The Mississippi Delta Abounds in Wood Ducks

Based in Memphis, Tennessee, Jimmy Winemiller maintains a portfolio of real estate properties and development projects across several states. Among the properties Jimmy Winemiller has operated is Mallard Manor, a working farm and hunting resort on the Mississippi Delta that spans over 1,000 acres and offers an antebellum lodge with more than 10,000 square feet of Old South comfort. 

Tupelo and cypress breaks among the fields provide for exceptional duck hunting, while managed forest areas include deer stands that allow deer hunting. A full 838 acres of the property are given over to agriculture that includes soybeans and flooded rice fields.

The Mississippi River delta is a traditional wintering spot for several species of waterfowl, including the wood duck, which holds distinction as the state duck. The species is unique in that it nests in both hollow tree cavities as well as in elevated boxes set up for it. Adapted for living amid thick foliage, the wood duck has large eyes that allow it to see better than most ducks and can nest as far as five miles inland. 

While young ducks feed on insects, adult wood ducks have a primarily vegetarian diet. Hunters typically find the ducks foraging for duckweed, pondweed, acorns, and water lilies or seeking out aquatic invertebrates near the water surface.