Wood duck boxes!

Lamar County Delta Waterfowl in conjunction with Paris Junior High Outdoor Program put out 25 wood duck boxes today. LCDW provided the materials and the Junior High Outdoor Class built the boxes. A few of the students even made it out with us to install them today.:tu

Congratulations ... nice to see folks giving back to the sport ... especially the young ones!

Just as a suggestion and not a criticism, whoever made the boxes should make the tops a little larger all the way around so there's an inch or so overhang which helps keep rain from leaking in.

Also, if they'll attach a small perch strip just below the entry hole, the ducks will have a much easier time landing there and climbing in. A 3" length of 1/2" quarter round or corner molding works great.

Edit: Opps, just now caught it. Looks like the boxes were made on the economy plan from all the same sized lumber. That's why there only an overhang on one side of the top. But there's no side access door for adding nesting materials, inspecting and cleaning out?

That’s great Stephen, thanks for posting. Let’s see some winter pics of those kids putting some ducks on a strap.

To access you just remove a few screws and the entire front comes off. I like your idea with the molding. I just might go back and add that.

Again ... not a criticism, trying to be helpful.

If you cut one of the side panels into portions of 1/5th - 4/5ths, nail or screw the lower portion onto the box permanently. Hinge the top side panel at the top so it will swing open just above the top of the nest inside. This way you can easily swing it open with NO TOOLS to inspect and replenish nesting materials if needed.

Use a simple wood strip screwed a little off-center as a bottom latch. Attach it to the bottom panel. That prevents the door from opening unless you rotate the latch out of the way to swing open. Rotate it back in place to hold shut.

Very cool and getting the youth involved is even better. Think I was 13 when I built my first wood duck boxes. Still have a few out along a creek in Mississippi. We startred putting a hinged floor in them for easy cleanout. The ones with a perch ledge seem to ger used first but they will use the boxes that do not have one

Really like seeing this, good job

Good job getting kids out.

Been doing this for many years wehen I was over the artificial nestiung box program up on 6 of our WMA's from Jasper to Applesprings. Makes it easy to inspect and clean out. Got the idea from a bluebird box plan.

Nice job yall did there.

Well done!
Hope they are well used.

Our design has a door for inspection and maintenance.


squatters

I do not think any ducks would want to move in on those squatters

A friend of mine from Powderly and his son put about that many in one of the hollows bellow the dam on the east end a few years back as an Eagle Scout project. They had some birds using them. Hopefully the birds will occupy all of them, we need more wood ducks. Great project and great photos...thanks for posting and getting our youth involved in waterfowl......

That's great! I was thinking about doing the same this year too, might buy it since no time to build my own

I coated/soak the inside of the roof and 3" from the top of the sides down with liquid dishsoap - wasps will not use them doing this since they scrape bits of wood to make the post of their nest. You can also tack a piece of No-Pest strip and those work pretty good.

I think my money goes to Delta this year! I'm glad that they're getting the young adults interested in the outdoors

Just came from paris junior college friday

Can you put too many wood duck boxes in one area? What would be the minimum distance to set them apart? I am on a lease with a wood duck population, I don't hunt them, but, would like to see more of them.

Not really since it will give them nest sites to use instead of placing a 2 or 3 and having those become 'dump' nests (where more than one hen will utilize the box at the same time).

The hens will become territorial and you do not want a box to face one another opening for that matter. Space them out 50 to 100 yds apart with the opening facing the water and not under any overhanging tree limbs or where rat snakes, raccoons or squirrels from access the nest boxes.