FWC offers free duck hunting workshop
FWC offers free duck hunting workshop
Waterfowl hunting may well be one of Florida’s best kept secrets. Wetlands cover vast expanses of the state, and much of this habitat is open and available to the public for duck hunting.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) wants to help open up the world of duck hunting, to newcomers to the state or anyone else interested in the sport, by holding its free waterfowl hunting workshop on Saturday, Oct. 25, from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. in Palm Bay.
The popular workshop will cover all the basics and more: hunting ethics, waterfowl identification, waterfowl organizations and associations, places to hunt, decoys and patterns, shotguns and ammunition, boats and motors, clothing and camouflage, and retriever training and handling.
Large numbers of migratory ducks winter here, including ring-necked ducks, scaup, teal, wood ducks and wigeons. In addition, the state has four species of year-round resident ducks: mottled ducks (also called Florida ducks), wood ducks, black-bellied whistling-ducks, and fulvous whistling-ducks.
Because of the easy access to hunting areas and a hunter harvest success rate that is nearly double the national average, Florida is simply a great place to hunt ducks.
Instructors for the workshop are FWC waterfowl biologist Ron Bielefeld and Florida Ducks Unlimited state council and conservation chair Capt. Jeff Kraynik.
"This is an interactive workshop for both new and experienced duck hunters," Bielefeld said. "Our goal is to exchange information and experiences and learn from each other."
The workshop will be at the St. Johns River Water Management District Office, 525 Community College Parkway SE, Palm Bay.
Sponsors are Featherflage Camo, Hi-Viz Sights, Dokken Deadfowl Trainers and Rehydrate Tablets.
For more information, call Bielefeld at 772-388-9880 or Kraynik at 321-725-3456.
