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There’s a hard frost on the pumpkin in northern states and waterfowl are on the move across the northern third of lower forty-eight states. Canvasback numbers are on the rise in North Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin at this time, along with redheads, pintail and widgeon. As cooler temperatures descend from Canada and it feels more like fall, expect wood ducks and green-winged teal to hurry their journey south over the next week.

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Last week’s reporting on South Dakota non-resident waterfowl hunting policy incited a plethora of email both supporting and discouraging the state’s current policy. To clarify our position on the issue and save readers a lot of writing on unimportant opinions and positions, we have no interest in arm wresting over upland bird issues and pheasants. With specific regards to the non-resident lottery system, we believe that lottery systems in wildlife management are best used to govern a very limited number of harvest tags for species with very low populations. Continue reading

A cold front is moving down from western Canada and is expected to bring cooler temperatures to northern states along with a push of new birds. Ringed-necked ducks are on the move in the northern Mississippi Flyway and providing excellent shooting for many hunters in Minnesota at this time. Hunters in North Dakota continue to struggle as many birds moved into South Dakota over the past week.

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Above average temperatures limited the hours of waterfowl activity and hunter success in the north this past week. In the absence of any major weather systems to spawn a migration event, bird activity was governed hunting pressure and diver ducks moving on the calendar. Continue reading

Ring-necked ducks and redheads are moving in to the northern portion of the Mississippi Flyway and Canada goose numbers continue to build each day. Shooting is underway in Minnesota and despite poor predictions, hunter success and waterfowl activity has been better than expected.

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As we enter the month of October, hunting reports from the north help fuel the anticipation for the season further south. As the first strong flights of ducks begin to move down the flyways, hunters that are south of those states with open seasons scour the WFC hunter reports and begin to create a theoretical timetable and prediction model for migrating fowl. The process is complex, fueled by years of observation, hunting experience and trends analysis. Continue reading

Blue wing teal numbers have declined in the north as hunting pressure and cooler temperatures have driven the birds south. Hunters in the upper Mississippi Flyway continue to report a noticeable increase in wood duck numbers this season, with many reporting the best populations they have seen in years.

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Excellent hunting continues in Canada from Eastern Alberta to Ontario. Reports from duck hunters traveling north of the border are good to excellent with mallard numbers excellent in Saskatchewan at this time. Hunting conditions in Canada are much better than the previous years. A quick look at the North American Drought Monitor Map shows eastern Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and western Ontario no longer suffering from abnormally dry conditions. Continue reading

Special youth waterfowl hunts were open this past weekend in various northern states. As expected, the jet stream brought cooler temperatures and even some snow flurries to North Dakota. As additional migrants arrived on these favorable winds, so did that hard-core feeling that duck season is here.

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The nation’s first youth waterfowl hunts were held this weekend in various states and we remind our readers that participating in these special hunts is vital to the future of waterfowl hunting. According to national surveys, over 85% of all hunters are introduced to hunting by a family member. In short, if you don’t take a kid hunting, there is no future for waterfowl hunting. Period. Continue reading

Migration activity has picked up over the past forty-eight hours. Towards the end of the week, the jet-stream is expected to pass down through Canada and curl across border states in the northern portions of Central and Mississippi Flyways – bringing the next wave of early migrating waterfowl for the season.

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Waterfowl hunting has opened at a fevered pace in Canada and reports from Saskatchewan are off the charts at this time. Traveling waterfowl hunters and guides alike have been impressed with the populations, conditions and harvest results (which are expected to continue until the harshest arctic winds drive the birds south).

When you consider the breeding that occurred in the U.S. Prairie Pothole Region, if waterfowl activity is excellent in Canada, gunning in the Dakota’s this season could be the best it has ever been. Continue reading

The progression of the Blue-winged teal migration continues at an unhurried pace. Birds are slowly moving through the flyways and are present in most states from the far north to the deep south. In the Mississippi Flyway, teal are still staging in large flocks in key breeding areas and resident goose hunters in Wisconsin are reporting excellent teal numbers in flooded agricultural fields.

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Temperatures remain above average for this time of year for all parts of the U.S. except the Pacific Northwest according to the latest data from Applied Climate Information Systems (ACIS). With the jet stream bowing lazily below the U.S. Prairie Pothole region over the past week, northern states have been met with some relief from the summer heat but weather patterns have not provided the kind of cold front that can ignite a hard migration of teal. Continue reading

The first day of September marks traditional start of the fall hunting season. Hunters across the nation will celebrate with the opening of dove season along with various states opening resident Canada goose seasons. Yes, the long off-season is over and it’s “game on” for the outdoor sportsman.

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Despite the continued warm temperatures across the nation, it only takes one day in the dove field to fire up that passion and excitement of the coming waterfowl season. In fact, it only takes one shot to blow the cobwebs out of the barrel and conjure up that giddy grin that simply says, “there is no place I rather be than in the outdoors during hunting season.” Continue reading