Winter tried to oust fall in much of the US last week and the hard shift in weather had the Nation’s waterfowl on the move.
Hello, folks, and, as always, welcome to Waterfowler.com.
Major bird movement was the news of the week as more of the southern states opened for the 2003 – 2004 waterfowl season. As the birds got on the road, Waterfowler.com’s Migration Map showed the shift of birds from north to south and Members were alerted to the big push through WFC’s Migration Alert email. From the looks of the Field Reports, the word got out in time and our Members were there for the event.
Recognizing the importance of up-to-the-minute, accurate migration information, Ducks Unlimited began relaying portions of Waterfowler.com’s Migration Updates to their members on the DU homepage last week. Waterfowler.com would like to welcome visiting DU members and encourage their participation in Waterfowler.com’s GIS Migration Mapping and Field Report Systems.
Also in Member’s email this past week was the latest WFC Member Question for the upcoming Winter issue of Waterfowler.com Journal. The WFC Journal Member Questions are a great way to share your voice and experience with your fellow Members, so make sure to keep us up to date with your latest email address. You can check your email address by clicking on your Username in the Log-In at the top left of the WFC Homepage.
And now, on to the Migration Report.
PACIFIC FLYWAY
Recent cold weather has moved a good number of mallards and other waterfowl down out of Alberta and British Columbia. The western portion of WA reported a sharp rise in new ducks over the past week and hunter success has been improving.
In the upper eastern portions of the flyway, bird numbers are still good but weather conditions made hunting tough over the weekend. Along the Snake River, reports from hunters tell of birds holding tight to the river when coming out of feeding areas.
Along the upper OR coast, diver numbers are up sharply while mallard and other puddle ducks seem to have moved inland and south. Fair numbers of dark geese are still around but the main body of specks and light geese has yet to reach southern portions of the state.
In the southern portion of the flyway teal and spoonbills are in high concentration with a surprising showing of wigeon reported out of Northern CA.
Inland hunting and bird numbers improved as the recent cold front pushed fresh birds into NV and AZ.
A new storm system dropping down out of Canada will bring rough weather to the upper flyway and should boost bird movement over the next few days.
CENTRAL FLYWAY
Ducks, dark geese and swans are still in good supply in MT. Light geese look to have moved on but hunters after Canadas can still find good hunting in stubble fields.
ND is all but out of the picture now, and their neighbors to the south are seeing major movements of birds. From SD down to OK, this weekend was one of better than average hunting and widespread reports of flight birds overhead.
TX hunters reported very mixed results from the weekend. Deep east TX and along the TX/OK border look to have been the hotspots but almost all areas of the state noted good numbers of birds for this early in the season. Lesser Canada geese have begun to fill fields in OK and should begin to move south if the forecast for next week holds true.
As another front moves down out of the Dakotas, bird numbers should increase. NW winds may hold birds tighter to the eastern portions of the state as they move.
MISSISSIPPI FLYWAY
Despite hard water and snowfall, duck hunting in the eastern portions of the Northern Tier has remained good. Hunters finding open water are doing well for mallards and geese and the diver shooting on some of the larger lakes is still worth the effort.
A slight warm up over the next few days will slow the lockup of lakes and ponds, so hunters able to find open water should do well.
Divers are still in good supply on Lake Saint Claire and goose numbers have yet to fall off in much of the eastern flyway. Mallards and other puddle ducks look to have pushed down into IA and OH over the past week and should hold until the next front drives down from the lakes.
From Iowa down to AR, hunters are reporting strong concentrations of ducks and geese. After two lackluster seasons, hunters in the southern end of the flyway are excited about the concentration of duck already as far south as the lower MS delta.
Hunters in the West zone of LA had fair success over the weekend but in the northern end of the state low water crowded birds and hunters, making for frustrating conditions.
Coastal hunters’ reports where mixed but far better than feared after the poor showing of the last two seasons. Light geese are thick throughout most of LA and building daily.
Along the eastern gulf coast, divers have begun rafting in the bays and fair numbers of dabblers are using inland sloughs and lakes.
Much of the lower flyway should expect some rainfall over the next week, helping spread out hunters and make more feed available to arriving waterfowl.
ATLANTIC FLYWAY
Surprisingly enough, teal are still in good supply in most of the New England states, along with a recent influx of mallards and black ducks. But by far the biggest news for the coastal portions of the upper flyway continues to be Brant.
Mid-flyway states saw the biggest rise in duck numbers this past week. From VA to SC hunters are reporting a nice push of birds. As temperatures moderate for the area, birds should remain and a gradual increase may be seen as ducks and geese move down out of New England.
Teal are starting to show up in fair numbers in the southern portion of the flyway and can be expected to continue to increase over the week. Above average temps for much of FL may mean a delay in any strong migration into the Sunshine State.
After a brief return to summer, winter looked like it was ready to overrun fall’s domain this past week. All in all the migration of 2003-2004 appears to be closer to “normal” than has been seen in recent years. But the game is nowhere near the final innings and Mother Nature will likely have a few more surprises for the weary waterfowler before it is all said and done.
Only a few states are left waiting now, and soon the last few will join in on the 2003-2004 season. Could the best be yet to come?
