10 Great Cities for Waterfowlers
Some of the nation's best waterfowling is only a short drive away from these metropolitan areas
By James Card
Sometimes I find myself daydreaming about living in a rustic cabin on the edge of a marsh that looks like a scene out of a Terry Redlin painting.
But like most waterfowlers, I live in a big city. It's where my job is. And contrary to the stereotypical notion that large urban areas are lacking in sporting opportunities, it's not too far from some darn good duck hunting.
I live in Memphis, home to DU's national headquarters and within a two-hour drive from some of the best waterfowling this country has to offer. Just across the Mississippi River is eastern Arkansas, renowned for its world-class flooded timber and rice fields, which attract mallards—and duck hunters—like magnets. To the north is Tennessee's storied Reelfoot Lake, where the duck hunting is almost as epic as the earthquake that formed this eerily beautiful body of water. And south into the Mississippi Delta are vast bottomland hardwood forests that each season host thousands of migrating and wintering waterfowl.
But the Bluff City is not alone; many other metropolitan areas are within reasonable driving distances from incredible waterfowling opportunities. Don't be surprised if you find your metropolis among the 10 profiled here (in no particular order) for the great diversity of ducks and geese flying just outside the city limits.
1. Seattle, Washington
There's no doubt that waterfowlers living in the Emerald City hunt in extraordinary surroundings. Puget Sound is framed by the Olympic mountain range to the west and the Cascades to the east. Popular waterfowl hunting areas near Seattle include Skagit and Padilla bays and the Nisqually River Delta.
"The greater Puget Sound area is blessed with waterfowl hunting as varied as anywhere in the nation. Opportunities for light and dark geese, puddle ducks, divers, brant, and even sea ducks exist for those who put in the time to scout and get to know a specific area," says DU regional director John Tierney.
Seattle-based waterfowlers also have the unique opportunity to bag a harlequin duck, which is considered to be a bona fide trophy among local hunters. Gunning for Pacific brant is another unique hunting opportunity for waterfowlers living in western Washington. Padilla Bay holds the largest wintering population of these birds north of Mexico.
