Missouri waterfowl hunting forecast: Loads of ducks!

With favorable weather, the 2013-14 season

could be one of the best in recent memory.

JEFFERSON CITY–Ducks are abundant. The table is set for them at many state-managed wetland areas. If the weather cooperates, duck hunting could be excellent in the Show-Me State this year. That’s the word from the Missouri Department of

Conservation.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimates this year’s total number of breeding ducks at 45.6 million. That is down 6 percent from last year’s record number, but still 33 percent above the long-term average. Mallard numbers were estimated to be 10.4 million, down 2 percent from 2012 but up 36 percent long-term. Long-term trends for other popular duck populations in this year’s survey include:

·        Northern shoveler +96 percent

·        Gadwalls +80 percent

·        Redheads +76 percent

·        Blue-winged teal +60 percent

·        Green-winged teal +51 percent

·        Canvasback +37

·        Widgeon +2 percent

·        Northern pintail and scaup -17 percent each.

With numbers like that, you might think good hunting is assured. But without quality habitat and favorable weather, a boom year for waterfowl numbers still can turn into a bust for hunters.

The habitat picture at state-managed wetland areas is generally good, with plenty of water and fair to good crops and moist-soil vegetation available at most areas. Exceptions include:

TED SHANKS CONSERVATION AREA (CA), where flooding damaged levees and will prevent flooding the southernmost part of the area. The area has no row crops, but millet and moist-soil vegetation have done fairly well.

COLUMBIA BOTTOM CA also sustained significant flood damage. Row crops will be scarce, but moist-soil vegetation has done well since floodwaters receded in June, and water levels should be normal.

MARAIS TEMPS CLAIR CA, where extended high water wiped out row crops, but moist soil plants are in good shape, and water levels are expected to be normal.

EAGLE BLUFFS CA lost early crops to flooding, but there was time to replant and they are expected to provide fair to good food for ducks. Sparse natural cover will make layout boats or blinds the best way to hunt some pools.

FOUR RIVERS and SCHELL-OSAGE CAs lost all their row crops and most of the moist-soil vegetation to flooding. Late plantings of buckwheat and Sudan grass in Draw Units 1 and 2 at Four Rivers fared poorly due to lack of rainfall. The 16 to 18 parties that go out on opening day will find little food or cover, and shallow water may limit accessibility with larger boats. Four Rivers’ Draw Unit 4 will have the worst conditions, due to extended and repeated flooding that drastically limited plant growth and damaged levees used to hold water in wetland pools. There will be some walk-in hunting opportunities in Pools 17,18, 19, and 20. Draw Unit 3 will offer some of the area’s best hunting this year. Moist-soil vegetation growth was good in this unit, and it currently is holding 250 to 300 acres of water, with more possible with favorable weather.

The overall picture at Grand Pass CA is good. The area has good crop growth and good moist-soil vegetation. Summer flooding wiped out crops at Coon Island, but it still has fair to good moist-soil vegetation.

Montrose, B.K. Leach, Otter Slough, Ten Mile Pond, and Little River CAs also should generally have good hunting this fall.  On the other hand, although Fountain Grove, Nodaway Valley, Bob Brown, and Settles Ford CAs have fairly good habitat conditions, drought could affect the ability to pump enough water to flood wetland pools at these areas.

Updated information about hunting conditions at the Conservation Department’s managed wetlands is available at mdc.mo.gov/node/9627.

Weather is the final factor – and always a wild card – in determining waterfowl hunting success. The best waterfowl seasons have a series of cold fronts that push waves of new ducks into Missouri from farther north throughout the hunting season. The worst-case scenario is a strong, early-season cold front that pushes the ducks into Arkansas before Missouri hunters have much chance at them. Another less-than-ideal possibility is a late fall, when ducks arrive late in one or more of Missouri’s three hunting zones and leave soon after.

Missouri’s waterfowl seasons are set to coincide with the average peak of migration in previous years. This year’s season dates are:

            North Zone:                  Youth season - Oct. 19-20

                                                Regular season - Oct. 26- Dec. 24

            Middle Zone:                Youth season – Oct. 26-27

                                                Regular season - Nov. 2-Dec. 31                                            

            South Zone:                  Youth season – Nov. 23-24

                                                Regular season - Nov. 28-Jan. 26        

Whether these dates coincide with peak migrations and how long ducks and geese linger in the Show-Me State this year won’t be known until the season is history.

Details of duck and goose hunting regulations are available in the 2013-2014 Waterfowl Hunting Digest,which is available wherever hunting permits are sold, at Conservation Department offices and nature centers, or online at www.mdc.mo.gov/node/5646/.

