MIGRATION UPDATE October 12, 2004

With a strong cold front heading into the Northern Plains, this weekend just might be the first big push of birds for the 2004 – 2005 Season.

Hello, folks, and as always, welcome to Waterfowler.com.

Mother Nature looks to be gearing up for an early cold blast. With the potential for this season to kick into overdrive in short order, it is prime time to become a WFC member. JOIN TODAY to have the absolute latest in migration information right at your fingertips.

Current WFC members are reminded to update and renew their accounts. Just log in to the WFC home page and click on your username to update your mailing address and email. If your membership is up for renewal, staying in the know is as easy as clicking the RENEW button from the User Login menu. With the new ADVANCED FEATURES of the WFC Migration Map, members can check migration activity from individual dates and date ranges as well as zoom in to get more specific migration activity information from anywhere in the U.S.

There are still a few spots left for this year’s Waterfowler.com Timber Hunt with Mallard Retreat in Stuttgart. 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. Reservations are open to all current WFC members and can be made by calling Mallard Retreat at 1-870-873-0111.

As the Holiday Season approaches the WFC OnLine PRoShop is stocking up on the latest and greatest gear. With member savings of up to 40% and special member discounts on every item, the WFC ProShop is a great place to shop for the gear you need to make “the season” merry and bright. Stop by today and see the super savings on everything from layout boats to lanyards.

And now, on to the Migration Report.

CANADA

The better part of the nation is about to get its first taste of winter. A strong cold front is moving down and across the country bringing lows well below freezing and highs in many areas at or slightly above the solid water mark. Migration across all but the far eastern provinces should spike as the front moves in over the next few days. Fall may be giving way to winter a bit early this year, so look for birds to increase feeding activity in preparation for their journey south.

PACIFIC FLYWAY

Duck numbers continued to increase over much of the upper flyway this past week. From WA to western MT the concentration of ducks should be good to very good for the upcoming weekend, though the weather does not look to be ideal. Average to above average temps for much of the western portion of the flyway could make the buildup of birds a bit less active than desired, so pressure from hunters will be the key factor in movement.

Mid-Flyway states also reported a rise in duck numbers of late, though smaller puddlers such as teal, wigeon and gadwall continue to make up the bulk of birds that have reached the lower-central and southern portion of the flyway.

CENTRAL FLYWAY

After a long stretch of unseasonably warm weather, the upper flyway is slated for a sharp cool-down over the next week. Sub-freezing temperatures, sleet and snow will grace the area in short order and should start a fresh wave of both ducks and geese down across the Canadian border.

Resident mallards and teal have either gotten the long-range forecast or just had enough of the early season gunning pressure. From all reports these birds have become scarcer over the past week.

As one might expect, the more recently harvested fields and more secluded waters are providing the best shooting, but gunning pressure can turn even these hot spots off in a flash. Until the upcoming front drives down the flyway, extreme mobility and 2 to 1 scouting over hunting is the best bet for success in the upper tier.

Central and southern states should begin to see a movement of birds as the chill spreads across the upper flyway. Light geese, teal and some of the less hardy divers are likely to make a move down into the heart of the flyway and as far south as OK and northern TX.

MISSISSIPPI FLWAY

The western portion of the top of the flyway continues to hold good numbers of Mallards, teal, and dark geese. The first nice flights of divers are also being reported from MN into the U.P. of MI.

Northern IL and southern WI have seen large numbers dark geese moving in this week, but locals are about all that is being reported as far as ducks are concerned. This is, however, likely to change as the colder weather moves in over the weekend.

Eastern and central portions of the flyway are about as mixed as can be as far as migration reports. Considering the nature of everyone’s observations, it is likely that most movement in these areas is of local birds being shifted by feed availability and gunning pressure where seasons are underway.

ATLANTIC FLYWAY

The eastern seaboard is waiting for some colder weather to reinforce duck numbers and start pushing local birds south. The build-up of ducks and geese in the New England states has slowed over the last week, but the good news is that the birds are sticking around. Central and southern portions of the flyway are still in a holding pattern, waiting both for their seasons to open and for warmer weather to give way to fall, bringing ducks and geese down the coast.

The first potential duck mover is taking aim on the middle of the northern tier states. On the forums, in sporting goods stores, and in local diners you can hear and feel the anticipation. Rumors of an early winter are rampant and the sale of heavy boot socks must surely be climbing. Anticipation and hope keep the heart of the waterfowler running strong as leaves begin to fall and the wind whispers promises of frosty mornings and two-dog nights.

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