Get the jump on woodies

Rivers, streams across South Carolina are duck havens

Two things you’ll find in abundance across South Carolina are wood ducks and flowing waterways. Add a stable, low-profile kayak, a shotgun and a box of non-toxic shot and you’ve got the makings of a fine November outing, floating a river, jump-shooting woodies. Setting up a float trip is a matter of doing some homework, negotiating arrangements with a buddy, and making adequate preparation.

The rivers and creeks that flow across South Carolina can be broken down into three basic categories. Each one floats different and each one hunts a little bit differently.

• Upstate. In general, rivers and creeks above the fall line — which runs diagonally from the eastern edge of Lancaster County to the southern boundary of Edgefield County — tend to be narrower, shallower and are comprised of more shoals and rapids the further north you travel.

• Midlands. Midlands rivers flow between the fall line and the outer coastal plain. They are characterized by wider, deeper passages that may flow through swampy terrain.

• Coastal. Coastal waterways tend to favor Midland waterways in makeup, although much wider and deeper as they make their way to the ocean. The biggest consideration for paddlers is tidal fluctuations that effect and may even reverse the flow of water in coastal rivers.

Wood ducks will be found along the bulk of these waterways, particularly where they flow through forested hardwood areas. Wood ducks are primarily a freshwater species, often found in brackish marshes but rarely in saltmarshes or the open ocean. Their primary fall forage consists of smaller mast crops such as acorns from water oaks, pin oaks and live oaks and a number of moist-soil plant seeds.

In the extreme north and western areas of the state, rivers tend to flow from shoals to rapids with little room left for float hunting. Afterwards, rocky stretches that will require porting or pulling the boat across shoals start to diminish. In any area that’s floated from a kayak or small boat, it’s advisable to wear chest waders, both for warmth and in the likely event you’ll have to port the boat and wade at some point.

Rivers above the fall line, such as the Broad, Enoree and Rocky, tend to be more narrow, allowing the jump shooter to paddle the middle of the channel and hug the insides of bends in hopes of surprising small bands of ducks. The further south and east you travel, the rivers will widen.

Logistically speaking, floating rivers will require you and at least one other hunter, to float together. One vehicle is dropped downriver at the takeout, while the other vehicle transports the hunters to the launch site. The arrangement can be two hunters in a tandem boat, if there’s sufficient water, or in separate boats. The tandem boat has more appeal for Upstate hunters, allowing the shooter to ride in the front while the paddler mans the rear. Logjams have a way of showing up at the most inopportune times — just as a flock of woodies flushes. Having a separate paddler and shooter helps avoid trouble. The pair can swap up after an allotted time or after each volley.

Midlands rivers, such as the Pee Dee, Congaree and upper Edisto may widen enough to allow boats to work side-by-side, one working the right bank while the other works the left bank without crossing fields of fire.

Coastal rivers such as the Santee, Cooper and Combahee, where tidal influence dictates water flow, may allow a single hunter to float with the current, then paddle back, at much reduced effort, on an incoming tide.

Think of floating a river as hunting from a moving blind. Some hunters stack native vegetation on the front of the kayak for concealment, while others rely on the element of surprise. In either case, hunters should be aware of riparian rights in the area they’re hunting. Navigable water is typically considered public domain, but the bottom of the river and the land on either side may be private and can’t be accessed without trespassing. Knowing this, along with waterfowl regulations that apply, makes for a much more enjoyable day of Palmetto Paddling.

Do wood ducks migrate?
Understanding seasonal wood duck migrations has provided more of a challenge to waterfowl managers than accounting for other migratory duck species. It is generally understood that wood ducks rear heavily in the northeastern United States and Canada but also show a strong tendency toward year round residency in some states along the Atlantic flyway.

Wood ducks females exhibit what biologists refer to as a philopatric response when breeding and rearing young. This means that females show a preference to remaining in or returning to the area where they themselves were reared, similar to spawning salmon. Because males take the female’s lead in seasonal migrations, it’s not uncommon to have a local hometown boy take up with a Yankee girl that’s retreating from a winter snowstorm up north, and follow her home the following spring. It’s this pattern that biologist believe explains why wood duck band returns often counter normal migrational patterns of other duck species.