More detailed information about hunting conditions at state-owned wetlands is available atmdc.mo.gov/node/9627. For information about this year’s duck and goose population surveys, seehttp://bit.ly/12AgOjx.

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Waterfowl forecast brilliant, teal season 16 days

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Breeding numbers are at record levels for several species.

Written by Jim Low, MDC

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo – The results of this year’s North American Duck Breeding Population Survey are in, and the news is excellent, beginning with news that Missouri will have a 16-day early teal season.

The U.S. and Canadian fish and wildlife services have conducted aerial surveys to estimate breeding-duck numbers since 1955. The survey also evaluates nesting habitat conditions. The annual report of this survey provides an early look at prospects for the coming hunting season. This year’s report estimates total duck numbers at 48.6 million continent-wide. That is a 7-percent increase from last year and up 43 percent from the long-term average (LTA).

The North American population of mallards, the mainstay species for Missouri waterfowl hunters, is estimated at 10.6 million this year. That is up 15 percent from 2011 and 40 percent above the LTA. Mallard numbers have exceeded this year’s figure only twice in the past 56 years - 1958 and 1999.

The length of Missouri’s early teal hunting season is set according to the number of blue-winged teal recorded in the annual survey. Blue-winged teal numbers this year are estimated at 9.2 million. That is similar to last year’s population. It also is 94 percent above the LTA and nearly twice the 4.7 million needed for the maximum early-season length of 16 days under federal guidelines. This year’s early teal season will open Sept. 8 and run through Sept. 23.

Other duck species breeding populations recorded in the 2012 survey include:

o   Gadwall, 3.6 million, similar to last year and 96 percent above LTA.

o   Pintail, 3.5 million, 22 percent below 2011 and 14 percent below LTA.

o   Green-winged teal, 3.5 million, up 20 percent from 2011 and 74 percent above LTA.

o   Wigeon, 2.1 million, similar to 2011 and 17 percent below LTA.

o   Scaup, 5.2 million, up 21 percent from last year and similar to LTA

o   Shoveler, 5 million, similar to 2011 and 111 percent above LTA.

o   Redhead, 1.3 million, similar to 2011 and 89 percent above LTA.

o   Canvasback, 800,000, similar to 2011 and 33 percent above LTA.

Doreen Mengel, a resource scientist with the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC), notes that habitat conditions in the north-central United States and central Canada, where most of Missouri’s ducks are produced, were not as good this year as in 2011. She says that could cut into nesting success. However, she also noted that above-average precipitation that occurred in prairie Canada after the survey was completed may have improved conditions for late-nesting species, any re-nesting attempts and for brood-rearing.

“It would have been difficult to imagine that we would see these kinds of waterfowl numbers 20 years ago,” says Mengel. “Having near-record duck populations is a testament to the hard work hunters and conservation groups have made to restore wetland habitat on both sides of the U.S.-Canadian border. It’s reason for celebration. However, remember that weather, local habitat conditions, and migration timing will play major roles in shaping the 2012 teal and regular waterfowl seasons we experience in Missouri.”

The Missouri Conservation Commission will set opening and closing dates, bag limits and other details of the regular waterfowl season at its August meeting.

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Waterfowl Hunting Forecast

Image by Arthur Chapman via Flickr

Duck numbers burgeon, but weather, habitat will determine hunter success

With duck numbers at an all-time high, Missouri

needs only a little luck for a memorable hunting season

JEFFERSON CITY–The number of breeding ducks surpassed all previous records this year, setting the stage for a bountiful harvest. All Missouri hunters need now is the right weather to push ducks into the Show-Me State and keep them here.

This year’s North American breeding-duck population was estimated at 45.6 million. That is 35 percent above the long-term average. This was only the fifth time in the survey’s history that the total duck population exceeded 40 million. In fact, this year’s breeding-duck population was the largest ever recorded since federal officials began counting waterfowl in 1955.

Missouri’s most popular waterfowl species, the mallard, went to the nesting grounds with 9.2 million individual ducks last spring. Nearly as numerous were blue-winged teal, which entered the breeding season with 8.9 million ducks, up 91 percent from the long-term average.

The northern shoveler was the next-most-numerous duck species, with 4.4 million individuals. That was an impressive 98-percent increase from the long-term average. However, redhead ducks take the prize for most-improved numbers this year. Their population estimate of 1.4 million is 106 percent above the long-term average.

Other duck species above long-term averages include:

n  Gadwalls, 3.3 million, up 80 percent

n  Green-winged teal, 2.9 million, up 47 percent

n  Canvasbacks, 700,000, up 21 percent

Numbers of northern pintails – 4.4 million – were up 26 percent from last year, but the progress they have made over the past few years only brings them even with the long-term average.

