Spring has sprung across most of the nation, and the long, lingering winter has finally given way to a new season. As of April 4, snow geese had moved into North Dakota and moved as far north as the Devils Lake area and into parts of Canada.
Hello folks, and as always, welcome to Waterfowler.com.
Recent warming trends melted much of the snow covering the Central Plains these past few weeks as Mid-Continental Light Geese pushed north on the warmer winds of spring.
Hunting action was fast and furious in Nebraska, Colorado and South Dakota as the number of snow geese surged to peak populations then diminished quickly. Hunter success was fair to good during that time, and without a doubt, the effects of hunting pressure played a significant role in hunter success.
Despite the advantages of electronic calls and massive decoy spreads, after a season of pressure, these educated mature snow geese that continue their journey north, are perhaps the most difficult birds to hunt in waterfowling today.
The absence of snow was quickly replaced by the presence of mud – lots of mud. With limited field access to vehicles carrying dozens upon dozens of decoys, the spring snow goose hunter of the Central Plains had their work cut out for them. For the hardcore spring hunter, these difficulties come with the territory but more often than not, the hard work is quickly forgotten when a tornado of birds drops into the decoys in front of the gun.
While the number of days remaining to hunt light geese in the lower forty-eight is nearly at an end, those traveling to Canada over the next few weeks can expect some incredible opportunities.
For those who have hung up the gun for the season, now is the time to break out the camera and photograph the various duck species as they return to the breeding grounds in full-plumage. As we begin our breeding reports in the weeks to come, conditions across the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) are varied. While most of the Canadian PPR appears to be in good shape, from western North Dakota to Minnesota, conditions remain abnormally dry.
As always, U.S. habitat plays a significant role in duck production and we’ll be monitoring the conditions closely throughout the off-season.
WFC would like to welcome PatternMaster and Dawg-Tired to our Exclusive Member Discount Program for 2008.
WFC Members now receive exclusive discounts when they shop online at: http://patternmaster.com and http://dawg-tired.com.
The special discount codes can be found under the Member Areas Menu at Waterfowl.com, by selecting the Exclusive Discounts link.
Patternmaster high-performance choke tubes have earned them accolades in the waterfowl hunting community since 1993. Members can now purchase their all-new Crio Tubes this season using their member discount when they shop online.
Dawg-Tired is a premium dog bed company offering an innovative “Build a Bed” system online that allows you to customize a dog bed for your canine companion and home decor. WFC members can now treat their duck dogs to a well-deserved, off-season treat. Visit http://dawg-tired.com today to browse their absolutely wonderful product line.
Waterfowler.com has also introduced a new Commercial Gold Membership created specifically for guides, lodges, kennels and small manufacturers to help them introduce you to their great products and services.
If you have a product or service that you would like to introduce to over 100,000 hardcore duck and goose hunters, become a Commercial Gold Sponsor today!
Until our next report, take a camera to the field and get some great off-season shooting in. We look forward to viewing your photos in the member gallery.
