Resident goose hunting is open in a number of states and dove shooting is underway across most of the United States. Hunters braving the heat and mosquito swarms are reporting good success on resident geese — despite very short activity periods at sunrise and sunset. Hello folks, and, as always, welcome to Waterfowler.com. This past holiday weekend marked the start of the 2007-2008 Hunting Season, and hunters across the nation headed to the field in pursuit of Doves and resident Canada Geese in the selected states, where seasons were open. While the waterfowl hunter seems to be more at home in multiple layers of clothing and venturing outdoors during the harshest weather known to man, the Dove opener is celebration of the coming of autumn and all other hunting seasons. As friends and family gathered this past weekend for a holiday cookout and dove shoot, the general hunting season opened… Continue reading

With just days remaining before the early teal and resident goose seasons opening in northern states, reports from the Prairie Pothole Region in Canada and the Dakotas are simply outstanding, with duck numbers good to excellent in most areas. Hello folks, and, as always, welcome to Waterfowler.com. With the season upon us, and our summer hiatus nearing an end, Waterfowler.com will resume our weekly Migration Updates from now through February 1, 2008. As dove season opens across most of the U.S. this weekend, migratory bird hunters will blow the dust out of their guns, and celebrate the start of the 2008 Hunting Season. Continue reading

The Spring 2007 Breeding Survey Results are in; ducks are up overall and Canvasbacks, redheads, and northern shovelers counts have reached a record breaking high! Hello folks, and as always, welcome to Waterfowler.com. The Spring breeding surveys were released last week and in addition to being up over 2006, the report recorded a number of record breaking high levels for various species. For the detailed report, visit the link below, and read the following FWS press release: Preliminary results from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Canadian Wildlife Service’s Waterfowl Breeding Population and Habitat Survey indicate a total duck population estimate of more than 41 million birds in the traditional survey area. This represents a 14 percent increase from 2006 and is 24 percent above the 1955-2006 average. Continue reading

The results are in for waterfowl breeding surveys from North Dakota and Wisconsin. In short, both are down slightly from 2006, but remain above the long-term average. Hello folks, and, as always, welcome to Waterfowler.com. As we await the final tally of federal breeding surveys, the results from Wisconsin and North Dakota are comforting. While down slightly the previous year and the record high in 2002, waterfowl numbers are above the long-term average. While there is cause for concern of specific species within these states, overall the trends appear to indicate that the base production of an “average year” is on the rise. While the results for South Dakota and the Canadian Prairie Pothole Region are not in, water conditions this spring were good to excellent in both regions. Continue reading

Spring has sprung, waterfowl nesting is underway across the North American Continent and waterfowl hunters are trudging through the dreaded-off season. Hello folks, and as always, welcome to Waterfowler.com. The off-season is often times the busiest part of the year for waterfowl hunters. From sport shooting to dog training and decoy making, there is never a shortage of “ducky” things to do when we are not hunting. June 2007 marks the first annual Duck Dawg Appreciation Month at Waterfowler.com. Throughout the month of June, Waterfowler.com will celebrate the companionship, value and performance of the duck hunter’s best friend, the duck dog. Continue reading

With the snowline running from southeastern Montana to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, the whereabouts of mid-continental light geese is fairly predictable. Hunter success continues with the Spring Conservation Action in Iowa and the Dakotas. Hello folks, and as always, welcome to Waterfowler.com. The quick thaw that allowed light geese to surge northward has been met with a spring snowstorm in Great Plains and Upper Midwest. Snow is piling up again and light goose hunters are likely to get an extended opportunity as a result. Snow goose numbers in the Devil’s Lake region of North Dakota has been excellent the past week and hunter success fair. Large flocks that include limited numbers of juvenile birds are the least productive. Hunter success is best for those scouting, not just for birds, but flocks that contain the highest concentrations of young geese. Continue reading

Spring has sprung, and waterfowl are pushing north across the entire continent. Hunter success for the Spring Conservation Action is on the rise in South Dakota and Iowa, as the numbers of mid-continental light geese are good to excellent in those states at this time. Hello, folks, and as always, welcome to Waterfowler.com Whether you are taking advantage of spring hunting opportunities or heading to the field to see the birds returning north in full breeding plumage, now is the time to get outside and enjoy the great outdoors. Continue reading

With heavy rains in the south, and blizzard conditions in the north this past week, snow geese were on the move between these dual storm systems and settled just south of the snow and freeze line. Hello folks, and, as always, welcome to Waterfowler.com. The spring migration of mid-continental light geese is underway and hunters willing to take to the field during the conservation action are experiencing great success. Waterfowler.com members are encouraged to take advantage of this extended opportunity and harvest as many geese as possible to help protect the fragile ecosystem on the tundra. Continue reading