In case you’re looking to avoid the bitter cold this winter, we compiled a list that rounds out the top southeastern duck hunting states.

Duck hunting is a passion that grips the entire country for months at a time. However, if you are looking for places to get out of the bitter cold and check a few ducks off the list, you are in luck. We compiled a list of states that round out the top southeastern duck hunting states. We haven't just given you a list. We gave you a few choice spots to float your decoys. Come on down, the water is fine.

Louisiana

Lake Calcasieu in the southern end of Louisiana offers exceptional gunning for teal, mallards, widgeons, and gadwalls. The marshes surrounding this lake create phenomenal opportunities to hunt ducks on just the other side of the Mississippi. Sabine National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) is the largest salt marsh on the gulf. This wintering area for pintails is a completely public hunt. Explore the refuge's 124,000 acres to gather a full appreciation for our public lands while enjoying healthy flocks of ducks.

Florida

Florida doesn't spring to many duck hunter’s minds as a hotspot for waterfowl. But the sunshine state is a well-kept secret for duck hunters. Waterfowlers will have an opportunity to hunt birds migrating down the Atlantic Flyway and healthy populations of resident ducks.

Puddle ducks like teal, pintails, and wood ducks are familiar sights in Florida. As are mergansers, fulvous whistling ducks, and the mottled duck often called a Florida duck. Florida's abundant coastline makes hunting from coastal waterways super accessible.

Further inland, Lake Toho and Okeechobee offer excellent opportunities for ducks on their way south. For South Florida, the stormwater treatment areas or STAs are coveted special opportunity hunts that are available free through a lottery program run by the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Mississippi

The Mississippi River Delta is one location that needs no introduction. Wood ducks and mallards make up the bulk of Mississippi wing shooting. Walk-in hunting is available for the boatless duck hunter in areas like Hillside NWR and Malmaison.

Beaver Dam Lake should be at the top of your list if you are interested in some history with your hunting. Nash Buckingham and his famous shotgun Bo Whoop loved the lake. Nash wrote about it with great admiration in "De Shootinest Gent'man." The lake is private, so a hunt will need to be booked through an outfitter, but these guides spare no expense when treating their guests to a time on the water and back at the lodge.

Missouri

While Missouri holds a tremendous amount of excellent duck habitat, it would be a shame not to mention the Truman Reservoir. This artificial reservoir holds open water, flooded timber, and branching marshes that created some of the best green head hunting in the nation. The South Grand River and deep branches of the Truman Reservoir are well known for their hunting. The reservoir is large, so local knowledge is a big help.

While every state in the southeast has some consistently good duck hunting, we made the call to rank these as the top picks. Don't forget to check the state's guidelines for duck seasons and even special opportunity hunts to get away from the crowds. We may see you out there at one of our southern spots; either way, don't forget to lead them.