Ducking hunting heats up as temps cool down

Headquarters at the Schell-Osage Conservation Area with a background of water and food plots.

Ken White

Loel Wilson, Taberville, has hunted duck at the Schell-Osage Conservation Area for 37 seasons and calls it his favorite spot to have success. This season promises to be one of the better ones. The ducks are pouring into the state as colder temperatures move in.

Area waterfowl hunters are attracted to the Schell-Osage area each fall, as the opportunity to have a good hunt is always a possibility. This duck hunting hot spot has a rich history. It is one of the oldest wetland conservation areas in the state. It opened to waterfowl hunting back in 1964. Ducks and hunters alike have been able to enjoy this important stopover location for more than 50 waterfowl seasons.

Hunters like Matt Campbell, Springfield, Mo., said “It’s a nice place to hunt. It’s set up just right, everyone is friendly and helpful. During the duck season I manage to hunt up here a lot .”

Curtis Severs, Aurora, Mo., although not a duck hunter, visits the area several times in the fall. He said, “I enjoy camping here and visiting with other campers. It’s a great place to enjoy the outdoors.”

Kolton Ross, Pleasant Hill, Mo., has been hunting ducks at Schell for four seasons and said, “I think it is a great place to hunt. I have made five trips this year and will be back for more as new birds move in.”

As of Sunday, there were more than 25,000 mallards in the Schell-Osage area, but more are expected as the weather changes. Teal and a few other ducks made up the 27,000 ducks in the area.

As with any managed area, maintenance and management challenges arise over time and so it is with Schell. A portion of the area was in the flood easement for the Truman Dam and reservoir which was completed in 1979. This has increased flood frequency and duration. The impacts of Truman include the loss of trees, hazards of pumping water out of the Osage River and the tricky balance of using Schell lake for water storage and a fishery.

Goals of the renovation are to improve floodplain function, maintain the use of blinds for waterfowl hunting opportunities, utilize readily available water supply from Truman Reservoir and improve the wetland habitat managed as a waterfowl refuge.

Of the 8,635 total acres in the area, 1,425 acres are wetland, 2,400 acres of grassland and 2,606 acres of forest and woodland.

This year, waterfowl hunters have been most fortunate to have areas like Schell-Osage to hunt as the peak waterfowl migration this season is reflective of the plentiful 1970s.

More than 60 percent of waterfowl and other wetland-dependent migratory species have shown significant increasing long-term population trends due to wetland conservation. Places like Schell-Osage are more than duck ponds.

Meanwhile, the three-day antlerless deer season last weekend saw 7,741 deer checked statewide with Vernon County checking 90 deer.