The arctic blast moving across the nation has increased waterfowl activity significantly from the Sacramento Valley all the way to Missouri. Snow, white-fronted and Canada goose migrations have been significant over the past seventy-two hours in the Pacific and Central Flyways. With ducks previously scattered from north to south, the most noticeable increases have occurred in the middle tier states as populations begin to gather in heavier concentrations.
Hello folks, and, as always, welcome to Waterfowler.com.
The winds are blowing snow and ice across various parts of the nation in a fashion that duck hunting dreams are made of. Since the onset of the storm late last week, hunters have flocked to their favorite marshes, lakes and rivers hoping for skies to be blackened by flights of ducks and geese. Quite curiously, this has not been the case in many northern states that were hoping for a final chance before the season’s end.
The oddities of this year’s migration can be attributed to a number of factors. The early October blast sent teal and wood ducks to the deep-south, then spattered the flyways with widgeon, gadwall, pintail and shoveler. Ducks were everywhere but very few places in force. In early November, divers began to move on the calendar, and numbers peaked and fell as they hop- scotched down the flyways – again, everywhere at once but nowhere in particular. The mallard flights arrived in parts of the north on the November full moon and hunting pressure moved them along until they settled in refuge areas.
Are there still ducks up north? Yes. Are there a lot to come? The current storm system is more likely to provide compression than mass migration. As the snow and hard freeze line develops, expect waterfowl to begin to congregate in mass along the southern edge of the freeze line over the next 5 days. As the jet stream offers a favorable north to south flow – compared to the flat shape that is currently flowing from the west up towards the Ohio Valley.
Waterfowler.com encourages our members to report over the next 5 days to aid in tracking the movement that results from the current storm. Posting that you are seeing ducks is as important as reporting that you are not seeing ducks.
We look forward to your support and reading your reports during the coming week.
PACIFIC FLYWAY:
Goose activity has been excellent in the Pacific Northwest all the way to the Sacramento Valley. Snow, white-fronted and Canada goose activity has been good to excellent with good flights still moving. Puddle ducks are good to excellent in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Utah, with steady arrivals in New Mexico and Arizona. Diver hunting is good to excellent in Washington, Oregon and Utah.
CENTRAL FLYWAY:
Snows, white-fronted and Canada goose flights are good to excellent in Colorado and Nebraska and picking up in Kansas, Oklahoma and the Texas Panhandle. Mallard numbers remain high in South Dakota at this time but numbers are expected to decrease significantly over the next few days. Widgeon, gadwall, pintail and green-winged teal are expected to compress in larger groups below the freeze line over the next few days as colder temperatures and snow in the southwest keep waterfowl active.
MISSISSIPPI FLYWAY:
As ice builds in the north and snow accumulates, the remaining ducks are expected to move south over the next few days. Flights along the Missouri and Mississippi River corridors have been steady but small compared to flights in October. Activity in southern Iowa is good to excellent. Duck numbers are increasing significantly in Missouri and Arkansas, and are expected to increase in Tennessee, Kentucky and Mississippi as birds filter out of the Illinois and Ohio River Valleys. Snow goose numbers are increasing from Missouri south, yet the big flights of Canada geese have yet to happen in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Illinois.
ATLANTIC FLYWAY:
As the storm pushes east, diver numbers are expected to jump significantly over the next few days along with puddle ducks in the northern half of the flyway. Sea duck numbers are good to excellent in the northeast, with the first good flights of divers arriving in the Carolinas. Goose numbers are expected to increase significantly over the next few days in Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey. In the far south, expect teal, ring-necked ducks and wood duck numbers to increase along with gadwall.
Until our next report, hunt safe and hunt often.
