One more note. As I mentioned, the squeal of the hen woodduck is my favorite wild sound. I like it even better than the loon. The hens generally squeal when flushed but they also squeal when resting and feeding. I like to jump shoot the beaver ponds and the streams leading into them. Generally, I can pinpoint where the ducks are by listening for squealing hens. I then approach them extra carefully to get within sure range before they flush. I don’t kill the hens so I found it important not to shoot the leading duck which is always the hen. Except for the wings, there is not much color to the woodduck hen which is rather drab. But I still find it a beautiful duck in its own way.
Fortunately, there are a lot of oak trees in my favorite areas of the swamp. The acorns fall into the water and the ducks pick them floating on the surface. It is absolutely amazing how many acorns they can stuff into their crops. I have no idea how they can swallow the rather large acorns.
There is a primary area that the woodducks use for a night time roost. They come in large numbers just before dark. I like to sit there and watch them. The hens tend to be particularly vocal when on the roosting site and the sound of all those squeels is sublime. I never shoot a woodduck roost. Doing so continually can push them out of the area. It is important to shoot them on the feeding and daytime resting areas only. Roosts should always be off limits for shooting woodducks, in my opinion.
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