This weekend marks the official regular season opener for many upper flyway states while others will be hosting their youth waterfowl hunts. No matter where you live, it is a good feeling just knowing that “it’s duck season somewhere.”
Hello folks, and as always, welcome to Waterfowler.com.
Summer is gone and at long last Autumn has returned, at least the calendar says so anyway. Fall weather should be short in finding most of us and it couldn’t come a moment too soon. Time to stock up on last minute needs and make sure your Waterfowler.com Membership is renewed and ready for the season.
Be sure to check your member profile and update or renew your membership today. The migration map is lighting up, the ProShop is stocked, and everyone here at Waterfowler.com—members and staff included—has their game face on, ready for the opening bell. Don’t miss out on the best deal in duck hunting, Join or Renew Today.
Congratulations go out to Diane Jackson of Palmyra, Tennessee, the winner of the Waterfowler.com Great Gear Giveaway at Mack’s Prairie Wings in Stuttgart, Arkansas. Diane will be joining members of the WFC staff at Mack’s during the Wings Over The Prairie Festival to shop till she drops as the winner of the Grand Prize, a $2,000 Mack’s shopping spree. Congratulations, Diane.
There are still a few spots left for this year’s Waterfowler.com Timber Hunt with Mallard Retreat in Stuttgart. Reservations are open to all current WFC members and can be made by calling Mallard Retreat at 1-870-873-0111. Timber Hunt will take place January 14th -17th of 2005. Full details are available in the WFC Home Page. Book your place now to join WFC staff and your fellow members for three days of duck and goose hunting in the “prime time” for Arkansas mallards and snow geese.
And now, on to the Migration Report.
CANADA
Many areas of Canada continue to experience wet conditions, delaying harvest of crops and making access to and from the field a big mess. Ducks and geese are taking advantage of flooded standing crops and reports from the field indicate less activity than usual on marshes, lakes and sloughs.
Slightly drier weather this week has allowed some farmers to begin harvest, and cut pea fields and swathed grains are prime areas to focus scouting efforts while the harvest is getting underway.
PACIFIC FLYWAY
Upper reaches of the flyway report fair to good concentrations of local mallards and teal. In fact, as far east and south as portions of Wyoming hunters are reporting respectable concentrations of greenheads and enough teal to keep the barrels warm on the upcoming youth hunts and opening weekends.
CENTRAL FLYWAY
The big rain delay in Canada will hold up the better part of any early migration into the upper Central Flyway, but prospects on local ducks and geese look good for the opener. Water conditions in much of North Dakota is better than average. Warmer than average temperatures could make the local birds a bit lethargic until cooler weather sets them back onto regular feeding schedules.
MISSISSIPPI FLYWAY
Farther east, portions of MN and WI can expect a slight cool-down in time for the weekend, which should help keeps birds more active. Local populations of mallards are still hanging to their home turf and there are even a fair number of reports of teal still hanging around waiting for a good cold snap before making for the coast.
ATLANTIC FLYWAY
The story reads about the same for the upper reaches of the Atlantic Flyway; local birds are in good supply and should stick around for the foreseeable future. The best part is that local populations in the Maine and Maritime survey are reported to be at record numbers and likely to content to stick around for now.
We made it! Another season has returned and now all that remains is to see how Ole Mother Nature conducts this year’s migration. Will early snowfall make it a mad dash to the warmer climes of the lower flyway, or will the dreaded El Nino again cause birds to linger well into the season in the fields and lakes of the north? Only time will tell, but no doubt, waterfowlers across the nation will be in their blinds, eyes fixed on the northern skies, and maybe with their fingers crossed. Welcome back to OUR TIME!
