As the winter solstice approaches, snow and ice prevail in the northern half of the nation. Unseasonably warm temperatures in the south took a dive this past week, and the arctic blast moved ducks and geese further south.
Hello folks, and as always, welcome to Waterfowler.com.
A quick glance at the U.S. snow covered map (link at right), paints a winter picture that is sure to warm the hearts of the southern waterfowler – who has endured a number of seasons of mild temperatures with little snowfall in the north.
As snow piled up in the northeast this weekend, waterfowl pushed south in grand fashion along the eastern seaboard, and areas of the southeast suffering from ongoing drought conditions, received some much-needed rain.
With the holiday season upon us, now is the time to make plans with friends and family members to enjoy a memorable hunt this season. WFC members are reminded to take advantage of the opportunities available on the National Trade-A-Hunt system, so post your ad today!
PACIFIC FLYWAY
Mallard shooting is good to excellent from Washington to northern California. Diver numbers across the Pacific Northwest are good to excellent, with Canada goose numbers also excellent. In Idaho, divers are good to excellent in areas with open water and mallards and geese are good to the north and excellent in the southeast. White-fronted goose numbers are good to excellent in the Sacramento Valley, with mallard numbers nearing the peak for the season. Snow goose numbers are good to excellent in southern California with teal excellent, pintail good and mallards fair.
CENTRAL FLYWAY
Goose hunting in Colorado remains good to excellent across most of the state. As snow and severe ice storms raged across Oklahoma and Kansas, waterfowl pushed through the Central tier and into Texas. While good numbers of ducks remain along the river systems in Nebraska, the bulk of waterfowl have pushed to the edge of the snow line and beyond. In short, the majority of waterfowl in the Central flyways are concentrated in the lower third of the nation and hunting is good to excellent on all species.
MISSISSIPPI FLYWAY
The arctic winds brought more snow and ice to the upper half of the flyway this weekend driving geese further south into southern Illinois and into Kentucky.
Mallard numbers are good to excellent from southern Missouri into Kentucky. In Indiana and Ohio goose hunting remains good to excellent in the northern and central regions, with duck numbers best along the river systems and south.
In Arkansas, mallard numbers are on the rise in many areas, though still below the long-term average for this time of year. In Mississippi and Louisiana, mallard numbers jumped significantly over the past few days and hunter success in those states remains excellent on all species.
ATLANTIC FLYWAY
As the snow piled up in the northern portion of the flyway, ducks and geese pushed south this weekend in substantial numbers in the east, with the bulk of birds concentrated from the Chesapeake Bay south. Duck numbers in Delaware and New Jersey are on the rise with divers and puddle ducks good to excellent. In Virginia, bluebill numbers are on the rise along with other diver species. In the Carolinas, duck numbers are on the rise, with black duck and mallard numbers climbing each day. While drought conditions persist across Georgia, areas holding water are holding concentrated numbers of ducks, with mallard, wood duck and ringed-neck duck numbers good to excellent in those areas. In Florida, duck numbers remain fair in many areas with waterfowl numbers low for this time of year.
Until our next update, hunt safe and hunt often.
