The 2009 Adaptive Harvest Management (AHM) and the final Waterfowl Population Status reports were published this week and the results echoed the promise of the preliminary reports. Waterfowl numbers are strong, duck production is up and the numbers qualify for a liberal season framework in all four flyways. Hedging your bets for a successful hunting season will require proper planning and prediction with regard to the current El Nino weather event. Thankfully, WFC members have access to hunting report archives for migration trends and data.
Hello folks, and, as always, welcome to Waterfowler.com
As states rush to propose and approve their final dates for 2009-2010 waterfowl season, duck and goose hunters across North America are plotting and planning their adventures. Of course, having an incredible year of duck production doesn’t guarantee you’ll have an incredible season in your area. An El Niño weather event is in progress, and drought conditions persist along the west coast, gulf coast and upper Great Lakes region.
As WFC’s archives illustrate, the migration patterns during El Niño weather events create seasons that have waterfowl hunters crying, “Where are the ducks?” The jet stream patterns are flat, the migration flights are mild throughout most of the season and the big push is fast and furious.
Hunting during an El Niño season is often best where the ducks start, and where they finally stop when the late season arctic blast finally moves them. While habitat conditions can change between now and the big push, drought conditions exist on a lot of traditional wintering grounds in the south.
The difference between a season filled with success and one filled with failure will be determined by good trend analysis and planning. El Niño weather events occurred during the 1997-1998, 2002-2003 seasons, with a mild event during 2006-2007.
Coincidentally, each El Niño event occurred during a year of good duck production, yet resulted in low hunter satisfaction. Of course, common coincidence becomes trend and trends lead to facts. While WFC’s real-time reports are important throughout the season, the archives are your key to successful planning. How was your hunting in previous El Niño years? Can you improve it? Where did the ducks finally stop and when did they move? Which species moved on the calendar and which moved with the weather?
Will you be one of those hunters crying, “Where are the Ducks?” Or, will you be the one filling your bag on a consistent basis?
Knowledge is power. Begin your research in the WFC report archives today and put over 10-years of migration data to work for you.
