DUCK COUNTS BELOW AVERAGE FOR NOW THREE AREAS REPORT AT MOST 1.5 PER HUNTER.

Byline: Randy van Vliet Special to the Daily News Now

Now that duck hunting season is in full swing, most of the avid duck hunters will be looking to the Northwest for some cold, wet weather to arrive. Until then, the duck counts at the local refuges will continue to be below the averages to which most hunters have become accustomed.

Here is a roundup of three of my favorite areas in which to hunt ducks:

--At Mendota, Jaclynne Smith reported that there were 174 hunters Saturday. A total of 254 ducks were taken for a 1.46 bird average per hunter. The top three species were 82 mallard, followed by 62 green-winged teal and 22 shovelers. There were two geese taken, one a cackler, the other a Ross'. Smith said that hunts usually start picking up by about Thanksgiving at Mendota.

--At Kern National Wildlife Refuge, averages were about the same as those at Mendota, according to Karry Espinoza. Forty-one hunters took 61 ducks for a 1.50 average. Shovelers were in the lead, with 26 being taken, followed by 10 gadwall and six pintail. Espinoza said that pheasant hunting also will be allowed during duck hunting starting Nov. 10, so plan on plenty of duck hunters sharing the area with the pheasant hunters. No pheasant are stocked at Kern with the limit being two roosters on opening day.

--At Wister, which is southeast of Los Angeles on the edge of the Salton Sea, Cecilia Redondo of the Department of Fish and Game said 169 hunters bagged 107 ducks last Saturday. Top bird was the pintail (38), followed by 27 green-winged teal and eight gadwall and shovelers. Ten geese were taken - eight snow geese and two Ross'.