Quote:
Originally Posted by Dean Romig
There may seem to be more mallards but the truth is that the mallards are on the decline over some of their historic range.
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I think that the reason I see more mallards in the Great Swamp than I did as a boy is because the environment has changed a bit over the years. There are more open areas now due to beaver flooding. Streams run through the swamp and over the years, the numerous beavers have flooded more areas of standing hardwoods. The flooded trees die leaving more open areas that may be more attractive to the mallard. The woodducks generally shun these more open areas that now harbor the mallard and the black ducks. However, the sheer number of black ducks now using the swamp probably do indicate a recovery of sorts for this duck. New York has upped the limit on black ducks from one per day to two.
I absolutely love the swamp and have always spent time there, much of it during the off season. There are relatively few access points that don’t require a long walk in. Most of the hunting is done near roads or on the WMA at the southern end. The core of the swamp is virtually unvisited and I pretty much have it to myself. Most hunters like to hunt areas that don’t require a lot of effort to get to. The swamp encompasses about 6,000 acres, most of it inaccessible to the casual weekend hunter. It’s a special area that has always been an important part of my life.