Only two of the top 10 hunted duck species were below their long-term averages this year. The combined total of 4.3 million lesser and greater scaup was about the same as last year but down 15 percent long-term. And while American wigeon remained fairly numerous at 2.1 million, their numbers were down 20 percent long-term.

Missouri’s waterfowl season begins Oct. 29 in the North Zone, Nov. 5 in the Middle Zone and Nov. 24 in the South zone. Season lengths, bag limits and other details are available in the Waterfowl Hunting Digest 2011-2012, which is available wherever hunting permits are sold or at mdc.mo.gov/node/5646/.

While hunters are sure to be thrilled by the prospect of a possible record fall flight of ducks, old hands know that two other factors – weather and habitat – play critical roles in making a good hunting season.

Weather is an imponderable this early in the season. No one can say when the onset of winter in the upper Midwest and central Canada will send large numbers of ducks south toward Missouri. Just as unpredictable is the onset of wintery conditions that will chase the birds into Arkansas. A long interval between those two events means plenty of opportunity to hunt. A fast transition from autumn to winter shortens hunters’ window of opportunity.

That leaves habitat for hunters to ponder. Migrating ducks need high-energy food to replenish reserves for the next leg of their arduous journeys. They also need water where they can rest. In years when these requirements are scarce, ducks are less inclined to linger in Missouri. This year, highly variable wetland conditions across the Show-Me State creates some uncertainty when predicting the outlook for the upcoming season. Weather patterns, migration timing, and food availability ultimately will shape the 2011-2012 waterfowl season.

“Scouting is going to be very important to hunters’ success this year,” said Resource Scientist Doreen Mengel, with the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC). “We had a wet spring followed by hot, dry weather late in the summer and into fall. That made creating the growing conditions that result in good food resources for ducks a special challenge. As a result, the availability of crops and seed-producing native plants is spotty, too. You can’t count on areas that have provided food for ducks in the past to be productive this year.”

Mengel said the distribution of water also will be different than normal this year. Flooding along the Missouri and Mississippi rivers created pools and left standing water in some normally dry areas. The availability of so much additional wetland acreage will give ducks more room to spread out, making them harder to find.

On the other hand, portions of southwest Missouri have been particularly hard-hit by drought. As a result, some low-lying land that usually fills up with autumn rainfall is completely dry this year. Many of these areas have an abundance of food plants, but without standing water, they will not attract ducks as they usually do, unless heavy rains arrive in the coming weeks.

“If you find a spot with both food and water this year, you probably will do well,” said Mengel. “Hunters who rely on past experience to plan their hunts could be in for an unwelcome surprise. I recommend taking your dog out for some conditioning runs in areas you like to hunt, so you can figure out where the water and the food are before the season opens.”

MDC’s managed wetland areas provide the most reliable waterfowl hunting on public land. Most have fair to excellent food to attract migrating ducks this year.  These areas are equipped to pump water into wetland pools even in dry years. However, if river levels are too low, it may preclude pumping on some areas.

One notable exception to generally good conditions on MDC wetlands is Bob Brown Conservation Area (CA) in Holt County. It is open to hunting this fall, but prolonged flooding left it with virtually no food or cover.

At the other end of the spectrum is Grand Pass CA, one of the state’s most productive duck-hunting destinations. This 5,000-acre area on the Missouri River in Saline County experienced crop failure in its west-refuge area, and crop yield was reduced in other pools. However, crops in other pools did well, and natural vegetation in Pools 5, 6, 8 and 9 is in good to excellent condition.

Flooding also caused losses of crops and native food plants at other MDC wetland along Missouri’s two big rivers. You can call ahead to learn about conditions on specific areas, using the information on pages 18 and 19 of the Waterfowl Hunting Digest. For twice-weekly reports on conditions at MDC wetland areas during the hunting season, visit http://bit.ly/qQM1YH.

This year’s superabundance of ducks is partly due to a run of good luck with weather the past several years, resulting in abundant moisture across the prairie pothole region of north-central United States and central Canada. However, good luck with the weather would not have produced so many ducks – and millions of nongame birds that nest in the same areas – without sustained habitat restoration efforts by government and private conservation organizations.

MDC, along with Ducks Unlimited and other groups, has invested millions of dollars over the past 50 years to provide places for migrating ducks to rest and feed. MDC currently is restoring some of its oldest managed wetland areas through the Golden Anniversary Wetland Initiative.In addition to providing superb hunting opportunities, wetland conservation in Missouri improves ducks’ physical condition and nesting success.

Similar efforts have helped protect and restore waterfowl nesting habitat. In the past five years alone, MDC has helped enhance and restore nearly a quarter of a million acres of prime breeding habitat in Canada and positively influenced an additional 1.2 million acres.

-Jim Low-