Unless you are hunting an MLD 3 property, deer season has pretty much come and gone in most parts of Texas. All but the most hardcore bass fishermen are laid up waiting for February and March, and most other outdoorsmen are still playing catch up from the holidays.

However if you are a duck hunter, there are still a few weeks of magic remaining in the season. I encourage you to make the most of these final opportunities because it will be over nine months before you get to try again.

Personally, I’ve been a duck hunter ever since I was 9 years old and I’ve always seemed to prefer late season hunting over the early season. My preference doesn’t even really have that much to do with the number of birds on my strap. As a matter of fact, the early season actually seems to produce more ducks than the second half in most cases. This has especially been the case for most of my hunting on the Gulf Coast. Even though I kill more ducks in November, I still choose January as my all time favorite month to hunt ducks.

Below are some of the reasons I love duck hunting in January:

1. January just feels like duck season

I’m not sure exactly why, but for some reason, the colder it gets, the more it feels like duck hunting weather.  I have spent countless hours reading the duck hunting tales of Gordon MacQuarrie. In each of the stories, the characters seem to brave the elements, fighting through cold and rain, to kill waterfowl. These stories created an image in my mind of the perfect duck weather, and it is the kind that usually doesn’t show up until January.  Ever since I was a young boy it seemed to me that if it was cold and drizzling, or maybe just misting rain, I should be somewhere in a duck blind.

2. The alligators move slower or not at all
As a professional duck dog trainer, I have always had a healthy respect for alligators. I feel like having a client dog eaten by a hungry old gator would be bad for business to say the least.  Although I have never personally seen a dog attacked by a gator, I have seen a big gator cruise full speed across a pond in pursuit of one.  Luckily, the dog was obedient and got out of the water and back in the truck quickly. This is one-time obedience really paid off for me and the dog!

By the time January arrives, most gators have slowed down and are in some form of hibernation.  If they are not, then they are at least more sluggish than they would be in September during the early teal season.

3. No more stinking bugs!

Finally a break from all of the bugs.  As long as we don’t have an unseasonably warm year, most of the biting flies and mosquitos have disappeared for a while. January is the one month of duck season that I get to save on Deep Woods Off! and Thermacell fillers. It makes it so nice to hunt when the bugs are absent.

4. Cold weather separates the men from the boys (and the tough girls from the girly girls)

The truth is that once the mercury dips below 32 and a strong north wind howls through the prairies, only those who are the toughest remain. The softer hunters seem to find excuses this time of year, or all of a sudden they get busy with other things. (I know because I have been guilty of this as I get older). These extreme conditions open up public grounds and reduce the pressure. Often those who have made reservations at the call in ponds simply don’t show.

5. I get to wear all of my duck hunting clothes 

As a duck hunter, I have become a gear junky. This is especially true when it comes to hunting clothing. The problem is that I live in a part of the country that stays warm most of the year. With a little bit of luck, it will get cold enough in January for me to wear my fancy garbs. I can try out gloves, face masks, merino wool socks, base layers, and even use the liner in my hunting parka.  Best of all I get to wear my fur lined trapper hat!

6. The ducks are prettier in January

There is an old country and western song that was sung by Mickey Gilley called “The Girls All Get Prettier at Closing Time.” I’ve never been one to hang out at the clubs so I can’t tell you for sure if that is true, but I can tell you that ducks get prettier in late season. In fact, the closer it gets to mating time, the prettier a ducks plumage will be. If you want a great duck for the trophy room, your odds are best in January.

At the time of this article, it is mid-January and my alarm is set. I will be going out early in the morning with my son and my friends in pursuit of waterfowl.

I consider myself very blessed by God to be able to enjoy hunting these amazing creatures he created. With only two weeks remaining in the season, I hope you will bundle up and go enjoy this incredible sport we call duck hunting. Remember any day you get to spend hunting is a great day, even if there is ice in your beard.

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Brian Johnson, originally of Port Neches, is pastor of the Outdoorsman’s Church in Winnie, owner of DuckDogTrainer.com and outdoors writer for The News.