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 It was a mild morning where you could see your breath swirl in front of you and feel your nose running. Wading out in the mucky slough of bottomless mud I threw out my decoys to make an attractive spread. Dragging my decoy bag back up to shore, I looked down and my waders were covered from chest to boots in these tiny, translucent creatures.
I brushed some up in the palm of my hand to get a closer look. They wiggled and squirmed in my hand and I could see the distinction of their legs and sure enough, they were fairy shrimp. Carefully and quickly I scooped all of them off my waders and set them back into the water. I am sure if someone from afar saw this sight they would have probably thought I was doing the hooky pokey or something. Once they were all off I nestled back into my duck blind. I knew that if the shrimp were there the ducks would come.
To many waterfowl, the fairy shrimp is the equivalent of the juiciest steak fresh off the grill to most of us. Fairy shrimp provide a very important food source to waterfowl. They are the perfect source of energy for migration. However, human efforts to drain and fill vernal pool watersheds for agriculture and development purposes have damaged the population and opportunities for them to lay eggs. Storm run off dumps chemical residues, pesticides, and other contaminants that effect their environment also.
 Do you pay attention to what you see in the water while hunting? Can you identify the plants and invertebrates that are in there? Most of us are focused on keeping our eyes on the sky, watching for hopeful flocks or singles to commit to our decoys. A key part in the decline of waterfowl populations is the continuous destruction of wetlands and breeding grounds that contain heavy and abundant waterfowl food sources. Not only are waterfowl affected, but also so are many other creatures that play an important role in the natural life cycles around us. They all have to adapt to the daily and long term changes and effects we create.
Next time you are sitting in your boat or duck blind, look around you and remember to think of all the tiny creatures that are making it possible for those ducks to be there. I feel it is really important to educate yourself on these food sources because then you will better understand what you are hunting and why we see the effects and changes we do over time. If you want to learn more about food sources or how to identify them please check with your state DNR or the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services for reading material or possible wildlife learning centers.
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