How good will the gunning be for ducks in New England this fall?

That depends on how productive eastern Canada's "duck factories" were last spring. This fall and winter, mallards, gadwalls, teal, widgeon and black ducks from Quebec and New Brunswick will be flying south through New England.

From 2006 to 2007, according to a 2007 report by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, there was a 14 percent increase in the Northeast's total duck population. In 2007, that population was estimated at a little over 41 million birds, compared to 36 million in 2006. Mallard and blue-winged teal populations both indexed at 14 percent above the previous year, while gadwalls and northern shovelers also topped the previous year's numbers by 19 percent and 24 percent, respectively. American widgeon numbers were 29 percent higher, and estimated abundances of green-winged teal, redheads, and canvasbacks also went up.

What does all this mean to waterfowl hunters in the Northeast?

More duck-hunting action in 2008 -- especially for hunters who are adept at calling and know how to set out a decoy spread!

The following public hunting areas should provide great shooting this season. Grab your steel shot and decoys, and let's go gunning!

MASSACHUSETTS
Massachusetts' waterfowl hunting areas are divided into the Berkshire, Central and Coastal zones.

In the Berkshire Zone, try Fisk Meadows Wildlife Management Area near the town of Chesterfield. Expect this 580-acre area to have a gentle to moderate slope into the 100-acre meadows that form the headwater of Dead Branch Brook. Beavers have flooded the upper section, creating excellent waterfowl habitat.

To get there from the town of Chesterfield, travel east on Route 143.

In the Central Zone, the Barre Falls WMA in the towns of Hubbardston, Oakham, Barre and Rutland has over 10,500 acres of steep hillsides dropping to level fields and marshlands, where ducks will stop off on their journey south.

The Ware River and a number of other streams border the area. Along the Ware, there are three access sites where cartop boats and canoes may be launched.

To get there from the town of Barre, travel southeast on Route 122 to Coldbrook Springs, where there is a canoe launch area.

In the Coastal Zone, the Burrage Pond WMA offers 1,625 acres of open water, marsh, cedar and maple swamps and former cranberry bogs near the towns of Hanson and Halifax. Most locals know this area as Great Cedar Swamp.

To get there from the town of Witman, travel south on Route 27 to South Hansen and Pleasant Street, which crosses the railroad tracks and leads to a parking area.

The Bay State's 2008 season dates and bag limits will be posted on the MassWildlife Web site in September.

For more information, call MassWildlife at (508) 792-7270, or visit www.mass.gov/wildlife.com.

For visitor information, go to www.massvacation.com, or call 1-800-447-6277.

MAINE
Maine's waterfowl seasons are divided into North and South zones. In the South Zone, the Bog Brook Flowage WMA covers 924 acres in the towns of Beddington and Deblois.

Expect the habitat to be impounded wetland and riparian buffer.

To get there from the town of Cherryfield, travel north on Route 193. Look for secondary roads on the right before you reach the Narraguagus River.

In the North Zone, try Dwinal Pond WMA, which covers 1,985 acres near the towns of Lee and Winn. More than 1,700 acres of this area is impounded freshwater marsh.

To get there from the town of Lee, travel Route 168 north to access the northern tract of this area.

Or to access the southern edge, travel east on Route 6.

Maine's North Zone season runs from early October through early December. The Southern Zone offers an early season in the month of October and a regular season from mid-November to late December.