"It was pretty spectacular. The birds worked in close very well. And since it was in the Pacific Flyway, it was the first time in my life that I ever shot a seven-drake mallard limit," he said.

Admittedly, gaining access to such spring-creek shooting wonderlands can be a tough problem, often solved only through a blood relative possessing a fistful of gate keys, the invitation of a good friend, or a willingness to hunt with a guide or an outfitter.

But according to Renner, that doesn't leave the Montana hunter lacking any spring-creek access up a late-season waterfowling creek -- if you'll pardon the pun.

"Any of the rivers with some open water in them during that time period will have some fair waterfowl shooting," he said.

Which rivers? Renner says to just pick one -- they can all be good at this time of the year. When pressed, however, he admits the Missouri, the Yellowstone and the Bighorn rivers stand out in his mind.

"The Missouri can be pretty good between Great Falls and Helena, and then on below Helena," Renner said.

"It's a flatter river, which begins turning into more of a prairie river. The valleys of Montana are pretty broad, so you don't have a lot of really boiling water in these rivers. And that's why the ducks are there."

He suggests that hunters also pay attention to the Missouri's nearby aquatic cousins, including the Gallatin, the Madison and the Jefferson rivers.

"There's some pretty good hunting along those rivers too," said Renner. "Some of the best areas off those rivers can be discovered by finding some of the spring creeks that come into them -- places where you might have some backwater eddies or flat water."

A second major river system to consider is the free-flowing Yellowstone River.

"It's similar to the Missouri, in that it comes out of the mountains," Renner said. "I'd say that the best hunting on the Yellowstone is probably from Big Timber east to Glendive. That's a big stretch of water, but it probably holds the most waterfowl, since there are more nearby irrigated corn fields."

A third primary river system the DU biologist points to is the Bighorn River.

"It comes out of the Bighorn Mountains and comes out into the prairie, so there's some pretty fair duck hunting out there," Renner explained. "And there are some good agricultural crops in the area, pretty much the same crops as in other areas -- like wheat, barley and a fair amount of irrigated corn."

IDAHO
Don Thomas and Randy Renner aren't the only hunters who enjoy the sheer beauty and spectacular gunning that a late-season waterfowl outing can provide.

From his Sacramento, California, office, Ducks Unlimited regional biologist Jeff McCreary, a former Idaho resident, carries his own memories of late-season gunning, particularly on the rugged Snake River.

"It's amazing," McCreary said. "This canyon is not very wide at all. It's actually relatively narrow, and the birds are cruising up and down the river below the lip of the canyon."

McCreary says that when hunting the Snake, you often hear the birds long before you see them.