Indian summer invaded much of the US this week as more states opened their regular seasons, but cooler weather should return for most areas by the end of the week.
Hello, folks, and, as always, welcome to Waterfowler.com.
Change is in the air, and on the site. Over the past week Waterfowler.com has set up our new access policies for members and guests. Members still have full access to all areas of the site as well as the many other benefits and savings offered to Waterfowler.com Members. Guests may now post on the Open Forum and can still view the Migration Map, shop in the Online ProShop, and view the three most recent Field Reports from across the continent. A no-risk trial membership is available for guests, new and old, who want to see what they have been missing and how they can benefit from membership while saving money and getting chances to win great prizes as a Waterfowler.com Member.
Speaking of great prizes, Waterfowler.com is pleased to announce our latest Hunting Adventure Sweepstakes, the WFC South Africa Hunting Adventure Sweepstakes. By simply becoming a Member at any level before January 31, 2003, you will be automatically entered for a chance to win a waterfowling and upland adventure of a lifetime to South Africa – including round-trip airfare!
Thanks to Waterfowler.com’s ongoing partnership with Frontiers International, one very lucky duck hunter will experience the grand pursuit of exotic waterfowl and upland game species with their hosts, Game Bird Safaris in South Africa.
The South Africa Hunting Adventure includes a 5-night/4-day hunt with Game Bird Safaris in South Africa. This trip is to be taken May through July of 2004, and will be a mixed-bag hunting trip for francolin, guinea fowl, doves, pigeons, ducks and geese. The trip will include round-trip economy air transportation from your closest metropolitan airport to New York and Johannesburg.
Current Waterfowler.com Members are automatically enrolled in the South Africa Hunting Adventure Sweepstakes. To secure your chance to win, become a member today by clicking here.
Full details are available in the NEWS section of the site, located on the left hand side of the home page.
But that’s not all! As a Member of WFC you are now automatically entered into a weekly drawing for valuable door prizes. The latest round of winners will be announced in the upcoming issue of WINGBEATS, the WFC Members Email Newsletter. So keep an eye on your inbox this week and see if you are one of the latest winners.
As if that weren’t enough, WFC has announced the latest offer in our Member-Get-A-Member program. For a limited time, any Member who signs up a new Member will receive a FREE WFC Graveyard Dead short reed goose call by CuttDown Calls. This sharp looking, great sounding short reed is one tough dude and has lived up to its name in countless early season goose hunts.
WFC’s New ProTravel Service is off to a great start and spots in the new Member Rendezvous are sure to sell out fast, so make sure you get in on these great deals soon. The first ever WFC Member Rendezvous will take place at Black Mallard Outfitters in Searcy, AR on Nov. 22nd and 23rd. Space is limited so sign up now and be a part of this WFC first.
Even if the Member Rendezvous don’t fit your schedule, the new ProTravel Service can save you money and time when you book with the great outfitters and guides available in the best hunting grounds the country has to offer. The McAlister Hunt Club is the newest quality Lodge available through WFC ProTravel. Details will be available in the ProShop soon.
The Annual WFC Timber Huntis now taking reservations. This year’s Timber Hunt will take place January 4th – 7th in the Mecca of duck hunting, Stuttgart AR, at Mallard Retreat. WFC members who have participated in Timber Hunt in past years will have priority booking for a limited time. Full detail on this year’s WFC Timber Hunt will be sent to all Members via email in the next few days.
Thanks to the support of Members, new and old, the value of a Membership to Waterfowler.com just keeps getting better.
A special thanks to everyone who stopped by to see us at the Mack’s Fall Festival and a warm welcome to all those who signed up at the show. It is always great to meet our users and Members face to face.
And now, on to the Migration Report.
CANADA
Warmer weather slowed down the migration for most of the nation this past week but the stall turned out well for hunters in many areas.
