Comments of: 2020-01-15

Compiled by Frank Nelson
The last couple of weeks have been a microcosm of the entire 2019-20 waterfowl season in terms of weather. We've seen warm and dry weather and also experienced cold with scattered bouts of precipitation. September and December were both much warmer than normal, with lower than average precipitation. October and November went the other direction and were colder than normal. Out of the two chillier months, October was wetter than average and included early snowfall along with the rain.

Temperature swings and batches of wet to dry weather have continued in the beginning of 2020. Last week ended with balmy temperatures in the high 50's and low 60's across Missouri, followed by a wintery cold front. On the 12th the highs were in the teens and twenties across the north and western part of the state. One to four inches of precipitation fell on the 11th followed by a wintery mix of ice and snow. The northern part of the state received 1-4 inches of snow. Over the last few days temperatures have moderated again reaching back into the 60's across southern Missouri. Another cold front will be passing through in the next 48 hours bringing snow and ice across the Midwest and causing temperatures to dip back down below normal over the next 6-10 days.

Depending upon where you are in the state the weather and hunting pressure has influenced where ducks are and their abundance. Even with the North and Middle Zones being closed, the freezing conditions have led to a decline of waterfowl on some shallowly flooded wetlands as they have shifted to the river and other deeper open water bodies. Other locations have gained birds. In between cold fronts, strong southerly winds have noticeably brought back pintail to various areas across the state. This week's survey shows this species climbed back to account for 13 percent of the ducks in the state, while mallards still hold on to 72 percent. Other public managed wetlands in Missouri haven't seen a big change in their waterfowl abundance over the last two to three weeks even though rain and rising river levels have provided new sheetwater. That being said, there are pockets of ducks using some of the new floodplain habitat, but this is typically in locations that are hard to access or haven't been recently hunted.

Dabbling ducks aren't the only species that were noticeable on this last survey of the year. Larger waterfowl species including Trumpeter swans, Canada geese, and Snow geese reached a season high this week. White-fronted geese didn't stick to this trend and remained similar in abundance to what they had been reported over the last few weeks. It is worth noting that along with the South Zone being open for ducks till the end of the month, geese may be hunted to February 6th. Shooting swans is prohibited, but they are majestic birds to observe and see in flight.

The statewide total is currently 446,779 ducks, which is just above the 5-year average, 393,858, for the second week of January. Each fall as waterfowl migrate through Missouri the timing and abundance of birds takes a different shape. Some years you have a steep peak followed by a deep decline. Other years you may have a gradual build-up of ducks that tappers towards the end of the season. Although it isn't often, from time to time we experience years like this where we have an initial build up, but then the numbers of ducks stay fairly flat throughout the season. It is what we saw in 1993, which interesting enough, was another year that we experienced widespread flooding across our Missouri and Mississippi River floodplains. This annual variation is both exciting and at times disappointing. Years like this underscore the importance and interplay between bird movements weather, habitat, and hunting pressure and an opportunity to acknowledge the complexity and part we play in the natural world.

Thanks for tuning in, caring about our natural resources, and participating in the tradition of Missouri waterfowl hunting. Best of luck for those still hunting in the south zone or chasing geese across the state. Remember, you are invited to a series of public workshops will be conducted around the state in January, February, and March to gather hunter input about future duck season dates and zone boundary locations for the 2021-2025 seasons. Until next fall, take care.

Click here for breakdown... https://extra.mdc.mo.gov/cgi-bin/mdc...urvey/main.cgi