The coastland times. [volume] (Mnateo [i.e. Manteo], N.C.) 1947-1959, 1952-10-24
DUCKS, GEESE
ARRIVING PRIOR
TO Sc A SO N
By AYCOCK BROWN

winter feeding areas In the sounds
and marshes of Dare and other
northeast coastal counties this
week. Largest flights came early
this week when the temperature
dropped to freezing in northern
states and brought chilly north
west winds, which reached half
gale force at times, to the coast
of North Carolina.
Dare County with it's five sounds,
fresh water lower Currituck and
eastern Albemarle, brackish water
Croatan and Roanoke and salty
Pamlico, with numerous bays and
creeks: bordering thousands of
acres of marshlands, provides one
of the favorite feeding grounds
along the Atlantic Flyway of mi
gratory wildfowl.
By the time the season opens
for shooting next month, migra-
tory wildfowl will be plentiful in
Dare from the village of Duck
near Caffeys Inlet on lower Curri-
tuck Sound, southwark to the
shoals of Hatteras Inlet, and from
Roanoke Sound at Mays Head to
the Alligator River mouth of AL
bemarle Sound. 1t is that way
every year.
Already from Duck and Kitty
Hawk Bays have come reports of
large concentrations of geese
which may be killed during open
season with an increase in bag
limits this year to great f1ocks of
swan which will again enjoy COM
plete protection from hunters.
Woodson Midget in Duck village
stated this week that he had never
seen so many wildfowl in lower
Currituck, so early in the season.
Charles Williams, owner-manag-
er of Cape Hatteras Hotel in Avon
on the Outer Banks reported
plenty of duck along the shores of
Pamlico Sound south of Pea Island
National Wildlife Refuge. Ar
rangements for hunting in the
Pamlico Sound region near Avon
can be made through Williams, and
many other persons in the villages
of Hatteras Island including Scot
ty Gibson of Hatteras, George Full
Ter of Buxton, and others. Most
of the operators of year-around hos
tells and inns of Mays Head, Kitty
Hawk and Manteo will also make
arrangements for hunting guides
as the waterfowl season opens late
in November.
Pea Island Refuge
One place in Dare where migra-
tory wildfowl have absolute pro-
lection from hunters is in the Pea
Island National Wildlife Refuge
which extends along the Outer
Banks from Oregon Inlet south
ward to Rodanthe. Already there
is a great concentration of wild
fowl at this refuge, according to
L. B. Turner, its manager.
eve estimated that $4,000 ducks,
mostly pintails and widgeons, had
arrived at the refuge prior to the
current cool and windy weather,
which is bringing in additional
, fowl of different varieties daily"
said Turner.
The first swan, a total of seven,
reached the refuge on the week
end, but by Tuesday morning larg-
err fiocks of the largest of migra-
tory wildfowl were arriving in the
refuge area, according to Turner.
"Our week end count showed a
total of 800 Canadian geese" he
added. Actually the goose popu-
lation was not as great last year
as during some previous seasons.
A more popular feeding area for
Canada geese is the Mattamuskeet
Lake refuge on the Hyde MAIN
land" Turner stated.
Of the $4,000 ducks counted at
Pea Islsand they were mostly pin
tails and widgeons. Previously
there had been sizeable flocks of
blue and green winged teal at Pea
Island but most of those birds have
gone farther south which is their
custom. The mid-winter duck pop
ulation of Pea Island Refuge was
about $4,000 last year and in addi-
ton to Pintails and Widgeons,
consisted of black duck, shovellers,
ruddy ducks, some teal and few
mallards. The total Canada goose
count last year was 10000.
In recent years, not all ducks
See DUCK, Page Eight