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What to plant for ducks #7164126 05/08/18 08:42 PM
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TXCrossTimbers Offline OP
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We have dug a new pond, mainly for bass fishing, but also to hunt ducks over. Are there any plants that double as good fish cover as well as waterfowl forage?


Re: What to plant for ducks [Re: TXCrossTimbers] #7164148 05/08/18 09:06 PM
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Not really. The requirements for each species are pretty different. You want a very shallow impoundment ideally for ducks which aren't usually great for bass. For bass you are better off with a pond with deep banks which don't promote shallow grass growth so you can fertilize your pond to get the optimal amount of forage fish.

You maybe better off building a shallow area adjacent to your fishing tank so that way you can pump water from the deeper fishing tank into your duck impoundment for the hunting season.

Re: What to plant for ducks [Re: TXCrossTimbers] #7164301 05/08/18 11:21 PM
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Duckweed if you know how to keep up with it after a few years. And plant Millet and Pennsylvania smartweed in “spots” along the bank. Your bluegill with eat some of the duckweed and all fish will use it as shade.



Re: What to plant for ducks [Re: TXCrossTimbers] #7164896 05/09/18 03:48 PM
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I have or have access to 13 tanks they all have duck weed all 13 tanks hold birds and the birds I clean all have snails in the crawl


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Re: What to plant for ducks [Re: TXCrossTimbers] #7164905 05/09/18 03:58 PM
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Duck weed is good. Ducks will eat hydrilla and provide cover for bass.

Gadwall and widgeon will hammer the heck out of sago and american pond weed. Not sure about that as bass cover tho.


Re: What to plant for ducks [Re: TXCrossTimbers] #7165750 05/10/18 02:32 PM
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anything that will make a seed will be better than nothing, if you have a shallow side or two that will fluctuate some in the summer anyway. Hand throw millet seed out in the shiny wet looking mud as it dries every weekend or every other weekend starting end of july. But as far as aquatics, i would lean more towards wigeon grass instead of duckweed. wigeon grass is beneficial for fish in a sense. Duckweed would be better for ducks, but if the water/dirt is rich enough, duckweed can mat up thick enough that it can mess up the water, and your fish. Divers will eat snails all season, but all ducks(especially hens) will begin to consume snails late in the season to get right for nesting purposes.

Re: What to plant for ducks [Re: TXCrossTimbers] #7165755 05/10/18 02:36 PM
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Yep we use Duckweed!

Re: What to plant for ducks [Re: bentman] #7165777 05/10/18 02:53 PM
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Originally Posted By: bentman
I have or have access to 13 tanks they all have duck weed all 13 tanks hold birds and the birds I clean all have snails in the crawl


This. You don’t necessarily have to plant something that produces a seed head for ducks. A lot of underwater vegetation will indirectly provide a food source, such as snails. Granted, a shallow tank that you have water control of planted with millet, rice, BYG, etc. would be a better option for ducks. One of the tanks I hunt has hydrilla and the ducks were constantly foraging for snails. Widgeon, greys, mallards, etc. I think the only species I didn’t shoot off of that tank this year was a redhead (besides the odd balls).

Re: What to plant for ducks [Re: TXCrossTimbers] #7165990 05/10/18 06:52 PM
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Originally Posted By: TXCrossTimbers
We have dug a new pond, mainly for bass fishing, but also to hunt ducks over. Are there any plants that double as good fish cover as well as waterfowl forage?


I'm sure like most ponds it will have a shallower end opposite the dam. During low water periods you can broadcast the millet by hand and then blend the duckweed toward the deeper water (out to about 6-7 feet. Anything deeper than that and hydrilla will work, but you run the risk of choking out the duckweed. I've hunted ponds that had fantastic fishing and hold good ducks... so long as the pond was designed right and has a large shallow flat on the upper end with plenty of bank cover.

Re: What to plant for ducks [Re: TXCrossTimbers] #7167671 05/12/18 05:57 AM
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Also consider shallow water gets warm faster and will heat up your pond faster.

Re: What to plant for ducks [Re: TXCrossTimbers] #7167866 05/12/18 03:17 PM
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Do not put any dye in your tank it stops duck weed from growing


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