Early tilling creates problems for duck season

Tuesday, our Northern Zone duck hunting came to a close. This year we made it through the whole 60-day season with hardly a freeze over. In years past, the thermometer took a dip as early as Thanksgiving and even though the 60-day season sounds good on paper, we probably didn't get more than 30 due to ice.

The mild weather did however cause other problems. This year, the farmers got into the fields after harvest and were successful in getting their tilling done early. This caused some ducks who would normally stay here longer to fly on south. My friends and I spent some plus and minus days in the blinds. We don't know how long we have to wait, but you have to put the time in to harvest the ducks.

The Central Zone continues until Dec 22. Snow geese continues through Jan.14.

Dec. 6 saw the seven-day deer shotgun season come to an end. Weather, fall farming, and some enthusiastic hunters saw the totals surpass 2014 by a sizable margin. Last year in Bureau County, we harvested 1,029 whitetails. This year, almost 100 more at 1,027.

The state figures rose from 76,575 in 2014 to 86,771 in 2015. We still have muzzle-loading season left to add to the total.

Mark your calendars for Jan. 22, because you won't want to miss the annual National Wild Turkey Federation's annual banquet. The local chapter, the Bureau Creek Gobblers, will again put on a fancy spread along with great raffle and auction items. More details in my next column.

Looking ahead quite a bit, I did receive the dates for the Illinois River Classic which is the big walleye tournament we all look forward to each spring. The dates are April 2-3.

I'm a little late with this, but congratulations to the Tiger football team. You provided us with many great thrills and we are proud of you. Thank you!

Lee Wahlgren is the BCR Outdoor Columnist. Contact him at pdub52@gmail.com.