More northern states kick off their waterfowl season this weekend and some cooler weather has jump-started the migration once again.
Hello folks, and as always, welcome to Waterfowler.com.
Crops are coming in from the fields, the north wind is blowing and on these cool early fall nights the sound of geese on the move is music to the hunters heart. Bring on the season.
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And now, on to the Migration Report.
CANADA
A minor cold front is about to push down out of the Arctic and bring temperatures down below the freezing mark as far south as the US/Canadian border over the weekend for much of Central Canada.
Snow goose reports form The Pas Manitoba are improving, and with this week’s drier weather, farmers have been able to get crops out in many areas of Canada. Warmer weather has had the birds feeding less in cut fields and focused more on fallow grounds and on local sloughs and lakes. Cooler weather ahead should start moving birds into the newly harvested fields.
PACIFIC FLYWAY
Inner-Coastal reaches of the upper flyway are beginning to see a new influx of ducks. Teal, and scoter numbers are above average along area bays and inlets.
Inland, bird numbers are fair to good but scattered from eastern Washington to the Montana border. Wigeon, teal and local mallards are in reasonable supply.
A brief cold snap will move into interior portions of the upper flyway late this week and early in the weekend before temps return to average or slightly above. Bird activity should increase during the cool-down.
Lower portions of the flyway report smaller concentrations of teal and a few other “early birds” such as pintail. The slight cool-down to the north has the potential for moving more teal and small ducks down the flyway but no major push is expected through the week.
CENTRAL FLYWAY
The upper Central Flyway is seeing an increase in Canada goose numbers. As this week’s cold front moves down through Canada the bird numbers in MT, ND and SD should climb slightly.
Mallard and other puddle duck numbers are holding steady in the upper flyway with some scattered areas along the Canadian border starting to report movement of new birds into the area.
Look for a slow build of new ducks and geese into the upper flyway over the weekend.
Central and southern portions of the flyway can expect a shift of teal with a few pintail and geese thrown in for good measure this week as the northern states get a short burst of cold weather.
MISSISSIPPI FLYWAY
Canada geese are on the move in the Great Lakes Region. Under last week’s full moon and northerly winds, reports from all around the big waters were of late night flights of geese. With the corn and soybean harvest in full swing, birds moving down out of Canada will have a wide range of feeding options, so scout, scout and scout some more.
Duck numbers have not seen a significant increase for the upper flyway just yet, but the cooler weather ahead looks prime for pushing at least a few birds down the flyway.
Mid-tier and southern states are on hold for new birds while they wait for their season to open, but fall looks to be coming on strong, with lows forecast below freezing for some of their northern neighbors this week. Don’t be surprised to see a strong push of teal as temps along the IL/WI border fall below 30 degrees in the next few days.
ATLANTIC FLYWAY
Well, it looks like the migration is on for the upper east coast. Goose numbers are high and on the rise and reports of building numbers of puddle ducks are starting to roll in.
Although the temps will remain around average for this time of year, duck and goose numbers should increase as more “calendar birds” move into the region.
Central and southern portions of the flyway report little in the way of migration activity, but wood duck numbers are good in most areas and local mallards are holding tight to their home ranges.
Until the next cold front moves down across the great lakes or into the New England states, local birds will be the name of the game for any mid-flyway states slated for youth hunts and openers this week.
Overall, the migration looks to be about on track. Sure, we would all love to see the Migration Map lighting up our home turf with those lovely purple dots, but it is still early in the game. Who knows, it just might happen. Keep your fingers crossed.
