States that shoot the most ducks
Most Common Species Harvested Per State
Summary and Interesting Findings
Prior to conducting my research, I knew some states harvested more ducks than others. I was interested to see which ones shoot the most, the least, and to what extent the differences are. Some of my findings weren’t surprising, but others taught me quite a bit.
While looking into the numbers, I also discovered data showing which species were more commonly harvested than others. There were some very interesting results that I think are worth sharing as well.
*I wanted to make sure and use the most accurate and reliable harvest information available, so I referred to the most recent Fish and Wildlife Service survey to report my findings. (See the bottom of the page for a link to their database.)
Which States Shoot the Most Ducks
The 3 states in the Mississippi Flyway that shoot the most ducks are:
- Arkansas: Ducks Harvested: 1,091,000
- Louisiana: Ducks Harvested: 572,400
- Minnesota: Ducks Harvested: 445,100
Ducks harvested per state in the Mississippi Flyway
| State | Ducks Harvested | % of Flyway |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 69,300 | 1.66% |
| Arkansas | 1,091,000 | 26.15% |
| Illinois | 328,000 | 7.86% |
| Indiana | 81,400 | 1.95% |
| Iowa | 127,699 | 3.06% |
| Kentucky | 82,500 | 1.98% |
| Louisiana | 572,400 | 13.72% |
| Michigan | 235,300 | 5.64% |
| Minnesota | 445,100 | 10.67% |
| Mississippi | 201,100 | 4.82% |
| Missouri | 273,600 | 6.56% |
| Ohio | 112,700 | 2.70% |
| Tennessee | 186,700 | 4.47% |
| Wisconsin | 365,300 | 8.76% |
| FLYWAY TOTAL | 4,172,100 |
While conducting my research, I found that Arkansas clearly shoots more ducks than any other state. In fact, they harvest almost twice as many ducks per year than Louisiana which is in second place, and two and a half times as many as Minnesota which is in third.
The 3 states that shoot the fewest ducks:
- Alabama
- Indiana
- Kentucky
These three states make up just over 5% of the total number of ducks shot in the Mississippi flyway.
What are the most common ducks harvested in the Mississippi Flyway
The 3 most common ducks shot in the Mississippi Flyway are:
- Mallard
- Gadwall
- Wood Duck
Ducks Harvested per species in the Mississippi Flyway
| Species | Ducks Harvested | % of Flyway |
|---|---|---|
| Mallard | 1,454,937 | 34.87% |
| Gadwall | 537,060 | 12.87% |
| Green-Winged Teal | 435,290 | 10.43% |
| Blue-Winged Teal | 383,088 | 9.18% |
| Shoveler | 141,962 | 3.40% |
| Pintail | 74,589 | 1.79% |
| Wood Duck | 488,166 | 11.70% |
| Redhead | 52,298 | 1.25% |
| Canvasback | 29,990 | 0.72% |
| Scaup | 98,102 | 2.35% |
| Ringed-Neck | 174,603 | 4.19% |
| Other Ducks | 302,015 | 7.24% |
| Flyway Total | 4,172,100 |
My research uncovered that Mallards are by far the most harvested ducks in the Mississippi Flyway. While that’s not overly surprising, I didn’t realize they represent more than two thirds of all species. The next three most common are Gadwalls, Wood Ducks, and Green-Winged Teal, with a less than 3% difference between them.
When evaluating diving ducks, I found the most common species was Ring-necks, and there was little difference in harvest numbers between the top 3 species.
The 3 least common ducks harvested in the Mississippi Flyway are:
- Canvasback
- Redhead
- Pintail
Most common species harvested per state:
Alabama:
| Wood Duck | 29,390 |
| Gadwall | 11,681 |
| Mallard | 9,043 |
Arkansas:
| Mallard | 509,879 |
| Gadwall | 213,397 |
| Green-Winged Teal | 169,668 |
Illinois:
| Mallard | 136,364 |
| Blue-Winged Teal | 34,583 |
| Wood Duck | 28,355 |
| Gadwall | 26,552 |
Indiana:
| Mallard | 39,655 |
| Wood Duck | 9,880 |
| Gadwall | 9,179 |
| Blue-Winged Teal | 9,023 |
Iowa:
| Mallard | 33,461 |
| Blue-Winged Teal | 26,746 |
| Wood Duck | 22,829 |
Kentucky:
| Mallard | 52,686 |
| Wood Duck | 7,014 |
| Gadwall | 5,383 |
Louisiana:
| Blue-Winged Teal | 152,448 |
| Gadwall | 119,961 |
| Green-Winged Teal | 113,705 |
Michigan:
| Mallard | 97,578 |
| Wood Duck | 36,843 |
| Bufflehead | 17,509 |
Minnesota:
| Mallard | 98,723 |
| Wood Duck | 80,716 |
| Ring-necked | 66,945 |
| Blue-Winged Teal | 64,191 |
Mississippi:
| Mallard | 63,400 |
| Gadwall | 41,930 |
| Green-Winged Teal | 33,141 |
Missouri:
| Mallard | 161,320 |
| Gadwall | 24,526 |
| Green-Winged Teal | 21,479 |
Ohio:
| Mallard | 47,360 |
| Wood-Duck | 29,940 |
| Green-Winged Teal | 6,532 |
Tennessee:
| Mallard | 85,268 |
| Gadwall | 24,825 |
| Wood-Duck | 19,968 |
Wisconsin:
| Mallard | 99,458 |
| Blue-Winged Teal | 33,640 |
| Wood-Duck | 19,968 |
Summary and interesting research findings
- Arkansas and Louisiana combine for 65% of overall Green-Winged Teal shot in the flyway
- Only 3.62% of the ducks killed in Louisiana are Mallards
- Minnesota and Wisconsin combine for 43% of the total Redheads
- 3 species, Mallard, Gadwall, and Green-Winged Teal, make up 81.82% of Arkansas harvest numbers
- Northern Pintails represent 4.34% of Missouri’s harvest count, while the flyway average is 1.79%
- Alabama harvests over 3 times more Wood Ducks than Mallards, with Wood Ducks representing 42.40% of their overall kill count
- If you’re looking to shoot Blue-Bills (Greater and Lesser Scaup), head to Wisconsin. They shoot 25.66% of the flyway’s overall Scaup
Click here to see the Fish and Wildlife information I used to conduct my research
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