With a new cold front expected to travel across the U.S. this weekend, waterfowl activity is bound to increase. If the front proves to be severe, the first big push of the season will be on.
Hello folks, and, as always, welcome to Waterfowler.com.
As central and southern states prepare for opening day in the coming weeks, hunting continues in the north as duck and goose hunters await the first artic winds and the big push of mallards.
Across the US, the majority of early migrants, including gadwall, pintail, widgeon, ring-necked ducks and teal, are moving south in force – ahead of normal schedules.
Scaup, canvasback and other divers are pushing the calendar as well, with waterfowl surveys in many areas reporting above average numbers for this time of year.
With the full moon upon us, many ducks and geese have switched to nocturnal feeding schedules — providing persistent hunters with excellent late-morning hunting action, as these birds return to loafing areas. The mid-season lull, often described as “the locals being gone” is easily attributed to bountiful harvests, and changes in habits from gunning pressure. Simply put, there is no shortage of birds, you just have to work for them a little harder as the season progresses.
Waterfowler.com would like to thank our members for their detailed field reports, and encourage new members to provide reports as often as they can to aid in migration tracking and mapping efforts.
PACIFIC FLYWAY
Lesser Canada goose numbers continue to build in Washington — with mallard numbers rising, and widgeon and pintail good. Diver action along the Columbia River is spotty, with redheads and scaup fair, canvasbacks low. Mallards and goose numbers continue to build in the basin, providing quality hunting for hunters in Oregon and Washington. In Idaho, smaller marshes are freezing and waterfowl are holding on larger impoundments and the upper Snake River. Swans numbers are good to excellent as the move through on their way to the Great Salt Lake. In Utah, waterfowl numbers are good to excellent in most areas, with hunter success high. White-fronted goose numbers are good to excellent in northern California, with teal excellent in the south. Pintail numbers are strong in the Sacramento Valley, with Snow goose numbers good to excellent throughout the state – with spoonbill scattered throughout the flyway. In Arizona and Nevada, hunting is good to excellent, with mallard numbers strong and snow geese excellent.
CENTRAL FLYWAY
Hunters in the Dakotas continue to struggle through the season. Thankfully, warmer temperatures on the prairie have thawed the frozen marshes, and mallards moving in from the north. From Colorado to Nebraska, hunters await northern flights, as local ducks have been harvested or moved to southerly destinations. While hunters are hopeful, it is uncertain how many birds will shift to the east this year as they route around a dry areas of the Dakotas. Hunting is good to excellent on teal and gadwall, in Oklahoma, with mallards fair. In Kansas, hunter success is fair to good on gadwall, pintail and teal, with redhead numbers good to excellent as they make their way towards the Gulf Coast.
MISSISSIPPI FLYWAY
In Minnesota, hunters continue to wallow in the success of a spectacular season, with mallards and goose numbers over the top. In Wisconsin, hunter success is good to excellent throughout the state, with mallards good, divers excellent, and goose numbers climbing each day. From Iowa to Ohio, duck and goose numbers remain steady as new migrants arrive, and others continue south. Mallard numbers are fair, gray ducks good to excellent, and teal and wood ducks low. From Missouri to Louisiana, teal, gadwall, pintail, spoonbill and snow goose numbers are above average for this time of year – which should provide excellent shooting for the openers in the south.
ATLANTIC FLYWAY
Wood duck numbers remain excellent from Massachusetts to the Carolinas – with these colorful birds providing consistent opportunity for waterfowl hunters. Goose hunting is good to excellent from New York to New Jersey, with mallard and black duck numbers above average for this time of year. Teal are good in the north and excellent from New Jersey to Georgia. Hunters success in Pennsylvania is fair on ducks and good to excellent on geese. Mallard numbers are on the rise in the Keystone state, with hunters looking for bucks as much as ducks as the deer season approaches. In Delaware, mallard numbers are rising from the hook to the bay, with light goose numbers fair and dark geese good to excellent. Along the coast, scoter numbers are just beginning to build in Massachusetts. In Maine, Eiders are fair, with Old Squaw and White-Winged Scoter good.
Until Next week, WFC encourages our readers to update their email address in their user profile, to insure delivery of upcoming Migration Alert Notices.