Geese continue to be in good supply from west central BC into central Alberta. Duck numbers have also continued to build in both provinces where water is available as the birds stage, awaiting shorter days and cold weather to push them farther south.
In Manitoba Snow goose numbers have been on a sharp increase around the Oak Hammock area, an easterly shift from their usual migration route. Duck numbers are also high in much of MB.
Eastern Canada has also seen a warm up over the last week and new arrivals of both ducks and geese seem content to stay. Without any big weather systems for the near term, most birds should stick around and be relatively stable in feeding and roosting patterns.
PACIFIC FLYWAY
Warm weather did little to move new birds down out of Canada this week, but a cooling trend and storm front approaching the coast should ease waterfowl activity up a notch before the weekend. Temperatures should fall back into expected ranges as the week draws to a close and rain will be there to greet most hunters along the coast of WA and OR.
Inland, the heat wave should be about played out and temperatures should return to normal before the weekend. Good to excellent numbers of both dark geese and puddle ducks are holding along mid to lower portions of the Snake River.
The Specs have begun to show up in northern portions of CA and local duck numbers are looking respectable. By all accounts, the number of local mallards around the Tule Lake area is strong and should support some top level early season hunting.
Inland, bird numbers in northern Utah have been good for the past week, even if the conditions where less than ideal. In fact, bird numbers of the duck variety were better than expected this weekend all the way to the end of the flyway. With little to drive new birds down or old birds out, hunters should expect wiser flocks for the upcoming weekend.
CENTRAL FLYWAY
The continuing drought has made for poor gunning in western portions of the upper flyway. Conditions improve gradually the farther east one travels. Low water is a double edged sword, though. With less water available birds have been concentrated, and in those areas hunter success has been good. Rivers, though low in many areas, have also been producing well in eastern portions of Montana.
Further south along the flyway, water and weather, or rather a lack thereof, made for slow times over the weekend. As one might expect, hunters who managed to find birds on Saturday returned Sunday to find waterfowl in much shorter supply and wise to calls and decoys. With the promise of a cool down expected over the next few days, birds should resume more fall-like patterns and some new birds may filter in from points north, but no major push of ducks or geese is expected for the upcoming week.
MISSISSIPPI FLYWAY
Success varied widely across the northern tier of the flyway this weekend. Despite warm weather, hunters in MN and WI reported better than expected numbers of ducks. Most bags still contain a healthy portion of both wood ducks and teal but mallard numbers look to be on a slow rise.
To the east, Michigan hunters saw an increase in geese over the weekend but duck numbers where low in most areas with the local birds getting tough to call and decoy.
Central portions of the flyway where the season is open suffered from the same weather related woes as the rest of the nation’s waterfowlers. With temps above average, birds became less active and few, if any, uneducated birds moved down the flyway. The slight cooling trend forecast for late in the weekend or early next week will make hunting conditions better, at least in the comfort department, and may send a few reinforcements down the flyway.
ATLANTIC FLYWAY
The upper flyway and New England states are reporting a recent push of both ducks and geese. Fog hampered many hunters over the weekend but overall success was better than average.
Divers, dabblers, light and dark geese appear to be filtering into northern reaches of the flyway at a steady trickle. After the recent cool snap, temps for the next week are expected to return to normal or slightly above and the trickle of waterfowl may slow to a drip this week.
Down the coast, NC waterfowlers out for the early season opener found mostly wood ducks in their blocks but a few mallards added heft to game straps in isolated areas.
Average temperatures and rain over the short term will do little to improve success along the central portion of the flyway this week. Early season hunting for mid-flyway states will consist of local birds until another front rolls across the northern tier.
Early season waterfowling . . . well, so far we have seen it all, almost. From dustings of snow to suntan lotion in a week’s time, but hey! At least the season is open for some and no matter how bad the conditions might be, those who are still waiting for the opening bell are doubtless green with envy. The cold will come, the birds will move and waterfowlers across the continent will be there, rain, sleet, snow or suntan lotion.
