Hunting Fun

The Upper Mississippi River offers both puddle duck hunters and diver duck hunters thousands of acres of quality duck hunting in a wide variety of situations. Depending on water levels hunters can find marsh settings in secluded back waters, flooded timber during high waters, typical river hunting settings in countless running sloughs, or reservoir style hunting in large lake styled back waters. After hunting the upper sections of the river now for over 15 years I can say the river offers a true smorgasbord of ducks to hunt and later enjoy at the supper table.

Becoming familiar with the section of river you plan to hunt is a must, both with maps and then by actual scouting as thousands of acres are available from each every boat launch. Before venturing out in the dark I would highly recommend a few scouting trips during the day saving a trail with a GPS unit. In the early fall fog is often a problem on early in the day on colder mornings when the water is still warm. Heading out in the thick fog is certainly not a good idea and I would strongly advise against this, even with a GPS unit.

Puddle ducks are my favorite pursuit when hunting the river and mallards, pintails, teal, shovelers, wood ducks, and widgeon are all plentiful. While thousands of ducks are using any one given pool on the Mississippi River coming home with a limit is not a sure thing. Because the river is so large the ducks have a countless acres to habitat to choose from. Scouting the river is also not real easy a boat must be launched versus scouting from shore. Most sections of the river have countless islands with trees that block your view so a motoring around is necessary to view the countless of back water sloughs and lakes.
But hard work scouting can certainly pay off. Over the years I have enjoyed many successful duck hunts with my son and friends. Whether it’s the early season or hunting major cold fronts and snow storms later in the season I have accumulated many memories of over the years.

Choosing the right boat to bring to the Mississippi River for duck hunting is a hard choice to make. To safely navigate most sections of the river during good weather conditions at minimum a 16 foot boat with a 25hp outboard is needed. A larger motor is even better as you may need to travel up to 6 to 8 miles from the boat ramp to your hunting location. Although many duck hunters will want a blind boat they can hunt out of it can be very difficult to conceal a bigger boat on the river. In most situations I rely on my boat for transportation purposes only and then hunt from natural vegetation.

Hunting the Upper Mississippi River can be a great experience as long as you do your home work first and always think safety. Also be aware that there are no entry refuge zones on the Mississippi River. These areas are marked on maps available from the USFWS along with signs on the water.
Good luck duck hunting this season and always hunt safe!



By: Jeff Matura

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