On The Wing

Recently in The Vicksburg Post there was an article showing hundreds of snow geese circling in unison landing into a flooded rice field at the Howard Miller Wildlife Management Area in Issaquena County. It's a waterfowl hunter's dream in our great outdoors.

Once a series of flood-controlled fields used for rice farming, the 2,430 acres that make up the Howard Miller WMA are preparing to open to the public for the second season of waterfowl hunting - and plans are in the works to make it the most used management area in the state by hunters, birdwatchers, researchers and schoolchildren alike.

The facility would have viewing stations and would invite school groups and the public to take part in educational seminars on waterfowl identification and habitats. Another portion of the facility would be used by biologist to conduct research and enforce bag limits.

The management area is named after Vicksburg native Howard Miller, who was a waterfowl hunting enthusiast and served as chairman of the MDWFP for nearly a decade until his death in 1999. His friend and business partner, Jack Branning, said Miller would be proud to know this namesake WMA was being used by so many hunters and being expanded for even more community participation.

He was very instrumental in getting an awful lot of things done for the general public to have hunting opportunities, as well as for wildlife conservation in general," said Branning. "He was an outstanding outdoors man, and he loved duck hunting. He hunted every day of the duck season."