joseph van wie
Active member
I am so glad this is the best year ever for duck & goose hunting with # being the best ever!!!!! I had never seen so few ducks & geese in my career as a waterfowler.
Best Year Ever
- Thread starter joseph van wie
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Andy Grant
Well-known member
I have yet to even shoot at a duck and the season has been open for a month. No migrators yet.
D
Davey W
Guest
The Atlantic flyway blows. It gets worse every year. Why would the ducks choose to migrate along our smog laiden, over populated, over polluted, over hunted, over skybusted flyway when they can head down the central flyway and see pristine wetlands, few humans and much less hunters. Why do you think those boys in Louisana are covered in birds every year...all of our ducks are jumping flyways! I haven't seen half the birds I've seen in years past, yet duck numbers are way up huh?
Glenn Sweet
Member
The St.Lawrence river is the slowest I have ever seen, seems to be birds in the swamps but with no freez up we are screwed. we use to get a hard freeze by the 2nd week of november but not any more. our season ends dec. 10th and the last several years we are covered up with mallards a few days after the season closes. climate change or cycle? sounds like a season change is in order but that will never happen.
Dave Church
Well-known member
Don't the mags just re-hash the previous year's article? I have been reading about the "greatest flights" for 10 years. They also like to say that the numbers are down this year....blah blah blah....for this species.....blah blah blah....but GREAT shooting opportunities will be had when going after......blah blah blah. Always end the news on happy note. The Atlantic flyway (at least in my area) is horrible unless you are going after geese.
dc
dc
Every year at this time, we start seeing this same post.
Remember: Just because the populations estimates indicate a large fall flight does not mean any given location or person is going to have the best season ever.
Weather is by far the most important factor in getting birds to migrate down the flyway, having good habitat is what gets them to stick around when they pass through a particular area.
Mobile Bay has been a great example the last 3-4 years: Our grass beds got knocked way back due to hurricanes followed by drought. Each year the birds show up but dont stick around: Not enough food and too much pressure on the spots with food. So they just keep on trucking over to Louisiana or down to peninsula Florida. Last year we had more food and more birds stuck around. This year looks even better.
But none of this means squat if there is food and open water up north.
Remember: Just because the populations estimates indicate a large fall flight does not mean any given location or person is going to have the best season ever.
Weather is by far the most important factor in getting birds to migrate down the flyway, having good habitat is what gets them to stick around when they pass through a particular area.
Mobile Bay has been a great example the last 3-4 years: Our grass beds got knocked way back due to hurricanes followed by drought. Each year the birds show up but dont stick around: Not enough food and too much pressure on the spots with food. So they just keep on trucking over to Louisiana or down to peninsula Florida. Last year we had more food and more birds stuck around. This year looks even better.
But none of this means squat if there is food and open water up north.
Carl,
You hit the nail on the head. If nothing is happening up north, nothing is happening anywhere. If you read Mark W. threads it's warmer in Wisconsin and Minnesota than where I am which is 6 hours south! The river is way down here and not much food or cover in my area that I see so one had better be in the blind when they come though because unless the ducks and geese are just flat out tired and want to sit down there's no point in stopping here.
You hit the nail on the head. If nothing is happening up north, nothing is happening anywhere. If you read Mark W. threads it's warmer in Wisconsin and Minnesota than where I am which is 6 hours south! The river is way down here and not much food or cover in my area that I see so one had better be in the blind when they come though because unless the ducks and geese are just flat out tired and want to sit down there's no point in stopping here.
BrentS
Active member
It's refreshing to hear complaints about low numbers and lack of success.
I'm really sick (and jealous) of hearing people talk about "limits", or only going after drakes, or "not bothering" to shoot a certain species, or people who are against mojo's because they think it's unfair, or.....etc. etc.
Thanks for making me feel a little better.
I'm really sick (and jealous) of hearing people talk about "limits", or only going after drakes, or "not bothering" to shoot a certain species, or people who are against mojo's because they think it's unfair, or.....etc. etc.
Thanks for making me feel a little better.
mike braden
Well-known member
Brent,
Don't worry about the Mojo's even though some are disgusted by them(even though they are legal). They still think that sink box hunting is cool even though it was banned in the US in 1918. Figure that one out!?
Don't worry about the Mojo's even though some are disgusted by them(even though they are legal). They still think that sink box hunting is cool even though it was banned in the US in 1918. Figure that one out!?
Bob B
Well-known member
Carl is right on.
I remember years that I sat in a spot and was saying to myself "Why do I sit here when there are no Ducks in this state. Not even high flyers?"
