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The latest front carving its way down the heart of the continent has waterfowlers in every flyway wondering if this Halloween will bring treats or tricks. The birds are on the move and last week’s warm-up kept gunning hot in many areas, but how long will it last?
And now, on to the Migration Report.
PACIFIC FLYWAY
The push is on in the Northern portion of the flyway. Bird numbers began to increase over the last week and should continue to ramp up as cold weather spills into the region. A short freeze on the eastern portion of the upper flyway should have birds active on rivers and open water. The freeze is not expected to last, however, and hunters from Oregon northward should see a fresh influx of birds as the front moves through.
Further south waterfowl numbers continue a slow but steady increase. Hunters in the southern portion of the flyway can also expect a fresh batch of waterfowl. However, with the see-saw tendency of this week’s weather the push of birds moving down may be a case of here today, gone tomorrow.
CENTRAL FLYWAY
Atop the Central Flyway hunters watched last week as the waters of small lakes and sloughs froze up, only to open again just in time for a fresh push of birds out of Canada. But this week it looks like the lock-out may be on for a while, if not for good.
Big water and rivers will be the keys to success in the coming week as potholes refreeze quickly under the Artic Blast. Field hunting in areas where snowfall is lighter should produce well for both ducks and geese. Mid- to southern latitude states of the Central Flyway can expect their first strong push of birds this week either just ahead or just behind the edge of the cold front. States on the lower end of the flyway should begin to hold birds just in time for their opening day.
MISSISSIPPI FLYWAY
Expectations were high this past week for a major move of ducks into the Northern Tier of the flyway. But as the weekend came and went many hunters were scratching their head and wondering. The question now is, will this be the front that brings the “Big Wave”?
Mid-latitude states report fair success for their openers while youth hunts at the top of the Southern Tier look to have been better than expected. Reports out of far southern states paint a picture of a promising early season. Mallard numbers in Arkansas and Louisiana have hunters down south talking about this year being “the one”. While still too early to tell, it looks as though hopes for a better season than last are not likely to be dashed.
ATLANTIC FLYWAY
With reports out of eastern Canada still placing the major portion of birds north of the border hunters in the upper Atlantic flyway are eager to see what this latest front brings.
New York waterfowlers reported increasing success over the past week, and the upcoming weeks look to be a winner in the making. Further down the coast, hunters are still seeing teal and local mallards in good number but should begin to find their haunts filling with new birds as the cold blast moves in.
Well, it looks as though the weather reporters missed their mark again. The typical warm weather of an El Nino has yet to take over and for most duck hunters that is just fine. Snowfall on the prairies is bringing hope for a better season to hunters on the bottom end of the two middle flyways and perhaps even relief from the drought, though it is still too early to make a call on either.
Happy Halloween, and here’s to a full bag of goodies for all those Trick-or-Treating in the marshes.
