Lots to do as hunting season ends on the Shore

The end of February, even one as warm as the month we've just had, marks the end of the winter woods hunting as area rabbit and squirrel seasons come to a close. This means that for many of us our woods running days are over until fall which, from this point on the calendar, seems a long, long way off.

At this point it's not really about killing anything. Let's face it, if you like to eat squirrels and rabbits you've probably had your fill by now and filled the freezer, too. This last day, if you can get out, is simply about time in the woods and getting in that last bit of hunting for the season. So grab your shotgun, bow, .22 rifle or small bore muzzleloader, don your hunter orange and go sit in the woods. Watch the treetops for squirrels and kick some brush for bunnies. Enjoy the sun if it's out and revel in the winter wind if it's not. This is your last chance to make memories to get you through to September.

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Build nest boxes for ducks

This is also the time of year when you should be well into working on wood duck nest boxes, especially cleaning and prepping them for another year of use by the birds. Hen woodies don't like dirty boxes filled with old eggs, bugs and all the detritus that can accumulate from year to year, so if you have nest boxes be sure to clean them out and fill them a few inches deep with fresh pine or cedar shavings.

If you don't have wood duck boxes but have control of any sort of freshwater or brackish pond, creek, tax ditch or swamp, get busy now putting up a few. You can find plans at dozens of websites, and some groups, like the Maryland Wood Duck Initiative (you can connect to them through the Maryland DNR site or find them on Facebook), will sell you either complete boxes or the materials to build your own. Don't forget to put up predator guards, too, as without them you're only laying out a smorgasbord for the raccoons and snakes.

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Find shed antlers 

If that isn't enough and you're still looking for something hunting-related to do outdoors, it's also prime shed antler hunting time. Most whitetails will have dropped their antlers now, so get out there and start looking. Key on bedding and feeding areas, as well as heavy trails between the two. Check extra carefully around ditches and fences, as the impact when deer jump these obstacles will often jar a loose antler off their head.

Nothing gives the same reassurance that the big buck you chased all fall is still alive like finding his freshly dropped antlers. With the really old and smart deer sometimes it's the only proof you'll get that they even exist. If you're in a spot where you hunt the same deer year to year it's neat to have sets of past antlers from bucks, too, so that when you finally kill them you can see the progression of growth as they age.

So get out there and start looking, unless you're in an area that holds primarily sika deer, of course, as those sika stags often hold their antlers well into April. Finding shed sika antlers is hard enough, so don't push your stags out of the area by pressuring them too soon.

Outdoor Calendar

Through Feb. 28: Delaware rabbit season

Through Feb. 28: Maryland rabbit and squirrel seasons

Through Feb. 28: Virginia rabbit and squirrel seasons

March 1: Maryland DNR public meeting on proposed 2017-18 waterfowl seasons, 7 p.m., Chesapeake College building No. 13, Wye Mills

March 1-June 15: Maryland tidal water largemouth bass size limit increases to 15 inch minimum

March 1-June 15: Maryland nontidal water largemouth bass season closed, catch and release fishing is permitted

March 11: Delaware Outdoor Expo, Delaware State Fairgrounds, Harrington, www.delawareoutdoorexpo.com

Through March 15: Maryland crow season, Wednesdays through Saturdays only

March 15-April 30: Maryland tidal water chain pickerel season closed

Through March 25: Delaware crow season, Thursdays through Saturdays only 

Through April 5: Virginia light/snow goose conservation order season

 Through April 7: Delaware conservation order light/snow goose hunt

Through April 15: Maryland conservation order light/snow goose hunt

April 27-30: 22nd annual Delmarva Birding Weekend; visit www.delmarvabirding.com for full list of activities

April 28-30: 47th annual Ward World Championship Wildfowl Carving Competition and Art Festival, OC Convention Center, Ocean City, www.wardmuseum.org for details