EVERYTHING'S DUCKY SEASON OPENS AMID HIGH EXPECTATIONS FOR HUNTERS.

Byline: Jim Niemiec Special to the Daily News

NILAND - The hatch in the Pacific Northwest and into Canada was above average for most species of ducks, which is good news for hunters with the Oct. 23 season opener approaching.

Ducks Unlimited biologists and the staff of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service predict hunters could see more ducks in the sky this fall. The numbers will depend on whether there is enough storm activity to kick the millions of birds out of the Columbia Basin, which is a traditional stopping-over spot along this flyway.

Sprig, teal and gadwall have started arriving at Wister Wildlife Refuge on the edges of the Salton Sea and it looks like good duck shooting is on tap for wing shooters who luck out on drawing a site that has ponded fresh water.

``We did a lot of work with the ponds and cover this summer and it should result in better duck shooting on the refuge,'' said Adolfo Hernandez, habitat supervisor for the state-managed wildlife refuge. The staff at Wister also planted crops to feed the ducks and this should mix well with natural feed found on the popular refuge.

Wister operates on an advance reservation program with hunters applying for permits through a mail-in request form. Hunters are advised of their draw number at least 10 days before each shoot day, which are Saturday, Sunday and Wednesday. Hunters showing up at the refuge check in station on Davis Road, off State Highway 111, without a reservation number will be allowed to participate in the ``sweat line'' and hope that there will be an open blind with water after the reservation list has picked their shooting spots.

Decoys and good calling are effective in bringing ducks to within shotgun range at Wister. But even more importantly for a successful day in the duck blind at this refuge is to plan on arriving the day before the hunt and watch the evening flight of ducks to determine which area might be good in the morning.

Duck hunting clubs around Wister also report new flights of birds arriving daily, which is building bigger numbers of birds when they settle in with locally hatched mallards and teal. There are a lot of young birds reported on fresh water ponds, which could be an indication of an early migration for the first fall flights coming into Southern California.

Veteran waterfowl hunter Frank Theodoropoulos hunts at the River Ranch Duck Club east of Niland and reported seeing lots of new birds on the ponds.

``It looks like this could be a banner year for puddle ducks and hopefully snow geese,'' Theodoropoulos said.

Good duck hunting also is available for the general shooting public at the San Jacinto Wildlife Refuge located near Lakeview. The refuge consists of 10,000 acres, including 600 acres of wetlands. The refuge offers good gunning out of 35 hunt sites that are well illustrated on a map at the Davis Road check-in station.

Greenwing teal make up the bulk of the birds bagged at San Jacinto, followed by mallards, gadwall, a few sprig and some divers on the bigger open water ponds.

Some of the more productive shooting sites pinpointed by refuge manager Tom Paulek include E ponds, island blinds in area B-2 and most of the blinds in units C and D. According to Paulek all of these areas are associated with open water, which seems to be the main reason birds are attracted to this refuge.

A good habitat program has been in place for years and there are plenty of native crops to keep ducks around for the bulk of the waterfowl season.

San Jacinto allows duck hunting all day on Wednesday and Saturday and operates on an advance-reservation system. The refuge is seldom full except for opening day and hunters can usually set up under a pretty good flyway without having an advance reservation on Wednesdays. Check-in time is two hours before shooting time and the refuge does not offer overnight camping or bird-cleaning facilities.

Hunting on Lake Perris, which is a State Park, is under the control of the San Jacinto Wildlife Refuge. There are 10 sites along the southeast shoreline of the lake that are open to hunting. Access to these gunning spots are by boat and motor with most waterfowlers using lots of camo and a good decoy spread to gets ducks to come within shotgun range.

Hunters need to line up in parking lots 11 and 12 with hunting spots taken on a first-to-arrive basis at least two hours before legal shooting hours. There is a daily use and boat-launch fee when hunting Lake Perris.

Prado Basin offers consistent duck shooting all season long. The basin has been a stopping-off point for ducks flying the Pacific Flyway since Prado Dam was completed in the early 1940s.

Last season the hottest shooting public wildlife refuge in the southern portion of the Pacific flyway was the Kern National Wildlife Refuge, which is located near Delano at the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley.

The refuge had one of the highest per-gun averages last season and according to refuge manager, David Hardt, this year could be better.

``This refuge is the only game in town for birds coming this far south in the valley. We will be shooting over 3,000 acres of prime wetlands habitat, there is plenty of feed, lots of open water and the ducks just like this refuge,'' Hardt said.

Kern operates on an advance-reservation system shooting on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday. There are no camping facilities, but hunters are permitted to sleep in their RVs or SUVs while waiting for the check-in station to open.

Hunters with reservations should plan to arrive at the refuge at least 2 1/2 hours before shoot time. Weekends are busy, but Wednesday most hunters in the ``sweat line'' can pick a decent shooting blind.

Duck hunting was so good last year that hunters were lined up to get to hot blinds after the morning shoot. Some of the better shooting spots on the refuge include Units 1 and 2, which are free-roam areas, and especially area 2a, which shoots well on most days.

Some areas along the dikes require a boat to access or at least high chest waders with a tight wading belt, but most all of the shooting sites are easily accessible for hunting parties. This popular refuge will have a recorded message [phone] on hunting conditions and the number of birds harvested after each shoot day.

IF YOU HUNT

--Duck hunting in the Southern California zone ends Jan. 30.

--The daily bag limit is seven ducks but no more than two female mallards and one pintail.

--There is a split season for pintail ducks - Oct. 23-31 and Dec. 2-Jan. 30.

--Hunters must have a signed federal waterfowl stamp and a state waterfowl stamp on their license.

-- For information on rules and regulations for duck season, call the regional Department of Fish and Game office in Chino Hills at [phone].

-- For more information on hunting Wister Wildlife Refuge, Finney-Ramer or Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge, call [phone].

For details on hunting San Jacinto, call the refuge office at [phone].

--Private hunt clubs include Raahauge's Duck Club [phone], which shoots on over 600 acres of flooded ponds covered in tules. The bulk of the birds shot on this popular club's site consist of teal, mallards, widgeon, sprig, spoonies and wood ducks along with an occasional diving duck.

Shooting days are Saturday, Sunday and Wednesday and hunters need to arrive at least 1 1/2 hours before shoot time. There is a special program for youth hunters with those under age 16, when accompanied by an adult hunter, can hunt for free in the same blind on any Sunday during the season.

The Splatter S Duck Club [phone], is located in Prado Basin. The club is under the stewardship of the Riverside County Flyway Foundation and is managed by members of the Foundation. The club works with conservation groups, youth education programs and habitat enhancement projects throughout the season. For advance reservations call [phone].

CAPTION(S):

3 photos, box

Photo:

(1 -- 2) At right, a duck-hunting dog takes a break. The dog is sure to be busier come Oct. 23 on the opening day of the duck hunting season. Below, Ray Brown of Los Angeles bagged his limit of puddle ducks while gunning in Prado Basin last fall. Good flights of ducks are expected to fly through the southern portion of the Pacific flyway this season.

(3) A group of ducks soar through the air last fall. Duck hunting season begins on Oct. 23.

Jim Niemiec/Special to the Daily News

Box:

IF YOU HUNT (see text)