A classic Alberta Clipper System moved across the U.S. during the past week and resulted in a significant and unexpected early migration event. Divers, puddle ducks and geese are on the move and activity is good to excellent in all four flyways.
Hello folks, and, as always welcome to Waterfowler.com.
Cold, snow, high winds and rain; what more could a duck hunter ask for? The recent series of cold fronts has spawned a number of migration events across the U.S. and Canada this past week. From sandhill cranes and white fronted geese to gadwall, widgeon, redhead, ringed-necked ducks and canvasback, the pace of the fall migration is heating up as temperatures drop and hunter success is good to excellent in many areas.
When birds start to fly in the U.S. Prairie Pothole Region and you want valid field observations to confirm online reports, you call the folks that live and breath on the prairie in and out of the duck season. Simply put, you can count on the staff at Delta Waterfowl Foundation to be in touch with the pulse of ducks and duck hunting.
“It was a duck hunters perfect storm,” stated John Devney, Senior Vice President of Delta Waterfowl foundation, “albeit three weeks earlier than anyone expected or would hope. A significant number of ducks and geese have left the prairie, but make no mistake there are still a lot of birds here. Snow geese and mallards are moving in a good pace and the smaller ducks, and white-fronted geese are moving through.”
There is a lot of ice from the Dakotas north into Canada, but rain and normal temperatures are expected over the next week. The jet stream continues to provide favorable migrating winds for those that have begun their journey south and the big question at hand is, “where will these birds stop?”
Harvest delays in the corn-belt are ongoing and a week of precipitation has not helped get combines into the fields. Ducks and geese that are moving south are congregating in habitat with natural forage and refuge areas with managed food plots. Hunter success will vary greatly throughout the Central and Mississippi Flyway and scouting and mobility will determine the difference between success and failure.
PACIFIC FLYWAY
The first flights of snow geese arrived in Oregon this week along with gadwall and widgeon. Mallard numbers were good to excellent in western Montana, Idaho and Wyoming. Teal numbers are good to excellent in the northern two-thirds of the flyway and increasing slowly. White-fronted goose numbers are down slightly compared to this time last year from the Klamath Basin to the Sacramento Valley, with pintail good.
CENTRAL FLYWAY
Gadwall, widgeon, redheads, canvasback, ringed-neck ducks and bufflehead are very active from Nebraska north to the Canadian border. Snow goose and mallard numbers are on the rise in North Dakota and replacing migrants that have left for warmer climates. A significant white-fronted goose migration has been ongoing with the first flights traveling all the way to Texas. Duck numbers have increased significantly in Colorado, Nebraska and South Dakota.
MISSISSIPPI FLYWAY
Diver activity is good to excellent across the Great Lakes region. Bufflehead, red head, canvasback and ringed-neck duck activity is good to excellent from Minnesota to southeastern Michigan. Puddle duck numbers have increased significantly in Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin and Illinois. The first white-fronted geese have arrived in northern Louisiana with increasing numbers throughout the central portion of the flyway. Expect harvest delays to impact hunter success in many areas.
ATLANTIC FLYWAY
Teal and wood duck numbers are good to excellent throughout the New England States with pintail and widgeon numbers slightly above average for this time of year. Mallards are good and black ducks fair. With opening day still a few weeks away for many states, reporting is slow from eastern hunters. The impact of the recent fronts will become more apparent as the seasons get closer.