BUT about a week or two later the cold socked into the Canadian Maritimes and guess what. I just happened to have a day off and was out for the hunt of a decade. Birds did not stop and stay, but they were there that day. Made me glad to have what I have and feel lucky to have landed on the X for once.
I am envious of the guys who post heavy strings of puddle ducks all the time, but would still go for a single bird limit to see the water and the sunrise like most never see.
Waiting for the next good day.
Bob
I remember years that I sat in a spot and was saying to myself "Why do I sit here when there are no Ducks in this state. Not even high flyers?"
BUT about a week or two later the cold socked into the Canadian Maritimes and guess what. I just happened to have a day off and was out for the hunt of a decade. Birds did not stop and stay, but they were there that day. Made me glad to have what I have and feel lucky to have landed on the X for once.
I am envious of the guys who post heavy strings of puddle ducks all the time, but would still go for a single bird limit to see the water and the sunrise like most never see.
Waiting for the next good day.
Bob
It's refreshing to hear complaints about low numbers and lack of success.
I'm really sick (and jealous) of hearing people talk about "limits", or only going after drakes, or "not bothering" to shoot a certain species, or people who are against mojo's because they think it's unfair, or.....etc. etc.
Thanks for making me feel a little better.
To set the record straight on mojos.... I think they are disgusting.
If you don't like hearing it, maybe go somewhere else.
T
BrentS
Active member
It's refreshing to hear complaints about low numbers and lack of success.
I'm really sick (and jealous) of hearing people talk about "limits", or only going after drakes, or "not bothering" to shoot a certain species, or people who are against mojo's because they think it's unfair, or.....etc. etc.
Thanks for making me feel a little better.
To set the record straight on mojos.... I think they are disgusting.
If you don't like hearing it, maybe go somewhere else.
T
You should read peoples' posts more carefully Tod; I said I was sick of hearing people complain about mojo's "...because they think it's unfair...". You seem to be against them because they are "nasty" and "disgusting". I'm not sick of hearing those comments. I actually find them quite amusing.
Plus, my whole post was written in jest.
It's refreshing to hear complaints about low numbers and lack of success.
I'm really sick (and jealous) of hearing people talk about "limits", or only going after drakes, or "not bothering" to shoot a certain species, or people who are against mojo's because they think it's unfair, or.....etc. etc.
Thanks for making me feel a little better.
To set the record straight on mojos.... I think they are disgusting.
If you don't like hearing it, maybe go somewhere else.
T
You should read peoples' posts more carefully Tod; I said I was sick of hearing people complain about mojo's "...because they think it's unfair...". You seem to be against them because they are "nasty" and "disgusting". I'm not sick of hearing those comments. I actually find them quite amusing.
Plus, my whole post was written in jest.
I read your post fully and clearly and correctly. As I said, I was clarifying my position that they are disgusting
.We hunt Sandusky Bay. Both the teal season and first split have been above average for the number of birds harvested. We have seen especially high numbers of pintail and south in Columbus I've already seen migrating mallards and blacks. So I agree with the point that there will be variability in different areas. This is not a substantiation of or reflection on the true accuracy of the present surveying methods. Just a report on our local results so far this season.
D
Davey W
Guest
The problem is the people at the Fish and Wildlife got their heads up their ass. There has been a trending climate change over the last decade. Warmer weather in November/December evey year. Ducks are migrating LATER, so why do our seasons open in October??? F&W need to wake up. Season dates need to be pushed BACK to coincide with the migration. In January I am covered in ducks and only have a few weeks to gun them. This entire October/November season is a WASTE. Ducks aren't coming down this early, we're just wasting days of our season. Season should be December-Febuary. Spring migration doesn't happen till April.
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Your state is allowed to keep it open until the last Sunday of January, if they chose to open up in October, that is their choice. We dont open until Thanksgiving and say open until the last day of the availible dates, with one 6 day split. Y'all could do the same. But if you do push the season back, and you have an early freeze up, then everyone will bitch cause the opened the season too late. Right?
That said, staying open into February has problems: ducks start to pair bond during winter. By February, many have already paired and or pairing activity is intense. Having the season open during this time could significantly effect pair-bonding. That is the main concern for staying open later. What is good for us might not be good for the ducks.
That said, staying open into February has problems: ducks start to pair bond during winter. By February, many have already paired and or pairing activity is intense. Having the season open during this time could significantly effect pair-bonding. That is the main concern for staying open later. What is good for us might not be good for the ducks.