The combination of a warming trend and a good southerly wind are joining forces to make this weekend a big one for snow goose hunters in the central plains.
Hello folks, and as always, welcome to Waterfowler.com.
Winter is still the official season, but spring-like conditions across much of the US are putting the return migration into high gear. Snow geese are on the minds of many waterfowlers, and to help them as they chase the white wave back to the tundra WFC has launched the 2004 SNOW GOOSE TRACKING department. All the latest snow goose information is now available from this new page. Forums, Field Reports, the Migration Map and articles on the how, where and when of snow goose hunting are all assembled in one place, check it out by clicking on 2004 Snow Goose Tracking under the Migration Update photo.
Snow goose hunting isn’t all that’s heating up these days. As the off season wears on, debate and discussion about the future of waterfowl and waterfowling is beginning to simmer. Keeping your Waterfowler.com Membership current is a great way to stay up to date on all the latest news and issues that affect the resource and tradition we share. Be sure to keep yourself in the know by renewing your Waterfowler.com Membership.
And now, on to the Migration Report.
Expectations are high for the upcoming weekend. Warm weather and southerly winds in the midsection of the country should have waterfowl of all kinds making a major move northward. Reports are already pouring in of a major push of birds showing up in NE, MO and portions of southern IL.
As recently as Wednesday huntable numbers of snows and blues were still to be found in TX, AR and LA, but as the warm southerlies start to blow, these birds are apt to rush northward and begin crowding the snowline.
Light goose hunting has been good in portions of the upper east coast, but with a winter storm cutting through the Mid-Atlantic states it is hard to say what the birds will get up to over the weekend. The storm is predicted to be short lived, and with mid-week temps rebounding to normal or above normal ranges, look for geese to hunker down while the blow is on and get back underway by early in the week.
All across the country, spring is making a stand. It is a great time to get out and witness the return migration. The birds have on their finest duds, making this some of the best photo ops of the year. As the weather warms, courtship flights will begin—an aerial show that caries with it the promise of next year’s fall flight.
