The Dix WMA offers 2,643 acres of prime marshes, streams and bay front hunting. It was purchased in 1962 with federal aid to wildlife funds and added to under the Green Acres Program.

Middle Marsh Creek and Division Creek are the main areas for hunting out of duck boats. Sneakboxes make an excellent hunting base for the tidal marshes where the water drops several feet between high and low tides, especially at full and new moon.

Dix offers one of the best mixes of ducks and geese of any wildlife management area. Throughout the fall, both migrating and resident birds are available to hunters, with black ducks, mallards, pintails and Canada and snow geese making up the bulk of the birds found in the marshes. It's also not uncommon to find green-winged teal mixed in with the birds during October and early November.

Port Republic WMA
As mentioned earlier, the Garden State has some of the best duck hunting to be found along the East Coast. One of the prime spots is the 930-acre Port Republic Wildlife Management Area in Atlantic County.

While it's not the biggest WMA where waterfowl hunting is the mainstay, what it lacks in size it makes up for in quality hunting. Acquired in 1962, it is part of the Mullica River drainage system. Its salt marshes usually contain lots of black ducks and teal, especially during October and November. Brant frequent the WMA on a regular basis in the late fall. This WMA offers excellent hunting from a duck boat, and several boat launches are located close by.

MARYLAND
With the exception of black ducks, Maryland's populations of waterfowl have remained steady and are in excellent shape. The Eastern Shore has a well-deserved reputation. With its miles of bay shoreline and coastal marshes, it is a wintering ground for huge populations of ducks and geese.

This part of Maryland's shoreline is a legendary stopping-over spot along the Atlantic Flyway. Each year, an estimated 500,000 Canada geese, and 200,000 snow geese touch down on Maryland's waters, marshes and coastal wetlands. Throw in 85,000 to 90,000 resident birds, and waterfowlers have 800,000 targets to aim their 12-gauges at. While the numbers of migrating birds may vary slightly because of conditions and migrating numbers on any given year, no doubt Maryland's Eastern Shore is a waterfowlers' paradise.

When it comes to the duck numbers, according to the January 2007 survey, mallard populations are at 34,764 birds -- an increase of 2,000-plus birds from the survey taken in January of 2006. Breeding areas saw some better weather conditions, and this led to better numbers of birds in the state's marshes.

Black duck numbers have been up and down for the last several years. While their numbers are now better than last year's, they are still below the 10-year average.

Gunpowder Falls State Park Located in Baltimore County on the Chesapeake Bay, the 18,000 acres of Gunpowder Falls SP have lots to offer waterfowl hunters. Hunting blind sites in the Days Cove Area and Hart-Miller Island are operated by Gunpowder Falls State Park.

Public boat ramps are located at Mariner's Point Park in Joppatowne, Bowerman's Marina and the Dundee Creek Marina. The Hart-Miller Island can be reached from marinas in the Edgemere area.

A boat is necessary to reach all blind sites. Hunters must reserve blind sites no more than five days in advance at the Hammerman Area office.

Days Cove sites are located at the confluence of the Little Gunpowder and Gunpowder Falls, Maryland's only true river delta, with sinuous creeks and backwaters. A variety of wetland vegetation provides optimum waterfowl habitat.

Hart-Miller Island is located in open water of Chesapeake Bay. Nearby dredge ponds support vast numbers of waterfowl, both resident and migratory on a seasonal basis. Abundant wetland vegetation provides excellent waterfowl habitat for Canada geese, mallards, wood ducks, mergansers, teal and some less common species such as shovelers.

For more information on Gunpowder Falls State Park and the hunting there, call (410) 592-2897.

South Marsh Island WMA
This 3,000-acre island, located within Chesapeake Bay, is entirely comprised of marshlands, punctuated by ponds and creeks. It is ideal for hunting from a small flat-bottomed boat, sneak box or canoe. A good number of hunters will also wade to hunt off some of the small islands.

Most of the waterfowl here are gadwalls, black ducks, mallards, scaup and Canada geese, with both resident and migratory birds being present during the fall season.

South Marsh Island WMA is located in western Somerset County. Access is by boat only. Public ramps are available at Deal Island via state Route (SR) 363 and Crisfield via SR 413. Access both of these roads from U.S. Route 13. For additional information on South Marsh Island and the hunting there, contact the Wellington Wildlife Office at (410) 543-8223.