Page 30 - Waterfowl

Right: Wood Ducks, found in all Missouri counties, are the most common duck species nesting in the state.
Courtesy, Missouri Department of Conservation.
Below: Canada Geese historically nested in much of the state. Their numbers were greatly reduced until restoration efforts began in the 1950s.
Pen and ink drawing by C. W. Schwartz. Courtesy, Missouri Department of Conservation.
Missouri is not a major waterfowl production state. Wood Ducks and Canada Geese are exceptions. Wood Ducks nest throughout the state and serve as an example of how science-based management can secure the status of waterfowl. During the nineteenth
century, Wood Duck populations were nearly eliminated throughout their range due to habitat destruction and indiscriminant, year long hunting. Both factors were in play in Missouri. By international treaty, hunting
of Wood Ducks was prohibited in North America from 1916 to 1940. Since that time, harvest has been carefully regulated
and habitats have been improved. Missouri helped lead research that provided the scientific foundation for
recovery of this species. Today, Wood Ducks are found in every county and they are very important in
Missouri’s waterfowl harvest.
Canada Geese nested in Missouri prior to
settlement. However, their numbers declined and, with the possible exception of an area along the lower
Missouri River, breeding Canada Geese likely were extirpated from the state. The birds nesting in Missouri
are Giant Canada Geese, one of seven recognized subspecies. Through reintroduction beginning in the
1950s, habitat improvements, and harvest controls, nesting populations of Canada Geese have been restored. Again, Missouri was a leader in these restoration efforts, conducting critical research as
well as providing birds to other states to bolster their populations.
People Will Determine the Future
In 1968, Baba Dioum, a Senegalese poet, speaking to the general assembly of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, said, “In the end, we will conserve only
28 Waterfowl Hunting and Wetland Conservation in Missouri