With the end of the Spring Conservation Season drawing near for much of the US, travel is quickly becoming the only option for waterfowlers in need of another fix before the final end of the 2002 – 2003 waterfowl season.
Hello, folks, and, as always, welcome to Waterfowler.com.
So, New Zealand anyone?
There is still time to get your name in the hat for Waterfowler.com’s New Zealand Waterfowling Adventure Sweepstakes, but the May 1st deadline is fast approaching so be sure to sign up now. By becoming a Supporting or Web Member before May 1, 2003 you will be automatically entered for a chance to win a Waterfowling Adventure of a lifetime to New Zealand – including round trip airfare!
Thanks to Waterfowler.com’s ongoing partnership with Frontiers International, one very lucky duck hunter will experience the pursuit of Canada geese, mallard, gray, spoonbill and paradise ducks in the mystical landscapes of New Zealand with their hosts, John and Robin Gemmell, at the Riverview Lodge.
The Riverview Lodge is set within the picturesque area of Hanmer Springs, nestled below the Southern Alps at the convergence of the Waiau, Hanmer and Percival rivers. The lodge offers international travelers breathtaking views, superior accommodations and the some of the best waterfowling in the southern hemisphere — boasting very liberal daily bird limits.
The Winner of the New Zealand Adventure Sweepstakes will receive round-trip air transportation for their closest major airport to New Zealand and return. A 5-night/4-day guided duck and goose hunt at Riverview Lodge including all guide fees, accommodations, meals, licensing, gun importation fees and land transportation during May or June of 2003. Ammunition will not be supplied but can be purchased in New Zealand at a reasonable rate. Personal expenses and discretionary items such as gratuities, laundry, phone calls and the cost to obtain a passport are also not included.
Current Waterfowler.com Members are automatically enrolled in the New Zealand Adventure Sweepstakes. To secure your chance to win, become a member today by clicking on the JOIN button above.
And now, on to the Snow Goose Migration Report.
After three straight weeks of having old Mother Nature make of fool of this migration reporter, one is not inclined to predict much in the way of spring weather.
The upside to the recent return of more winter like weather was that it held a few birds below the Canadian border and brought some much needed moisture to the upper Midwest. But it looks as thought the “run for the border” is on for real now.
Recent reports have most of the light geese at or above the North Dakota / Canada border and moving farther north every day.
With a week left in Minnesota and three weeks left in the season for North Dakota there may still be small pockets of birds to be found in both states but by far the bulk of the population is in the land of the Maple Leaves.
Pond counts begin in the coming weeks and hopes are high that late spring snows have eased the tough breeding conditions on both sides of the US/Canadian border. Though it is still too early to tell, the recent fronts look to have helped the Canadian breeding ground move toward at least “fair” conditions.
Cross your fingers, we are entering a critical stage and the next few weeks can bring a lot of change to the potential for next years waterfowl flights.
