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Dec. 14, 2002
Hunting has been good at Grand Pass
By BRENT FRAZEE, The Kansas City Star
CARROLLTON, Mo. - A flock of mallards was bunched tightly in a crop field near the Grand Pass Conservation Area, feasting on the corn left over from the fall harvest.
Or at least, that's the way Ben Gibson wanted it to look.
He and his hunting partner, Melvin Hawkins, had put those "ducks" there -- 100 decoys on stakes.
They also placed two Mojo Ducks -- battery-operated so that their wings would spin -- in the middle of the spread to give the appearance that other mallards were landing.
Then they settled into their hiding place and hoped that the imitations would attract a few of the 95,000 ducks using the nearby public wetlands.
"We're just a half-mile from the refuge," said Gibson, a waterfowl guide, "and when the ducks fly out to feed, they'll give us a look.
"We've had some huge flocks in on us this fall. It really is a thrill to look up and see a couple hundred mallards locked up and trying to land in the decoys.
"The dog's shaking, I'm shaking... That's what duck hunting is all about."
Gibson, who operates the By-Pass guide service, was hoping to see something similar on this hunt.
He and three partners -- Hawkins, Ken White and I -- were at ground level, hiding in individual pits that Gibson had dug in the corn field. Corn stalk matting covered us, concealing us even more.
Even Gibson's black Lab, Hoss, was covered by the matting, patiently waiting for the ducks to show up.
"When it's as mild as it is today, a lot of times the ducks won't fly out to feed until the last hour of daylight," Gibson said. "And even then, they don't go as far.
"But that might help us here. We're not far from the refuge."
The hunters waited in silence for almost an hour, studying the horizon for signs of ducks. Then that silence was broken by the rush of wings overhead.
A second later, the flock of 30 mallards that had surprised the hunters suddenly came into sight. Duck calls began echoing through the still air and Hoss began to shake with excitement.
The mallards turned and circled, then cupped their wings and began to glide down.
But inexplicably, they thought better of coming in and simply drifted off.
"These late-season mallards can be hard to bring in," Gibson said with disappointment. "They've been hunted for a while and they get wary.
"It didn't look like those ducks flared. But something wasn't quite right."
Gibson sighed and added, "That's duck hunting."
But for every hunt where the ducks haven't cooperated, there have been plenty more where they have.
It's been a memorable season in the Missouri River bottoms, where Gibson has access to 4,000 acres of prime hunting ground.
The Grand Pass Conservation Area, a wetlands complex managed by the Missouri Department of Conservation, has attracted huge concentrations of mallards in the last two weeks. And hunters on public and private land alike have benefited.
Hiding everywhere from the edges of sloughs and marshes to the middle of cut crop fields, Gibson and his guide clients have taken 600 ducks this fall.
Gibson owes much of his success to location. He has hunted the Missouri River bottoms for much of his life and found memorable success there before Grand Pass was even built in the 1980s.
The area's drawing power became even greater when the state began managing for ducks, and Gibson decided to capitalize on that. He bought his first parcel of land and a flood-damaged farm house three years ago with the intentions of using it for his own recreation.
But when interest in waterfowl hunting in the area boomed, he decided to leave his family's funeral business and start a guide service.
He now owns 1,100 acres of land and three farm houses -- two of which he has turned into hunting clubhouses -- and leases another 3,000 acres. He guides for everything from deer to turkeys to river catfish. But waterfowl are the heart of his business.
In just his first full year of guiding, he has attracted hunters from as far away as Arizona and Chicago.
Some days might find him and his clients hiding in the cover along one of the shallow wetlands he has on his land.
Other days might find them hiding in a corn field that the ducks have been using as a dinner table.
And still other days might find them in a boat blind on the Missouri River, especially late in the season when much of the shallow water is frozen.
"You have to keep up on your scouting," said Gibson, 38, who lives so close to Grand Pass that he can hear the din created by the ducks and geese. "Sometimes they'll work a field for a week or so, then they'll move on. You have to stay current.
"And you have to play the wind. If you're not set up right for wind direction, you're wasting your time."
Grand Pass facts
Grand Pass ducks
• WHAT/WHERE: The Grand Pass Conservation Area is a prime resting place for migrating ducks and geese in Missouri. It is in the Missouri River bottoms in Saline County, five miles southwest of Miami.
• DRAWING POWER: Situated in the ducks' traditional flight path, Grand Pass annually attracts impressive concentrations of ducks. It has reached peak numbers of 100,000 or more ducks in recent years, and is holding more than 95,000 now.
• HUNTING: The conservation area, managed by the Missouri Department of Conservation, features a refuge pool and hunting pools. There are no permanent blinds. Hunters draw for hunting positions each day 11/2 hours before shooting time. Hunting is allowed only until 1 p.m. each day.
• SIZE: 5,036 acres.
• AGE: The Department of Conservation purchased its first acreage in 1980. It added other parcels in 1984, 1986 and 1994.
• FEATURES: Grand Pass often holds ducks later than some areas because of its proximity to the Missouri River. Once the marshes in the conservation area freeze, ducks can find open water on the river.
