Member Photo Credit – Dukguy
The general waterfowl season will go out with a bang this week in Deep South as yet another arctic blast barrels south – all the way to the Gulf Coast. A wintery mix of snow, ice and rain will attack the south from Texas all the way to Georgia and South Carolina. As hunters hang the last few ducks on the lanyard, they can expect a flurry of activity and memorable hunts before the season goes out.
Hello folks, and, as always, welcome to Waterfowler.com.
The 2013 – 2014 waterfowl season was wrought with extreme weather conditions from coast to coast. In the far west, drought and mild temperatures prevailed and for many, it was the worst season they could have expected. In the central and Mississippi Flyways, the ongoing blasts of arctic air resulted extreme weather conditions that shortened the season in many areas and limited late season opportunity as geese migrated far to the south of normal wintering grounds to escape the abundance of snow and ice.
In the east, mild temperatures persisted in the early part of the season and when the artic winds arrived it resulted in a fast and furious migration that provided limited opportunity the average waterfowl hunter in the north and central states.
The volatile weather patterns we experienced this past season created hunting trends that were equally unpredictable and volatile for duck hunters in many areas. Hunters reported either extremely good or extremely bad seasons and little in between.
As another polar vortex dips into the Deep South this week, it would be very easy to chuckle at the irony of the term “global warming.” Let’s face it, sub-zero temperatures are hardly warming to the heart, mind or fingertips, but they are the result of unstable, warmer air in the arctic.
As we switch our focus to the Spring Conservation Order and light goose hunting in the coming weeks, volatile weather trends will continue to play a vital role in the spring migration. According to the NOAA Climate Prediction Center, temperatures are expected to rebound in the south in the coming months and be above average, while they remain normal to below average in the north. With considerable snow pack in northern states, mid-continental light geese are faced with a substantial, slow-thawing barrier between their wintering and breeding grounds.
As the final days of the duck season and a few remaining youth hunts close out the 2013-2104 Waterfowl Season, snow goose hunters will ready themselves for the spring Conservation Order and take to the field in force.
As participants do their part to reduce their exploding numbers and save the arctic from these over-grazing birds, Waterfowler.com will do it’s best to keep you up to date on their whereabouts.
So ready the epic decoy spreads, crank up those e-callers, then lock and load. Light goose hunting begins and if you haven’t already made your plans to participate this spring, now is the time to do so.
We look forward to your light goose hunting reports, so register for free and login to Waterfowler.com today.
we are ready to join in on the extended snow goose season in ny if any one out there knows of any good spots on the western side of the state to hunt we would like to hear about it we are in sullivan co which is south ny dont see very many snows here mostly canada geese
Already started on the C.O. snow geese here in Arkansas. I hunted near Jonesboro, AR yesterday and it was tough! We were hoping the warm front would bring in warmer southern breezes and some new migrator geese uinto the area. We got breezes… too much of a good thing gusts at 35+ mph… our silosocks were bouncing around wildly… but the newbies never showed up. Luckily we did get into a few local birds and managed 2 Ross’ and 7 juvie snows and blues once the winds died down a bit.