Category: Migration Updates

Photo Credit: Sunrise Snows from MallardMotel.com

A quick glance at the Snow Cover and Surface Temperature maps provide and instant locator for Mid-Continental light geese in the Central and Mississippi Flyways.  The burgeoning population of snow geese continue to stage below the snow and freeze as they await the spring thaw (like the rest of us) and the flight back to their nesting grounds.

Hello folks, and, as always, welcome to Waterfowler.com.

The Squaw Creek National Wildlife Refuge in Missouri remains 97% frozen and light goose numbers are setting at a paltry 18,000 as of the last count.  Light goose numbers are good to excellent in Arkansas at this time and hunter success is fair to good. Continue reading

Member photo credit: Clickster.

If you are a follower of sunspots and tidal charts, like the folks at Farmer’s Almanac, the bitter cold winter we’ve been experiencing thus far should come as no surprise.  If you are a modern day meteorologist, who has succumbed to naming winter storms for branding purposes, the series of artic fronts are “shocking” news and good for ratings.  If you are a dyed-in-the-wool duck hunter, it’s just weather – the kind of weather that moves ducks and geese in a big way.

Hello folks, and, as always, welcome to Waterfowler.com.

Without a doubt, the extreme cold that was induced by the polar vortex the past week moved ducks and geese south.  While the extremely low temperatures played a role in the migration activity, snow accumulation in the north played a much larger role in the event.   In short, when the snow is too deep for ducks and geese to forage under, the head south in search of food and open water. Continue reading

Winter storm Cleon ignites migration activity.

As arctic air pushes across the Great Plains into the Mississippi and Ohio Valleys, waterfowl activity is expected to increase significantly and reach peak migration levels throughout the Central and Mississippi Flyways throughout the week. The near-record number of mallards resting along the Missouri River corridor in South Dakota are already on the move. Reports throughout the Central Flyway confirmed heavy migration activity in Nebraska, Oklahoma, Kansas and the Texas Panhandle.

As arctic temperatures move east, the abundance of waterfowl along the Illinois River are expected to move further south over the next few days as ice builds in the northern third of the nation. In short, winter storm Cleon has ignited some of the best migration activity of the season. Continue reading

Divers on Greenbay, WI – Member Photo Credit: DU870

Colder temperatures prevailed across the northern tier of our nation this past week – igniting of a burst of migration activity for blue-winged teal and wood ducks.  The unseasonably warm days of early October have transformed into blustery, cold winds, flurries and even snow accumulation in the Great Lakes region.  While one would expect a full-on barrage of fresh migrants in the north, the temperatures have done little more than push early migrants south as the hardy ducks continue to trickle down the flyways.

Hello folks, and, as always, welcome to Waterfowler.com.

As the days of October begin to wane, the duck hunting community is continually reminded that weather and hunter success are a fragile, symbiotic relationship.  As weather patterns become more extreme and less predictable, hunter success and the annual migration also become less predictable. Continue reading

Waterfowler.com Journal Returns in 100% Digital Format.

With only a few days remaining in the off-season, hunters across the nation are preparing for the official start of the 2013 Hunting season that begins on September 1^st.  Dove and resident Canada goose season will open in many states this holiday weekend and the early teal season will follow in the coming weeks in portions of the Central and Mississippi Flyways.

Hello folks, and, as always, Welcome to Waterfowler.com.

While temperatures across the nation remain ten to twenty degrees above normal for this time of year, the dog days of summer will soon give way to autumn temperatures and the first flights of teal as they begin their migration south.

In celebration of the coming season, registered members who post their early season hunting or scouting report between now and September 30, 2013 will be automatically registered for a chance to win a Spectra-Shot sampler pack.  Participants can post on the WFC state-by-state hunting reports or simply Tweet there report to #waterfowlercom

Waterfowler.com reminds our readers that membership at Waterfowler.com is now completely FREE and includes access to all interactive areas on the site.

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Blue-winged teal by Kammie Kruse, US FWS. Flyways.us

As we await the final publication of the 2013 Waterfowl Breeding survey hunters in the three flyways that offer an early teal season are expected to receive a bag limit increase from five to six teal and a possession limit increase from two times the daily limit to three. The proposal for the changes has been accepted by the service and the ruling is expected sometime in August after the public comment period.

Of course, this is only a recommendation and the states within those flyways must accept the increase individually so be sure to check the finalized regulations your state before heading to the field during the early season. Continue reading