Springlike weather has the return migration in full swing for the heartlands of the Central and Mississippi Flyways. Warmer weather over the past few days has the geese on the move and hunters from northern Missouri to South Dakota are seeing snow on the ground replaced by Snow Geese in the sky.
Hello, folks, and, as always, welcome to Waterfowler.com.
As winter’s grip slowly loosens for much of the country, the action for hunters taking part in the Conservation Season for light geese is in high gear. To keep up with the latest movement of light geese in your area, be sure to check our 2003 Spring Snow Goose Page and report your light goose sightings on our Migration Mapping System. These two new features are sure to assist you in locating the “front line” of the return migration and help put you on the birds.
If a first-class duck hunt is what you need to help you though the “off season blues” Waterfowler.com and Frontiers International have just the trip for you, a duck hunt in New Zealand. Thanks to Waterfowler.com’s ongoing partnership with Frontiers International, one very lucky duck hunter will experience the pursuit of Canada geese, mallard, gray, spoonbill and paradise ducks in the mystical landscapes of New Zealand with their hosts, John and Robin Gemmell, at the Riverview Lodge.
The Riverview Lodge is set within the picturesque area of Hanmer Springs, nestled below the Southern Alps at the convergence of the Waiau, Hanmer and Percival rivers. The lodge offers international travelers breathtaking views, superior accommodations and the some of the best waterfowling in the southern hemisphere — boasting very liberal daily bird limits.
By Becoming a Supporting or Web Member of Waterfowler.com before May 1st, you will be automatically entered for a chance to win this Waterfowling Adventure of a lifetime. Current Waterfowler.com Members are automatically enrolled in the New Zealand Adventure Sweepstakes. To secure your chance to win, become a member today by clicking here.
And now, on to the Snow Goose Migration Report.
A warming trend for much of the Midwest has the light goose migration in high gear. Although some small pockets of geese remain along the Texas and Louisiana Coast, the bulk of the migration has move into the heartland.
Strong concentrations of light geese moved into the Springfield area of Illinois over the weekend and similar reports are coming in from Central Iowa west to the South Dakota Border.
More springlike weather should keep the influx of geese coming as the week progresses. The warmer weather will stretch as far north as Central South Dakota this week, but snow and still-frozen ponds north of that line should hold the geese from moving on into North Dakota and other border states.
Conditions, though muddy and tough, should be right over the next week for some barrel-burning snow goose action as the mass of light geese stack up below the snowline waiting to complete their return migration.
Spring looks to be on its way, and waterfowl across the continent will soon being nesting. The hope of next year’s fall migration now rests with them. There is still time to get out nesting structures to help our favorite marsh residents bring up their young. And what a sight it is to watch a brood of new ducklings enter the world thanks to your efforts. Nesting boxes, tunnels and platforms can go a long way in ensuring a healthy waterfowl population and are a great way to teach young hunters about the importance of giving back to that from which we take.
