For those of you who can control the water in their flooded fields and sloughs, when do you release your water. As of yesterday I have half a dozen or so mallards sitting in my flooded field. I'm guessing most ducks are starting to head north or will be soon if they haven't, excluding resident ducks.

Late spring typically

In southeast Texas a year or two ago, we started draining the flooded fields on the last day of duck season and had a slow drawdown just due to the size of the pipe and flow of the water. The number of bluewings still using the mudflats and shallow trapped water in early April was mind-boggling. I figured they would have been gone by mid march.

We don't drain our ponds since the droughts we have been getting make the water go away for us. I also do not like to throw away free water or already pumped water. That said we had blue wings into early may last year. We like to keep the table set and the birds around as much as possible.

Thanks fellas. I don't have the option not to drain. I still have more dirt to move to enlarge the project and I will need to get it planted in time for next season. I have ponds that I don't manipulate their water levels that hold water all year. I guess I will let the ducks tell me when to pull it.

Mid April at earliest. Let the migrating bluewings have a place to rest and feed.

This! I normally start pulling my gates in early May. Allows time to reseed before September, and also shows me where or if I need to add seed in August. If you have have flooded timber, you will need to pull water off about now. You dont want water on them in the spring when they start to bloom.

This! If you have flooded timber you want to water off while they are still dormant. We pulled our water off last weekend.

How'd your first season go up there? I got a few buddies that went up there and road the freeze line back around Christmas for several days, stayed on moving water. They wore 'em out, but I had work to do and couldn't go... of course.

I'll update my other thread. Been busy with work. We finally got water right at the end of season, but then it froze solid. We had birds, but never a big enough number where we felt comfortable hunting it as we wanted to imprint birds. We got that accomplished after season was over. I think on my buddy's original place we were at 450 birds for the entire season. I wasn't on everyone of those hunts but several of them.

How nerdy do you want to go? You can really manipulate the food available by pulling water off and catching some timely rain.

https://www.mdwfp.com/media/4095/wetlandmgtforwaterfowl.pdf

https://www.fws.gov/sites/default/files/documents/Wetland-Management-for-Waterfowl%202001.pdf

https://www.mdwfp.com/media/4078/moistsoilreport.pdf

Thanks for the links and info Jefe. Will definitely give them a read.