Bufflehead Drakes v Hen Numbers

S

Steve O

Active member
Had a slow day on the saltwater yesterday so spent a fair amount of time peering through binoculars at far off bufflehead. Seemed like there were hardly any Drakes. Is this common? Don?t think I?ve previously noticed it
 
I have seen about 50/50 when glassing here in CT, but I feel like when hunting we always end up getting mostly hens. Maybe because the decoys are all drakes, or maybe just coincidence.
 
A lot of those ?hens? are actually first year drakes. You have to have them in hand to tell the difference. Young of the year drakes will be larger than hens and feet will just be turning a little pink.
Back in Mobile, I?d see flocks that were almost all ?hens? but drakes tended to come in as singles or pairs. Either way there seemed to a better hen to drake ratio with buffies vs other ducks. Closer to 50:50. Maybe it?s because they are cavity nesters and don?t lose so many hens every breeding season??
 
Thanks for the input. Guess that means the apparent sole full-plumage male in the group of what looked like about 20 bufflehead doesn't have quite the harem he first appeared to have
 
Actually he does, they aren?t sexually mature until the second winter, so the young drake aren?t competition.
Yet.
 

It has always appeared to me that the hens and the young arrive first. Most of the mature drakes arrive later. Love to watch em but been years since I have shot any. In drought years, as my good buddy would say - "Buffleheads, the Duck of the Future".


my 2 cents
 
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