Terry Tracy arranging duck decoys along the Arkansas River. He spent much of last week hunting in preparation for today's closing of the Kansas duck season.
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Michael Pearce / The Wichita Eagle
Hunters change their decoys Monday morning along the Arkansas River near Arkansas City. That area has produced good hunting lately. Not so in many areas closer to Wichita.
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Michael Pearce / The Wichita Eagle
Joel Pile enjoyed one of his best-ever duck seasons, thanks largely to warm weather that kept ponds and marshes thawed.
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Michael Pearce / The Wichita Eagle
A big drake pintail, a popular duck with Kansas hunters because they're wary, beautiful and delicious.
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Michael Pearce / The Wichita Eagle
The wings of a spinning-wing decoy twirling Tuesday morning to attract passing ducks.
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Michael Pearce / The Wichita Eagle
Joel Pile, left, Terry Tracy and Danny Armstrong tote decoys, ducks and gear across the Arkansas River Monday morning. They enjoyed a good duck season, which closes today, despite last year's drought.
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Michael Pearce / The Wichita Eagle
A lot of duck hunters will be picking up decoys for the last time today as the season closes.
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Michael Pearce / The Wichita Eagle
Joel Pile, left, hauls on a rope to pull a sled filled with gear up the banks of the Arkansas River Monday morning. It was a good year for duck hunting for the Rose Hill sportsman.
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Michael Pearce / The Wichita Eagle
Joel Pile, left, Terry Tracy and Danny Armstrong with ducks they shot Monday morning. Tracy and Armstrong shot limits of six apiece most mornings last week. The season closes today.
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Michael Pearce / The Wichita Eagle
Andy Fanter breaks ice with the boot of his waders to retrieve a duck on Tuesday. The lack of cold weather this fall and winter produced mixed results for hunters.
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Michael Pearce / The Wichita Eagle
Calling it a day, Joel Pile carries decoys and dead ducks across the Arkansas River Monday morning. He was very happy with the duck season that closes to day.
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Michael Pearce / The Wichita Eagle
Andy Fanter, Great Bend, with two mallards he shot Tuesday morning in Reno County. It's been one of his best-ever duck seasons.
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Michael Pearce / The Wichita Eagle
Mallard drake's are the classic Kansas duck, though some hunters found fewer than normal because of warmer weather during the season that closes today.
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Michael Pearce / The Wichita Eagle
Hunting success was highly mixed across Kansas during the pheasant and quail seasons, which close on Tuesday. Some areas held improved quail populations. FILE PHOTO
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Michael Pearce / The Wichita Eagle
Duck tracks in the sand show the birds have been using the surrounding wetland lately.
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Michael Pearce / The Wichita Eagle
A dog fetching a pheasant, a sight fairly uncommon in all but northwest Kansas during the season that closes on Tuesday. FILE PHOTO
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Michael Pearce / The Wichita Eagle
The long feathers on a drake pintail give the ducks their name. Generally only old birds have long feathers.
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Michael Pearce / The Wichita Eagle
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