With heavy rains along both coasts and a warming trend in the central U.S., a nationwide stall in migration may be on the menu for the coming holiday weekend.
Hello folks, and as always, welcome to Waterfowler.com.
Thanksgiving weekend marks the height of the nation’s general waterfowl season. With few exceptions, duck and goose hunting is underway from the Canadian border to the Gulf coast. Thus far this season, cooler temperatures have prevailed throughout the north, and migration has progressed in a steady fashion. The bulk of early migrators — including widgeon, gadwall, teal, pintail and spoonbills — are already at their southern most destinations in the Central and Mississippi Flyways. At this time, duck numbers in Louisiana are four times above the long-term average for this time of year, however mallards are far to the north – hugging the hard-freeze line.
For many, the holiday weekend is an opportunity to share a hunt with friends and family and celebrate the grand traditions of waterfowl hunting. Waterfowler.com’s entire staff would like to wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving and a safe and bountiful weekend in the field.
PACIFIC FLYWAY:
Hunters in Washington and Oregon continue to enjoy a mixed bag of mallards, scaup, and both light and dark geese. Localized flooding and torrential rains have slowed the action slightly and birds are feeding in high-water areas. In general, birds are dispersed and exploiting new feeding opportunities. While hunter success is moderate, it isn’t because populations are low. In Idaho and Utah, mallards and widgeon are providing the best action. Pintail are moderate in the north and better to the south. In Nevada and Arizona mallard numbers are on the rise with widgeon, gadwall, pintail and teal good to excellent. Snow goose numbers continue to rise in southern part of the flyways, as migrants arrive on favorable winds. In the Sacramento Valley, mallards and widgeon are excellent, with teal and white-fronted goose numbers absolutely outstanding. Hunter success is excellent and bags are full, and mixed. In southern California, teal are good to excellent, and spoonbill numbers are over the top. Success on managed public lands is moderate, as hunting pressure increases and birds become educated. Hunter success is good to excellent on teal on private lands, and those who are lucky enough to choose the right blinds on managed areas.
CENTRAL FLWAY
DU Canada reports ample numbers of mallards hugging the southern portions of Canada – resting just above the US border. In North Dakota, hunters in the southeast portion of the state report huge concentrations of mallards on the ice and field feeding. Hunter success is excellent for those willing to put in scouting time along the South Dakota border. Hunters in Montana are experiencing spring-like rains and temperatures. With the gray ducks gone, hunters are waiting for northern mallards to arrive. Hunter success is fair and water high in most areas. In Colorado, Nebraska and Oklahoma, mallards are fair, pintail gadwall and widgeon are good to excellent. Snow goose numbers are fair south of the Dakotas, with lesser Canada goose good throughout the central portion of the flyway. Redhead numbers are good to excellent from Kansas to the Texas coast, with teal, pintail and gray ducks providing a mixed bag. Mallard numbers are fair, as the bulk of greenheads hug the freeze-line to the north.
MISSISSIPPI FLYWAY:
Throughout the northern Mississippi Flyway hunters have reported ducks and geese feeding heavily at night. The harvest is in full swing in the corn-belt, and waterfowl are hitting fresh chisel plowed fields hard from Iowa through Illinois. Hunters hunting in active feeding fields are experiencing the best success just before sunset – those running traffic report mixed success. Sandhill cranes pushed south in mass this weekend, riding the favorable thermals south. Goose hunting is hitting its stride in Minnesota, and if you had ever intended to hunt geese in the Rochester area, now is the time to go. Duck numbers are still strong from Lac qui Parle south, with smaller marshes frozen and larger impoundments holding the most birds. From central Wisconsin to southern Illinois, bulk of gadwall, widgeon, pintail and teal are past, and hunters wait for northern mallards to arrive. Goose numbers are good to excellent, in the northern portion of the flyway, and hunter success is good to excellent in most areas. In Iowa, hunting is good to excellent, with mallards, gadwall, widgeon and goose numbers strong, and hunters along the Mississippi and Missouri corridors experiencing the best success. Golden eye have arrived in mass throughout the Great Lakes Region, providing added opportunity to an already excellent diver season. Bufflehead, scaup, and canvasbacks are good to excellent from central Wisconsin to Lake Erie. Gadwall, widgeon, wood ducks, teal and pintail are good to excellent from northeast Arkansas to Louisiana – with duck numbers in Lousiana four-times above the long-term average for this time of year. It should be noted that this “4x” number has appeared on waterfowl surveys throughout the season – from the start of the flyway, to the end. In general, it appears that the bulk of gray ducks have migrated to their southern most destinations, with mallards and other stragglers still to the north.
ATLANTIC FLYWAY:
In Maine, sea duck action is picking up, and inland teal, black duck and mallard numbers are good to excellent. Eiders, scoters, Old Squaw and other divers numbers are average for this time of year, with coastal hunters waiting on northern birds. In Massachusetts, mallard and black ducks are fair to good in most areas with new arrivals filtering in daily.
Wood duck numbers have dwindled in the north, due to harvest and migration. New York hunters should enjoy a good holiday shoot, as black duck, mallard and goose numbers continue to rise. Warmer temperatures and night feeding has limited bird movement during shooting hours in Pennsylvania. Despite plentiful duck and goose numbers, harvest has slowed. In New Jersey and Delaware, goose hunting in cut corn continues to produce limits, and duck numbers, including mallard, black, widgeon, and pintail are good to excellent in most areas, though most are feeding at night and loafing during the day. Hunting is underway in Virginia with mallards good, and wood ducks and teal fair. Diver numbers are on the rise with bufflehead most abundant. From the Carolinas south, wood ducks and teal are good to excellent in most areas, mallards low, and ring-necked ducks high. Gunning is underway in North Carolina and the opener is right around the corner for the South. A few early bufflehead have made an appearance but numbers are insignificant. In Alabama and Florida, hunter await opening day as wooduck, gadwall, teal and ringneck numbers slowly build.
Again, WFC wishes all of our members and readers a safe and joyous holiday. With a warming trend expected across much of the U.S. this week, it is unlikely that there will be any drastic changes in migration until the next cold front. Until then, hunt safe and hunt often.
