The great migration marathon delivered a number of exciting moments this past week, thanks to a few freakish snowstorms across the nation. As snow pounded the northeast and the central Rocky Mountain States, duck moving weather, winds and colder temperatures fueled duck activity along the west coast. While migration events and activity increased in nearly every flyway, the epic flights everyone was hoping for did not materialize.
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Each and every year the early season lull takes its toll on the confidence and dedication of the hardcore waterfowl hunter. The burst of opening days shots eventually subside and waterfowl activity appears to slow and the mantra of the duck hunter becomes, “where are the ducks?”
The grand passage of waterfowl from northern nesting grounds to southern wintering grounds is in many was like a marathon race. Racers gather at the starting line in epic numbers and the gun sounds for the race to begin. Unlike a standard racecourse, the migration marathon has no defined path and has various finish lines for participating racers. Some racers charge ahead at a wing-numbing pace and others meander down the flyway waiting for favorable winds or hunting pressure to move them from place to place.
Regardless of the paths and speeds, the race is in constant motion. Much like a fire work that launches and explodes into a million sparkles the migration appears to fade as ducks and geese disperse in unpredictable directions – in fact, there are times you’d swear most of the North American population of waterfowl have completely evaporated. As cold weather, snow and ice begin to build in northern states, the latest migrating birds will be pushed south and compressed into smaller areas with birds that had already moved south – like a film of a firework being played in reverse, or racers congregating at a finish line.
So where are the ducks in the lower fourty-eight? Simply put, everywhere but nowhere in particular. At this time teal, gadwall, widgeon, pintail, mallards, scaup, ring-necks, red-heads, canvasback, bufflehead, light-geese, dark geese and hunters are scattered across the flyways waiting for mother nature to bring on some weather that will force the remaining birds in Canada (of which there is an abundance) to the south to comingle with the volumes of birds that have already moved.
While hunting in most northern states has hit the mid-season lull of the trickle-migration, at it’s essence, this is business as usual for the migration.
Before you start wishing for the epic Arctic-Clipper of the season, realize that most states in the north have not hit the half-way mark of their season, and there is nothing worse than being froze out, blanketed in snow and bird-less well before the season ends. Keep in mind that during this stage of the migration, limits are low but new possibilities exist each and every day in smaller proportions. Scout hard, hunt often and find opportunity. As always, any day in the field beats a boring day at home.
PACIFIC FLYWAY:
A series of weather events along the west coast has improved hunter success from the Washington to Southern California. While the rice harvest in northern California remains well-behind schedule, birds are abundant and stacked in uncommon places. Bird numbers in Idaho, Utah and Nevada are average for this time of year with activity good to excellent.
CENTRAL FLYWAY:
Snow in the northwestern corner of the flyway ignited a flurry of waterfowl activity in Montana, Wyoming, Colorado and Nebraska. A significant movement of mallards scattered ahead of the storm as they left Montana, increasing hunter success in their flight path. In the Dakotas, mallard numbers are increasing slightly over previous weeks and ice on smaller marshes is concentrating birds into larger flocks. Moving south, bird numbers are increasing in Kansas, Oklahoma and the Texas Panhandle. Duck numbers continue to rise along the gulf coast as ducks flyby drought stricken areas in search of water.
MISSISSIPPI FLYWAY:
The mid-season lull continues in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and Illinois – with divers and geese producing the best opportunity for hunters. Ducks continue to roost on larger bodies of water near grain fields with hunting in smaller marshes difficult and slower across most of the northern portion of the flyway. In the south, clubs and landowners have begun to pump water into managed wetlands. Considering the severity of the drought in many southern states and the pace of the early migration, pumping early is a sound management strategy to hold birds that would otherwise flyby in search of suitable habitat.
ATLANTIC FLYWAY:
Sea duck numbers improved dramatically over the past week along the northern coast. While the bulk of waterfowl remain in Canada at this time, the devastating snow storm that has left tens of thousand of people without power succeeded in driving an abundance of teal and wood ducks into Virginia, Delaware and New Jersey over the past week. Brandt numbers in the northern portion of the flyway remain low to average for this time of year, with goose numbers good to excellent compared to previous weeks.
