With less than a few weeks remaining in the 2006 – 2007 general waterfowl season, warmer temperatures across the U.S. have slowed hunter success in some southern states, and provided unexpected late-season action for those in the middle tiers.
Happy New Year folks, and as always, welcome to Waterfowler.com
With the spring snow goose season fast approaching, if you haven’t made plans to take advantage of the Spring Conservation Action, now is the time. Snow goose numbers through the Central and Mississippi Flyways continue to rise each year and your participation is both needed and encouraged. As always, Waterfowler.com will feature our spring snow goose tracking system on the WFC homepage and we look forward to reading your reports and field observations.
For those that had a difficult season due to drought conditions or waterfowl distribution, the Conservation Action is the perfect way to make up for lost days in the field, or missed opportunity. Take time to explore the message forums and interact with members hunting this spring. Whether you intend to hire a guide, freelance or attend a Member Rendezvous Hunt this spring, WFC’s network is the best way to end up in a field, underneath the thundering calls of thousands of mid-continental light geese.
WFC reminds our readers to submit their answers to the member question for issue twenty-one of Waterfowler.com Video Journal. Please visit the Online Lodge member forum for details.
And now, our flyway-by-flyway rundown of waterfowl trends and activity:
PACIFIC FLYWAY:
In Washington, duck hunting has slowed and goose hunting is providing the most consistent opportunity for hunters. Goose hunting is good to excellent in the basin. Duck hunting along the river systems has slowed, with divers good and mallards fair. Hunters in California continue to struggle for ducks in the south. Goose hunting remains good to excellent in the Sacramento Valley, with ducks fair. Hunters in southern New Mexico continue to enjoy the best hunting in the flyway. Light goose hunting can only be described as excellent to phenomenal, with ducks outstanding. It appears the hunting in New Mexico only gets better each season, and has experienced the most consistent waterfowl hunting action across the U.S. the past decade. New Mexico is possibly the most overlooked, best kept secret in waterfowl hunting today.
CENTRAL FLYWAY:
As the snow piles up across the Central Plain, much needed moisture accumulating in the Prairie Pothole region. In Colorado, hunting action has slowed as dangerous levels of snow continue to accumulate. The excellent before the storm has curtailed and ducks and geese have moved south in search of food and open water. Hunting has improved in central and eastern Nebraska with goose numbers good to excellent and ducks fair. In Oklahoma both ducks and geese are good to excellent around areas with good water. Mallards and Pintail numbers are good, with gadwall, widgeon, and others excellent for this time of year. As the next storm passes through the Plains over the next few days, hunting is expected to get even better. In Texas, much needed rain is falling, and with any luck the water and the coming storms to the north will salvage what has been one of the most difficult season for Texas in years.
MISSISSIPPI FLYWAY
The extreme warming trend in the Great Lakes Region and upper Mississippi Flyway has created a save haven for hardy mallards as they hug the freeze line and find safe haven in areas where hunting has closed and ample food remains ripe for the picking. Reports from holiday travelers in Minnesota find mallards still in the fields in good numbers. With open water in Wisconsin, Iowa and Northern Illinois, simply put, there is no shortage of ducks in the north at this time. Goose hunting is good to excellent in the northern states, where seasons are open and should continue to provide great opportunity until seasons close. Missouri and Louisiana continue to be the hottest states in the flyway, with hunting conditions, excellent and duck numbers outstanding in both states.
Arkansas continues to suffer the plague of drought conditions and this will likely go down as the worst season in Arkansas in the past decade.
ATLANTIC FLYWAY:
Excellent sea duck hunting continues this week in Maine, and ducks are good to excellent from Massachusetts to New Jersey. Goose numbers are good to excellent in Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey – with hunter success good to excellent in areas where the season remains open. Warm temperatures have slowed hunting action from Virginia through the Carolinas, with mallard numbers low, gadwall, pintail and widgeon fair to good in most areas. In Georgia and Florida, hunting remains slow as hunters await a good push of weather in the north, with ring-necked, teal and wood ducks providing the best opportunity for those willing to scout.
Until next week, start planning a spring snow goose hunt today.
