As October becomes a memory and November begins, it appears the ducks and the weather have an equal number of tricks and treats for waterfowlers across North America.
Hello folks, and as always, welcome to Waterfowler.com.
Autumn is in full swing and there couldn’t be a better time to become a Waterfowler.com member. With the bulk of this year’s migration still in a holding pattern, a Waterfowler.com membership gives you the extra advantage of being able to time your hunts to meet “The Big Push” head on. Regular Migration Reports, over fifty state and international Field Report pages and special Migration Alerts, sent right to your email, help take the guesswork out of planning your hunts. For as little as $14.95 your Waterfowler.com Membership gives you the edge, helping you know not only where but, more importantly, when North American waterfowl migrations are happening. JOIN TODAY!
All across the country, Waterfowler.com members are meeting up to share time in the field with friends from the site. From the Atlantic Flyway marshes to the Prairie Potholes of the Central Flyway, members from all walks of life are hooking up to chase ducks and geese with friends from all across the continent. “Member Rendezvous” give hunters the chance to hunt new places with folks they have come to know through the Waterfowler.com interactive areas. If you are planning a get together in your area, or planning on making a road trip to participate in one of these hunts, be sure to take along your camera. Waterfowler.com is eager to share your story with your fellow members in our print publication Waterfowler.com Journal.
And now, on to the Migration Report.
ANNOUNCEMENT – Migration Reports will now be posted Wednesday of each week in order to have a more accurate picture of upcoming weather changes that could impact migration activity.
CANADA
The web-footed traffic jam along the border with the US continues but some movement through to the states has begun. Reports this week indicate that the migration into southern portions of all four flyways on the Canadian side of the border is at or near peak.
The only significant downturn in bird numbers appears to be of light geese as they push out of Canada and make a move toward their wintering grounds in the US.
Lack of snow fall and sustained sub-freezing temperatures should keep most of the dark goose and puddle duck migration from moving much farther south as the weekend closes in. Some departure can be expected of smaller ducks and divers but the majority of the more hardy birds will likely hold in their current locations until the majority of available water is locked up and the abundant food is covered by snowfall.
Some ice-out of smaller ponds and sheet water will shift birds around in areas of western and central provinces, but warmer weather along the eastern portion of Canada will keep water open and the birds from making any major pushes south.
PACIFIC FLYWAY
Despite the lack of cold weather bird numbers, particularly for larger puddle ducks, appear to be on the rise for the interior portions of the upper flyway. Dark geese of the smaller variety are beginning their move down the flyway and initial reports show their numbers up from recent years.
Coastal areas also report a noticeable increase in duck numbers including divers and smaller puddle ducks. A slight up-tick in mallard numbers has been reported in some areas, but these reports are too scattered to indicate a major movement of new birds through the region.
Southern portions of the flyway, from California to Arizona are starting to hold respectable numbers of ducks. Other than local mallards in CA, the bulk of the new arrivals reported are teal, pintail and smaller divers. The migration of white-fronted geese in California looks to be ramping up, but the bulk of the annual Speck migration has not moved south as of this reporting.
As another rain maker moves inland for the upper flyway, accompanied by strong southerly winds, the overall migration is not likely to see a significant increase. However, some colder weather in the central and northern portions of British Columbia should be pushing birds closer to the US border and setting the stage for a major push when the weather eventually makes a more long term turn toward colder weather.
CENTRAL FLYWAY
Warm weather continued to frustrate waterfowlers hunting the upper flyway last week, particularly in the Dakotas. By the weekend a short term cool down, with some snow possible from Montana in to North Dakota should improve gunning and migration activity for the upper flyway. A brief warm up on the tail of this cold front should keep any new birds that move into the area from departing too quickly.
As the cold snap moves across and down the flyway a shift of birds already moving down the flyway should continue. Moderate migration activity for areas south of Montana and the Dakotas is likely, but may be limited to smaller ducks and light geese.
This tug of war between warm and cool weather could make hunting tough over the next week for mid-tier states. Wide swings in temperature ranges will make birds less likely to hold to established feeding/loafing patterns. The good news is, light geese are starting their push down the flyway, allowing hunters the opportunity to shift their focus from the heavily pressured ducks and dark geese that have been staging in the middle of the flyway.
Southern portions of the flyway are reporting strong teal and small puddle duck numbers starting to show up on local lakes, marshes and fields. The early migrants should continue to build in number as the week progresses and the gunning pressure to the north mounts.
MISSISSIPPI FLYWAY
The upper flyway appears to be in a migration lull, due, in part, to the lack of colder weather there and north of the US/Canadian border. While goose numbers have begun to show marked increases from Minnesota to Northern Illinois, and diver numbers are fair to good along the Mississippi River. Puddle duck numbers continue to lag below expectations for the first week of November.
A mild cold front moving into lower reaches of Canada this week should bring a small refresh of both ducks and geese into the upper western and Great Lakes regions. Lack of rain and drought conditions have concentrated birds to larger lakes, rivers and pumped impoundments in many areas. Heavy gunning pressure on limited water has been an issue for many hunters in the drought effected areas. Wise, wary and call shy birds are making hunting tough on weekends and lack of gunning pressure during the week is keeping birds from moving from loafing areas along the rivers.
Central portions of the flyway are reporting scattered concentrations of both ducks and geese, but the overall opinion is that there are the same birds hunters have been chasing since opening day. Less conventional decoy spreads, light calling and mobility are producing better results for hunters willing to be flexible. With reports still coming in of teal and wood ducks being taken on a regular basis in upper reaches of the flyway it is clear that the bulk of the migration is yet to move towards the mid-tier states.
Light geese, white fronts and small puddle ducks have continued to build in southern portions of the flyway. Gadwall, wigeon, pintail and teal are starting to stack up in areas from Arkansas to central Louisiana. The light goose numbers in the lower flyway are building, though they appear to be slightly behind in their numbers from last year at the same time.
ATLANTIC FLYWAY
After a good start to this year’s migration the Atlantic flyway appears to be heading for a slight slow-down. Warmer weather for the northern portion of the flyway will likely begin to apply the brakes to waterfowl movement out of Canada and along the coast.
The good news is that the earlier cold fronts served to distribute a fair number of ducks along the upper and mid-coastal states. With no significant cold fronts in the short term forecast these birds should hold to their established areas of concentration.
The exceptions to the above observations are for sea ducks and dark geese, migration of both appear to be continuing for the upper flyway and to a lesser extent, into central states.
Teal and small diver numbers are on a slow build for the southern states of the Atlantic flyway. High waters in areas of Florida have served to spread the migration out a bit more than usual, but bird numbers are at or slightly above expected levels in the region as a whole.
With ample water available, birds are less likely to be effected by pressure from marine traffic as the opening draws near. The wide distribution will, however, make scouting more crucial in planning the opening day outing.
High hopes for a more regular fall weather pattern may have vanished like a wad of teal on a tail wind, but the season isn’t over just yet. With reports of strong duck numbers still holding north of the US/Canadian border it’s just a matter of time before Mother Nature makes up her mind to send the “Big Push” south. As November gets its feet firmly on the ground, waterfowlers from border to border are hoping the weather makes a favorable turn as we move toward the holiday season.
