As we approached the low, wire maze, a dozen ducks lifted off. They hadn't quite followed the trail of bait far enough. Another two dozen had. Pushing through the wire throats of the live trap, they were filling their crops with shelled corn.

Here, on the Hawkeye Wildlife Area, they were about to become statistics. Hawkeye manager Dennis Procter and volunteer Janette Kelsey herded them toward one end of the trap, where they poured into a wooden crate set at the exit. Several were familiar with the procedure. They already wore aluminum leg bands denoting they had been caught. Evidently the lure of a free meal outweighed the minute of stress, as they were banded, sexed, aged and released. "We band them so we can learn which flyway they use; what their migration route is. That helps us understand the 'food line' that waterfowl follow each fall," explains Procter. "If a hunter harvests a bird, there is a number on the band. When it is called in, the (U.S.) Fish & Wildlife Service records the data and analyzes it."

Hunters calling in band numbers receive information showing when and where birds were banded. Besides the location, the band indicates whether the duck is a mature bird or from this year's hatch. It also notes whether it is a female or male. Spreading a wing of an adult female, Procter showed Kelsey the familiar tear drop pattern of a hen's flight feathers. Drakes show only a less defined white line across the tip. They also sport more red and orange in the eyes and bills. Juvenile birds were easiest told by the immature tail feather development.

Just banding wood ducks is a success story in itself. "This is one of the few parts of the country where we do produce a lot of wood ducks," explains Procter. "At one time, they were close to extinction." Flooding and human development meant many of its critical lowland timber nesting cavities were disappearing. Through habitat restoration, and a big boost from the familiar nest box program, those wood duck broods have returned. It is now the third, sometimes second, most common duck harvested in Iowa.

And there is more of a chance to take ducks, thanks to Iowa's duck banding scorecard. Biologists regularly meet the federally set goal of several thousand ducks each year. Proving there is a stable population of 'woodies' pays off as waterfowl hunting days are allocated from year to year.

Low Water, Good Vegetation Heading into Duck Seasons

With a dry summer, many waterfowl areas have great vegetation, heading into the duck openers this month. Iowa's north duck zone opens Sept. 17. The south zone opens Sept. 24. "Vegetation on our main lake and in the potholes is the best in several years," says Procter. "We didn't flood this year, so everything had a chance to grow. On the other hand, we need some rain. Many potholes are pretty dry."

The pattern shows through on the Mississippi River, too. "We didn't have a big flood, with dirty conditions this spring and summer," relays DNR Mississippi River biologist Mike Griffin. Griffin did a vegetation study recently on pools 9 (Lansing) and 19 (Keokuk). "That let sunlight through the water column to promote growth of that vegetation. There's more submergent vegetation than we've seen in a long time."

Griffin warns, though, that low water levels and high fuel prices will take a bigger bite out of the budget. With low river conditions, pumping is needed to keep water in the low lying waterfowl areas. Those pumps will be more expensive to operate with every dime a gallon increase in fuel prices.

Urban Season Opens; Others to follow

Iowa's two urban goose zones run September 1 through 15, targeting growing populations of local Canada geese. Zones have been set up around Des Moines and in the Iowa City-Cedar Rapids corridor. Hunters need to check, though, with the local city hall if they plan to do any shooting within the corporate limits. Neither Iowa City nor Cedar Rapids, for instance, allow hunting. Many of the smaller towns require hunters to either register or to at least check in, to alert officials to their presence. Hunting in rural, unincorporated areas is legal, providing all other hunting regulations are observed.

Maps showing the zones are available by going to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources website; www.iowadnr.com, clicking on 'hunting information,' then 'waterfowl.'

Because local Canadas are being hunted, the Hawkeye Wildlife Area refuge will remain open to hunting, through the September 1-15 urban goose season. The refuge, several hundred acres on the south side of the Iowa River/Coralville Reservoir, near North Liberty, is normally closed to hunting. With the waterfowl migration not really underway yet, wildlife officials okayed the refuge for local goose hunting. It will be closed after September 15.
 

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