PACIFIC FLWAY:
Waterfowling action continues to Washington, Idaho and western Montana — with goose hunting best. With snow falling in higher elevations and ice building in the eastern portion of the flyway, good could become poor with the flip of a switch. Utah hunters — go hunting now or forever hold your peace. The first waves of ducks have been arriving since the 15th and with ice building in some areas the peak of the season could come and go in a hurry. Waterfowl numbers are steady in northern and central California. Few new arrivals have made hunting educated fowl a tough prospect at best. In Nevada ducks are fair and goose hunting presents waterfowlers the best opportunity for success. To the south, Arizona and southern California hunters will find the best opportunities along the Colorado River corridor.
CENTRAL FLYWAY:
North and South Dakota hunting success is confined to the Missouri River corridor with goose hunting poor to good in some isolated areas. Colorado goose hunting is fair with the best light and dark goose opportunity east into Nebraska. Duck hunting is fair to good in most of Kansas and excellent from Oklahoma south into Texas — the two hottest spots to be a duck hunter in the nation at the moment. Action has slowed in New Mexico as pressured birds have shifted to nocturnal feeding schedules and light goose hunting is best for those willing to scout active feeding areas.
MISSISSIPPI FLYWAY:
Goose hunting is good to excellent in concentrated areas of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan. Hunter pressure has not been a major factor in bird activity as the reduced bag limit has resulted in fewer goose hunters willing to go through the effort to “do a lot of work for one goose.” Goose hunters are reporting fair to good numbers of ducks still north but overall populations are extremely low for the flyway — resulting from the arctic air mass that pushed most birds down the central flyway in late November.
Duck hunting success is fair in the Illinois, Indiana and Ohio — with isolated hot spots in traditional holding areas. Missouri remains the duck hunter\’s Mecca of the flyway with duck hunting good to excellent in most areas. Ducks are low in Arkansas, Kentucky and Tennessee with flooding along the lower Mississippi Valley wreaking havoc. Duck numbers are on the rise in Louisiana and Alabama as flooding to the north has created unfavorable feeding opportunities.
ATLANTIC FLYWAY
Winter weather in the upper Northeast is providing the best hunting of the season throughout the northern portion of the flyway. Black duck and mallard numbers are on the rise in from Maine through Massachusetts with the first good numbers of canvasbacks reported in all areas. Black ducks are good to fair around Chesapeake Bay with Brant hunting getting better each day form the Maryland shore north — with bufflehead and mergansers still the predominant diver species. Mallard, black and sprig numbers a are fair from Virginia south with woodducks still providing good shooting in the Carolinas. Drought conditions persist in South Carolina and Georgia with in increased hunter success in areas those areas holding the most water and birds. In Florida, pressured birds are scattered and content to rest in safe havens. Hunting is best for those willing to scout.
