With the May Pond Survey complete, waterfowl hunters across the nation await the published results and the impact on the coming season. With Duck’s Unlimited and Delta Waterfowl Foundation already voicing their concerns over the vast dry areas of the Prairie Pothole Region, the outlook for overall duck production can best be described as realistic, not optimistic.
Hello folks, and, as always, welcome to Waterfowler.com.
The North American Drought Monitor Map (link below) provides a quick overview of the struggle duck production faces this season. Water levels are low across most of the Prairie Pothole Region, and pond counts will most assuredly be much lower than the past few seasons. While the Parklands and Ontario, and most of eastern Canada are in good to excellent condition, it would be unrealistic to hope that the Parklands alone could salvage the production losses expected in Manitoba and Saskatchewan’s Prairie Pothole Regions.
For the past few seasons, duck production has walked the razor’s edge between a liberal and moderate framework for the Central and Mississippi Flyways. While DU and Delta have cautiously avoided speculation on the possibilities of a moderate or restricted season, their communications on breeding conditions are building a foundation for the possibility of bad news. Low pond-counts, CRP losses and diminishing grasslands will consume the headlines in waterfowl news over the next few months.
At this point in time, most biologists would likely agree that duck production for the Prairie Pothole Region will be down this year, but official comments will not be released until the final surveys are published.
At the end of the day, duck production is only as good as our worst year. The ongoing goal of conservation organizations, in cooperation with state and federal agencies, has been to raise the bar on low-end production to insure sustainable populations during lean production years.
The inherent danger of low duck production is how it relates to the Adaptive Harvest Management model. When waterfowl populations drop, the margins for determining the difference between moderate, restrictive and very restrictive seasons is compressed. When production on the Prairie Pothole Region is in overall decline, production in fringe areas become absolutely vital and can mean the difference between a moderate or restrictive season. In short, every duck counts.
As we approach the coming season in this election year, waterfowl hunters and conservation organizations need to do our part to keep wetlands, grasslands and conservation issues part of the process. While the economy and energy issues will drive many voters to the polls, we need to insure the candidates that conservation remains part of the decision making process this November. Waterfowler.com has submitted a series of questions to both candidates and we will publish their responses when we receive them.
Waterfowler.com sends our hope and support to members and readers affected by the severe flood conditions along the Mississippi River and in the Midwest. Our prayers are with you during this time of need.
Until our next report, begin your preparations and planning for the coming waterfowl season today!
