The roller coaster of storm fronts that has bottomed out on temperatures and then risen to record highs in some areas has provided a steady stream of ducks and geese to all four Flyways this season. While waterfowl hunters in the northern third of the U.S. have not been filling a limit everyday, there are enough ducks to make shooting interesting and keep hunters heading to the field. The great news is there are still plenty of birds to the north and good shooting yet to come…
Hello folks, and, as always, welcome to Waterfowler.com
As temperatures remain above average in the central part of the United States, blustery weather in the Pacific Northwest and the New England coast have ducks and geese moving in the bookend flyways. As the low-pressure system creeps into the Central Flyway, Montana, the western Dakotas and Nebraska are expected to receive some snowfall, but little more than a dusting as it moves eastward. Temperatures in the northern Central Plains will stay below freezing each night and ice will begin to build and stay on smaller water impoundments.
In the absence of a harsh Arctic Clipper the cooler temperatures will continue to move birds south but a sky-blackening event is unlikely. Light and dark geese have moved into North Dakota along with a number of ducks and at the writing of this report they are holding and providing great field hunting opportunity.
In short, ducks are strung out from the Far North to The Deep South already. If you are a southern hunter and watching the reports from states to the north, there is a lot to get excited about. When the snow finally arrives, and it will, this steady stream of birds will compress below the snow and freeze line into an all out frenzy of ducks and geese. Well, that’s what we hope for. We are, after all, duck hunters right?
Waterfowler.com would encourage our southern hunters to begin reporting habitat conditions and pre-season scouting reports. Teal, gadwall, widgeon and wood ducks are scattered all over the south at this time and congregating in areas holding the most water. If you need a reason to post a report, take time to scour the reports from the upper Central and Mississippi Flyways to ignite that duck-hunting fire in your belly. Those Yankee hunters sure having it going on and we thank them greatly for their efforts and reports that keep us all chomping at the bit for that next day in the blind.
PACIFIC FLYWAY:
There is nothing like a storm out west to fuel the fire that burns in the heart of the west coast waterfowl hunter. As this series of storms moves through, ducks and geese are active from the Columbia Basin to the Sacramento Valley – where white-fronted goose numbers are on the rise. Cooler temperatures are keeping ducks moving around on southern California, Nevada and New Mexico – with teal and northern shoveler numbers good to excellent at this time.
CENTRAL FLYWAY:
Snow and Canada goose numbers are good to excellent in North Dakota at this time with duck numbers much better than previous weeks. South Dakota continues to hold the bulk of birds in the flyway and it is unlikely the dusting of snow that is predicted will drive that many of these birds south. Hunting in Nebraska, Colorado and Wyoming remain fair to good on ducks with goose activity slow for this time of year. Gadwall, widgeon, pintail, teal and wood duck numbers are good to excellent for this time of year in Texas, Kansas and Oklahoma with mallards low.
MISSISSPPI FLYWAY:
While sixty-degree temperatures hardly scream diver hunting, the divers are down and providing great shooting across the Great Lakes States. Canvasback, ringed necked duck, bluebill, bufflehead and golden-eye are all present and accounted for in the many rafts that are scattered through the northern portion of the flyway. Puddle duck numbers are steady and holding in the north tier and while goose numbers are good to excellent from Minnesota to Ohio, activity is low and limited. Wisconsin and Ohio get the gold star of states to hunt this week. With rain predicted throughout the coming weekend, hunters from northern Illinois through the Ohio River Valley are hopeful conditions will improve.
ATLANTIC FLYWAY:
As we head into Nor’easter season, sea duck numbers are on the rise along the northeastern seaboard with scoters and long-tailed duck numbers fair to good from New York north. Diver ducks numbers are on the rise from the Chesapeake Bay to Maine but below average for this time of year. Wood ducks numbers have dropped significantly in the northern portion of the flyway, as cooler temperatures have moved them, along with a number of teal into the Carolina and further south. Light goose numbers remain very low for this time of year in the northern portion of the flyway, with eastern Pennsylvania reporting the best activity at this time.
