You can feel the tension in the air. The pond counts are done and in a few weeks we will have the first details that will dictate the scope of the 2005-2006 waterfowl season. Across the country, duck and goose hunters are eager for the news.
Hello folks, and as always, welcome to Waterfowler.com.
Issue # 16 of Waterfowler.com is off to the press. Be sure to check your user profile to make sure we have your correct mailing address to insure you don’t miss the June issue of WFC Journal.
WFC will be on hand this weekend at the Ducks Unlimited Great Outdoors Festival in Richmond, Virginia. If you are planning to attend the show, be sure to stop by the booth to say hello to fellow members and WFC staff.
In preparation for the upcoming season, the Waterfowler.com ProShop is running a special, limited time offer on fifty pound bags of Mossy Oak Bio-Logic Waterfowl Forage. While supplies last, WFC members and guest can purchase the fifty pound (50lb.) bags of this highly effective duck food for the amazingly low price of $54.99. Supplies are limited to stock on hand, so order today.
Also, don’t forget that WFC and Higdon Decoys have teamed up to offer all ProShop users a special deal on the remaining stock of select Higdon’s 2004 Canada Goose decoys. All 2004 Close-out decoys are offered with FREE SHIPPING. Full details available in the WFC ProShop.
And now, on to the Breeding Ground Report.
Conditions across the Duck Factory of the US and Canada were a bit on the dry side when the pond counts began, but steady rains across the region have improved conditions over the past several weeks.
Late rains make the overall production picture hard to predict, but improved wetland conditions should help with brood survival and re-nesting efforts. More than anything else, the recent weather on the prairie appears to be a sustained trend that could be the mark of a return to a wet cycle that would help bolster waterfowl production for the near future.
While it is still far too early to tell if the prairie drought is coming to an end, the picture is hopeful for the moment. And hope is the wellspring of the waterfowler’s heart.
Migration Update – July 18, 2005
Well, the numbers are in; US totals are down, Canada totals are up. The final tally shows combined pond counts were up 37% over 2004 and 12% above the long term average (4.8 million ponds).
Hello, folks, and, as always, welcome to Waterfowler.com.
If your benchmark mark for acceptable breeding populations is the peak we reached in 1999 or 2000, then this season will not reach your expectations. If your benchmark happens to be the accepted scientific benchmark of the Long-term Average – well, things this season should be similar to last year in terms of duck numbers.
2005 Breeding pair survey results:
– Northern shoveler up 67% above the long-term average, +28% from 2004.
– Gadwall up 30% above the long-term average, -16% from 2004
– Green-wing Teal up 16% above the long-term average, -12% from 2004.
– Blue-winged-teal up 2% above the long-term average, +13% from 2004
– Redhead 5% below the long-term average, -2% from 2004.
– Canavasback 8% below the long-term average., -16%from 2004.
– Mallard 10% below the long-term average, -9% from 2004.
– Wigeon 15% below the long-term average, +12% from 2004.
– Scaup 35% below the long-term average, -11% from 2004.
– Northern Pintail 38% below the long- term average, +17 from 2004.
While Pintail still remain 38% below the long-term average, the 17% increase in breeding pairs over 2004 is refreshing. Mallards in the Alaska-Yukon Territory survey areas were up 101% over the long-term average, and up 21% in S. Manitoba.
For complete details on the breeding survey, visit the Migratory Bird Management Report section of FWS.GOV using the link below.
