Autumn Returns — Summer is officially over and the regular season is all but upon us. With brief cold fronts lining up for a push into the lower forty-eight the prospects for the Northern tier states’ openers are looking good.
Hello, folks, and, as always, welcome to Waterfowler.com.
With the changing of the season, waterfowlers across the continent have “come home” to their time of year and it looks as though Mother Nature will cooperate in making the first round of openers a memorable event.
With the season now upon us, it’s a great time to plan a waterfowling get-together with your fellow Waterfowler.com Members. Through the new Waterfowler.com ProTravel Services, special Member Rendezvous have been arranged with several participating guides and lodges. Member Rendezvous allow Waterfowler.com Members to get together with fellow Members at some of the nation’s top lodges at a significant savings.
Two Member Rendezvous are now open for booking by Waterfowler.com Members. The first is with Black Mallard Outfitters, located along the White River in the famous Raft Creek Bottoms of Arkansas, and scheduled for November 22nd and 23rd.
The second Members Rendezvous will be held December 19th, 20th and 21st with Davy Crockett Guide Service in Walnut Ridge Arkansas. Host Charles Snapp and his year round staff are dedicated to bringing guests the best waterfowling experience, both in the blind and around the lodge.
Both outfitters offer rice and timber hunting, top-notch guides and meals. Book your space in the first ever Waterfowler.com Rendezvous today by stopping by the Online ProShop and clicking on WFC ProTravel Services. As an added bonus, Members who book now will receive a 20% discount on their next ProShop purchase. (Discount not valid on portable blinds, sale items or ProTravel Services.) Waterfowler.com Staff will not be present at Member Rendezvous, these hunts are for and about WFC Members getting together in some of the greatest duck hunting locations available.
Members are reminded to check their profiles and update any change in their information. With the latest issue of Waterfowler.com Journal nearing completion, you don’t want to be caught with an expired Membership or incorrect address. To check your profile, simply click on your username in the upper left-hand corner of the home page after logging in.
And now, on to the Migration Report.
CANADA
Another quick cold front is driving down out of Alberta this week. Birds have begun staging across much of central and southern Canada and shooting for both ducks and geese has been steadily improving as the concentrations build.
The back-and-forth mercury swing has made timing of hunts crucial. During these brief cold snaps waterfowl activity increases and new birds arrive, making the waterfowler’s job easier. But when the mercury rises, both ducks and geese have been falling back to more sedate feeding and movement patterns, and hunters afield on the wrong end of the cycle can get a bit frustrated.
The good news is that several of these short, sharp cold fronts are lined up in the Canadian North and should continue to move down from the Northwest on a five to seven day cycle.
PACIFIC FLYWAY Several Pacific Flyway states kick off the season with special youth hunts this weekend. Early season shooting will most likely be for local birds. With no significant weather to move new ducks down the flyway, hunters can look for the best shooting on resident birds in their usual haunts.
Youth days are a great opportunity to do your part to preserve the heritage of waterfowling for generations to come, so be sure to get out with a young person if your state has a special youth hunt on tap for the upcoming weekend.
CENTRAL FLYWAY
Numerous Northern Tier Central Flyway States get their regular waterfowl season underway this weekend. Bird numbers in the Dakotas have been on the rise over the past several weeks as a series of cold fronts have moved down out of Canada.
The weather has yet to get cold enough to move out teal and other early travelers, so hunters as far north as the Dakotas can look forward to a mixed bag of waterfowl for their opener. Light geese have yet to build in any concentration, but Canada goose numbers are on the rise.
Water conditions are still low in many areas. Hunters and birds will be concentrated on available water. With one brief cool-down exiting the upper flyway and another scheduled for arrival as early as Sunday the potential for a better than average opener is good.
MISSISSIPPI FLYWAY
Upper Tier states opening this weekend can still count on a fair number of teal to be around for the festivities. Cool weather and welcome rain should be the norm for most hunters in WI and MN this weekend.
A short freeze looks to be in store for the first part of next week in many areas and the cold temps should kick waterfowl activity up a notch or two. Iowa finished out its short early season with better than average results. Most bags consisted of primarily teal and woodducks, but limits of mallards where not unheard of in scattered locations.
Southern states wrap up their early teal season this weekend and bird numbers continue to be good. Coastal areas of the flyway have yet to see teal numbers drop off and inland hunters continue to enjoy new arrivals on a regular basis.
ATLANTIC FLYWAY
After last week’s severe weather, waterfowlers along the Eastern coast are faced with drastically changed water levels and marsh conditions. Even inland hunters will have to reassess conditions of their favorite spots due to heavy rain and high winds. On the bright side, reports out of the upper New England States are of a building concentration of geese and ducks just across the Canadian Border. Warm weather should keep birds from beginning their push south and allow concentrations to build even more before the season gets underway.
Fall is here and even if the thermometer does not reflect the change of the season it sure feels good just knowing that summer is behind us.
The migration may not be in high gear just yet but the opportunity to take a young or new waterfowler out is there for many of us across the county. Be sure to take advantage of your state’s special youth hunts and share the glory of our great tradition. Birds or no, the experience of being a part of bringing a new waterfowler into our ranks is one of the greatest joys a seasoned hunter can experience.
