to be concerned with moving birds. There are still woodies around but not really enough to target just them. good luck!

 

[catman529]

Yep walked at least 1/2+ mile of creek and checked a good pond I know of and te river and didn't see a single duck. Heck even the squirrels weren't out.

 

[Trapper John]

Our wood ducks left a while ago. There are still a few around, but in mid-December we could sit out there and hear them squealing non-stop. Now it's mostly silence. They still fly over, but nothing like early season.

 

[WMAn]

A couple of thoughts for you Cat. In Middle TN, especially along the Duck and Harpeth, there really are not enough ducks to notice an influx of new birds from a passing cold front.

The points others have made about the Woodies being gone is key. I can find huntable numbers through December but after that it gets tough.

Your best bet for ducks along the duck and harpeth rivers in January might be new water. Think low spots in river bottom ag fields that turn into temporary ponds after an inch of rain or so. There are a few spots like that around that attract birds but even then you may only be talking about 4-6 ducks.

Resident geese are your best bet for hunting waterfowl in Middle TN outside of the Cumberland River.

 

[catman529]

I guess I will be hunting the early wood duck season in September. All the resident geese I can think of are in city parks, neighborhood ponds, etc. it would be cool to find a few I can hunt