Hunting has been good at Grand Pass
By BRENT FRAZEE, The Kansas City Star
CARROLLTON, Mo. - A flock of mallards was bunched tightly in a crop field near the Grand Pass Conservation Area, feasting on the corn left over from the fall harvest.
Or at least, that's the way Ben Gibson wanted it to look.
He and his hunting partner, Melvin Hawkins, had put those "ducks" there -- 100 decoys on stakes.
They also placed two Mojo Ducks -- battery-operated so that their wings would spin -- in the middle of the spread to give the appearance that other mallards were landing.
Then they settled into their hiding place and hoped that the imitations would attract a few of the 95,000 ducks using the nearby public wetlands.
"We're just a half-mile from the refuge," said Gibson, a waterfowl guide, "and when the ducks fly out to feed, they'll give us a look.
"We've had some huge flocks in on us this fall. It really is a thrill to look up and see a couple hundred mallards locked up and trying to land in the decoys.
"The dog's shaking, I'm shaking... That's what duck hunting is all about."
Gibson, who operates the By-Pass guide service, was hoping to see something similar on this hunt.
He and three partners -- Hawkins, Ken White and I -- were at ground level, hiding in individual pits that Gibson had dug in the corn field. Corn stalk matting covered us, concealing us even more.
Even Gibson's black Lab, Hoss, was covered by the matting, patiently waiting for the ducks to show up.
"When it's as mild as it is today, a lot of times the ducks won't fly out to feed until the last hour of daylight," Gibson said. "And even then, they don't go as far.
"But that might help us here. We're not far from the refuge."
The hunters waited in silence for almost an hour, studying the horizon for signs of ducks. Then that silence was broken by the rush of wings overhead.
A second later, the flock of 30 mallards that had surprised the hunters suddenly came into sight. Duck calls began echoing through the still air and Hoss began to shake with excitement.
The mallards turned and circled, then cupped their wings and began to glide down.
But inexplicably, they thought better of coming in and simply drifted off.
"These late-season mallards can be hard to bring in," Gibson said with disappointment. "They've been hunted for a while and they get wary.
"It didn't look like those ducks flared. But something wasn't quite right."
Gibson sighed and added, "That's duck hunting."
But for every hunt where the ducks haven't cooperated, there have been plenty more where they have.
It's been a memorable season in the Missouri River bottoms, where Gibson has access to 4,000 acres of prime hunting ground.
The Grand Pass Conservation Area, a wetlands complex managed by the Missouri Department of Conservation, has attracted huge concentrations of mallards in the last two weeks. And hunters on public and private land alike have benefited.
Hiding everywhere from the edges of sloughs and marshes to the middle of cut crop fields, Gibson and his guide clients have taken 600 ducks this fall.
Gibson owes much of his success to location. He has hunted the Missouri River bottoms for much of his life and found memorable success there before Grand Pass was even built in the 1980s.
The area's drawing power became even greater when the state began managing for ducks, and Gibson decided to capitalize on that. He bought his first parcel of land and a flood-damaged farm house three years ago with the intentions of using it for his own recreation.
But when interest in waterfowl hunting in the area boomed, he decided to leave his family's funeral business and start a guide service.
He now owns 1,100 acres of land and three farm houses -- two of which he has turned into hunting clubhouses -- and leases another 3,000 acres. He guides for everything from deer to turkeys to river catfish. But waterfowl are the heart of his business.
In just his first full year of guiding, he has attracted hunters from as far away as Arizona and Chicago.
Some days might find him and his clients hiding in the cover along one of the shallow wetlands he has on his land.
Other days might find them hiding in a corn field that the ducks have been using as a dinner table.
And still other days might find them in a boat blind on the Missouri River, especially late in the season when much of the shallow water is frozen.
"You have to keep up on your scouting," said Gibson, 38, who lives so close to Grand Pass that he can hear the din created by the ducks and geese. "Sometimes they'll work a field for a week or so, then they'll move on. You have to stay current.
"And you have to play the wind. If you're not set up right for wind direction, you're wasting your time."
Grand Pass facts
Grand Pass ducks
• WHAT/WHERE: The Grand Pass Conservation Area is a prime resting place for migrating ducks and geese in Missouri. It is in the Missouri River bottoms in Saline County, five miles southwest of Miami.
• DRAWING POWER: Situated in the ducks' traditional flight path, Grand Pass annually attracts impressive concentrations of ducks. It has reached peak numbers of 100,000 or more ducks in recent years, and is holding more than 95,000 now.
• HUNTING: The conservation area, managed by the Missouri Department of Conservation, features a refuge pool and hunting pools. There are no permanent blinds. Hunters draw for hunting positions each day 11/2 hours before shooting time. Hunting is allowed only until 1 p.m. each day.
• SIZE: 5,036 acres.
• AGE: The Department of Conservation purchased its first acreage in 1980. It added other parcels in 1984, 1986 and 1994.
• FEATURES: Grand Pass often holds ducks later than some areas because of its proximity to the Missouri River. Once the marshes in the conservation area freeze, ducks can find open water on the river.
