Waterfowl Hunting at Hullett Wildlife Area

Waterfowl Hunting

The Hullett Provincial Wildlife Area is set in the heart of Huron County, and strategically located on the paths of two major waterfowl flyways. Hullett is one of the most spectacular wildlife habitat developments in Eastern Canada. The area provides superb opportunities to see wildlife management at its best. Ponds, pools, Swamps, Shrublands, Rivers, Agricultural crops, Fallow fields and Dyketops provide food, habitat and shelter for ducks, turtles, muskrats, and a variety of other aquatic species.

The Ponds, Pools and Swamps are an important habitat component within the HPWA and complement the overall wildlife value of the area. These wetland habitats can provide areas for unique species of wildlife including those considered rare, threatened or endangered.

Shrubland areas provide valuable wildlife habitat such as deer hiding cover, waterfowl nesting areas, and food sources for songbirds, Ephemeral ponds created by melting snow or warm spring rains create breeding habitat for amphibians, and feeding areas for waterfowl.

The south Maitland river is a warm water tributary of the Maitland river, and contains a fish population dominated by small mouth bass. Forage species include members of the minnow, catfish, and sucker families. Migrating trout and salmon have also been reported in the river. The river provides habitat for ducks, turtles, muskrats, and a variety of other aquatic species, by providing cover and travel routes.

Agricultural crops provide abundant food sources for deer, waterfowl, and other wildlife. A diverse mixture of crops provides an important feed source through most of the year. Spring feed is available from the winter wheat and hay fields. Summer feed is available from wheat, hay and bean fields. Fall feed is available from corn, hay and winter wheat fields. Hay crops, with their restrictive cutting dates, are managed specifically to provide high quality nesting cover for waterfowl.

The Fallow Fields are important habitat for waterfowl. In Hullett, the fallow field are the old field grasslands, shrublands, and successional forest. The old field grasslands at Hullett provide nesting, feeding and protective cover for waterfowl, game birds, small mammals and songbirds. The shrublands are dominated by non-tree species and are distinguished from early successional forest by the absence of species that will exceed 5 metres upon maturity. They usually consist of hawthorn, wild apple, red-osier dogwood, ninbark, and the non-native, glossy buckthorn. This habitat is especially important as a source of food and low ground cover for a great variety of wildlife. Successional forest consists of dominant hardwoods such as white ash and sugar maple. Other tree species include sumac, trembling aspen, Carolina poplar, and willow.

The dyketops are a unique situation. They provide excellent nesting habitat for waterfowl and turtles due to their close proximity to water. However, they are also used as travel corridors by raccoons, skunks and foxes. As a result nests located close to the dykes are often predated. To discourage nesting on the dykes the grass is kept low during the breeding and nesting season.

Membership at Hullett

Canadian Wildlife Service for Waterfowl Hunting Regulations (external link)

Hullett Hunting FAQ'S

Waterfowl Hunting Page

Hullett Regulations and Policies

Habitats of Hullett

Hullett 2007 User guide (.pdf file)

Map of Hullett

Directions to Hullett Provincial Wildlife Area

Weather (external link)

Sunrise/Sunset times (external link - use London for location - add 1 hour for DST)

Hunting Stories/Pictures