Below average temperatures across the U.S. are moving ducks and geese consistently in all four flyways. From Skagit Bay in Washington to the eastern seaboard, waterfowl hunters are thanking Mother Nature for fueling one of the best duck seasons of the new millennium.
Hello folks, and, as always, welcome to Waterfowler.com.
After struggling through the past few seasons, waterfowl hunters are reaping the harvest of good spring hatch and favorable weather conditions. With the jet stream flowing in a winter-like fashion, ducks and geese are being swept off their breeding grounds and driven to warmer, southerly destinations.
With the first weeks of early November right around the corner, Waterfowler.com has geared up our email servers to deliver our Migration Alerts when the first big push of the season occurs. While we wait for the waves of mallards with anticipation, we encourage our members and readers to update their email address in our database, to insure the delivery of these urgent notices.
In other news, the first issue of Waterfowler.com Video Magazine is in final post-production and we hope to post an online teaser of the video later this week. The master files will be off to duplication next week, and delivery will follow quickly behind. We thank you for your patience during this transition from paper to digital format.
Members who think they have an incredible story or hunting destination they would like to share with our readers on the our upcoming DVDs, are invited to contact us to see if our film crew will be in their area. Please email inquiries to info@waterfowler.com, and include the phrase “WFC Video Journal” in the subject heading.
And now, on with our weekly update:
PACIFIC FLWAY
Snow geese are on the move in the west, with growing numbers in Washington and the first waves arriving in Oregon. Hunting is good to excellent in the Skagit, with hunters reporting above average duck numbers for this time of year. Gunning is underway in Idaho with widgeon, pintail, gadwall and mallard numbers good to excellent in most areas. Waterfowl surveys in Utah are well above average for this time of year, though most teal have departed for warmer climates. Hunter success varies from fair to good in most areas, with harvests notably better in the in the northern part of the state. In Nevada duck numbers are good to excellent on most WMA’s and refuge areas. Hunter success varies from fair to good, as hunters await food resources to deplete on management areas. In the mean time, hunters are enjoying a mixed bag of teal, gadwall, widgeon and pintail.
CENTRAL FLYWAY
What little water there was on smaller marshes in North Dakota is frozen. While larger impoundments remain open and holding good numbers of ducks, hunting pressure is high and hunter success low. Mallard and diver numbers are on the rise, with widgeon, gadwall and pintail good, green-wing teal fair. Hunter success is best in the fields, for those hunting in active feeding areas, or successfully running traffic and putting in their scouting time. In South Dakota the Sand Lake Refuge is holding ample snows and mallards, and diver numbers are strong in many areas. Hunter success varies across the state, with water conditions fair to poor. Diver numbers are good to excellent in Colorado, with mallard numbers low. Pintail, widgeon, gadwall and green-wing teal are good to excellent into Nebraska and Oklahoma.
MISSISSIPPI FLYWAY
Hunting is on fire in Central Minnesota and Minnesota hunters are discovering what it takes to have an excellent duck season – a dry prairie. Over the past few decades waterfowl habitat has declined in Minnesota, and continues to improve in neighboring North Dakota. Given the option during wet years on the prairie, ducks have remained west – making it apparent that duck numbers are not the problem in Minnesota but attractive habitat for migrating waterfowl. While hunters are enjoying excellent hunting at this time, the long-term future of hunter success will depend on a commitment to create habit for ducks, not walleye. In Wisconsin, hunter success is good to excellent across the state. The upper Mississippi is holding record numbers of Waterfowl for this time of year, with scaup numbers off the charts for this time of year. In Illinois, opening week harvests were strong, with goose numbers good to excellent in most areas in the northern zone. Gadwall, pintail, wood ducks, ring-necks and mallards provided and mixed bag for most hunters, with teal numbers spotty in the north. Hunter success varies with ice-conditions in Iowa. Those hunting the river and fields are experiencing the best success, with larger marshes also good to excellent. In Missouri, ducks numbers are on the Rise in Squaw creek, and reflect overall waterfowl numbers across the state with ring-necks, gadwall and teal numbers best. In Ohio, hunters report excellent numbers of pintail, mallards and geese. Hunting is excellent throughout the northern portion of the state for this time of year. If you are a hunter in Ohio, this is a season that should not be missed.
ATLANTIC FLYWAY
In Maine, hunters report a mixed bag of teal, blacks and mallards. Costal hunting is fair on sea ducks, with goose hunting good to excellent in many areas. Pintail numbers are fair to good in Massachusetts, with teal and geese excellent. Black ducks and mallards are spotty in most areas but still providing hunter opportunity and present in the daily mixed bag. In Connecticut, inland teal shooting is best, with all other ducks slow. Hunter success sin Pennsylvania is spotty on ducks and fair to good on geese. Weather conditions hampered hunting in many areas, with dabbler numbers low and wood ducks providing the best shooting. Mallard and pintail shooting is fair to good in New Jersey, with green-wing teal numbers good to excellent. As hunter in Delaware await the opener, scouting reports indicate mallards good, pintail fair and teal excellent.
Until Next week, hunt safe and hunt often.
