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Nov 04, 2024

MS hunters may be more successful thanks to ducks with backpacks

Mississippi State University is working on a project and the information they gather will give researchers a better idea of duck movement and habitat preference. The information will likely make

Mississippi State University is working on a project and the information they gather will give researchers a better idea of duck movement and habitat preference. The information will likely make Mississippi duck hunters more successful, and it will come from ducks wearing backpacks.

"The idea there is to get updated information on bird movement in the state during winter," said Houston Havens, Waterfowl Program coordinator for the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks, a partner in the research project. "There's a lot of detailed information on habitat use that could be gathered with this."

The backpacks will provide researchers information about where ducks go and when. It's been done in Mississippi before, but with older technology that could not provide as much data as the high-tech GPS units, complete with solar panels to power them, that are available today.

"It was basically using older technology on the birds," Havens said. "There have been tremendous gains in the technology we put on these birds."

More:Here are the seasons, dates and more for hunting in Mississippi in November

According to James Callicutt, Mississippi State University waterfowl and game bird extension specialist, only mallards will be outfitted with the backpacks and the mallards also will receive leg bands.

"Mallards are of high interest to the hunting public," Callicutt said. "They are a well-studied bird, but we still need to tease out some answers."

And hens are being chosen to provide those answers.

"We'll get more data from hens, because they're less likely to get harvested," Callicutt said. "Folks tend to target drakes for harvest."

The area where the birds will be trapped and outfitted is also specific. Callicutt said it will be done in the North Delta where there's a higher density of mallards in winter and where public and private land is well managed for waterfowl. The plan is to have between 150 and 200 ducks trapped and outfitted in the next few years and the transmitters will send out locations about every 30 minutes during winter.

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The project isn't just research for scientists to study. It's research that will produce data that Mississippi hunters and land managers can use to be more successful during duck season.

It will allow researchers to see how ducks react to hunting pressure. It will pinpoint what habitats ducks prefer. It may also reveal what habitats they use under certain conditions such as abnormally dry or wet winters.

"I think this kind of information is really going to help waterfowl hunters," Callicutt said. "It paints you a better picture of what these birds are doing under certain conditions and what they use the most.

"Do they prefer one wetland over another? How can we create more of that? It's really cool research and it's really high-tech. The things we'll glean from this will tell us how to better manage the landscape for ducks."

Do you have a story idea? Contact Brian Broom at 601-961-7225 or [email protected].