Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 20 of 24

Thread: Older and fewer ducks this Fall.

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Location
    SC
    Posts
    4,304

    Default Older and fewer ducks this Fall.

    Glad to see Gadwall up 47% in light of dismal nesting habitat.

    https://www.outdoorlife.com/hunting/...SYtqc0mDc1fOFc

    Duck hunters can expect to see fewer and older ducks in this fall’s flight, a direct result of the pernicious drought that has dried up the prairie potholes in the Dakotas and southern Canada.

    That’s the early but fairly certain conclusion of Dr. Johann Walker. As director of operations for Ducks Unlimited’s Great Plains office in Bismarck, North Dakota, and one of the continent’s preeminent waterfowl biologists, Walker isn’t given to hyperbole.

    But he’s not holding back on the severity of this summer’s drought across the Prairie Pothole region, the crucible of duck production in North America.

    “It’s dry. Really dry in the Dakotas, especially North Dakota,” he says. “We have widespread extreme or greater drought conditions, and it’s really been building since the winter,” when the area received scant snowfall. “It’s as dry as we’ve seen it in 25 years.”

    Indeed, the national drought monitor shows a large and growing bullseye of deep brick red over the Dakotas, with fingers south and west. This is classified as “exceptional” drought, and it’s creating cracked mud and dust in wetland complexes across an area the size of Texas that should be full of shallow water and cavorting ducklings this season.

    Where do breeding ducks go in these conditions?

    “Some species will respond by migrating farther north in search of water,” says Walker. “and they often end up in the boreal forest” of far northern Canada. But the boreal, an empire of stunted trees and shallow lakes, isn’t as productive as the prairie, so hens typically don’t hatch as many ducklings “or produce as many recruits to the fall flight,” says Walker. “But they at least get up there and have a chance to breed in those habitats. Wigeon and teal tend to do well there, and mallards and pintails will sometimes overfly the prairies in a drought year. Other ducks will stick it out in the prairies and try to do their best, so there will be some ducklings hatched as a result.”

    Walker says some ducks will forego breeding altogether.

    “That’s fairly unusual behavior when we think of the typical prairie ducks,” he says. “They have a relatively short life expectancy, something on the order of two to no more than 3 years for the typical mallard or pintail or blue-winged teal.”

    Duck Populations Are Still Strong
    Duck production is down.
    Duck production may be down, but duck numbers remain healthy. Joe Genzel
    Before we get to what the suppressed duck production means for duck hunters this fall, it’s useful to note that the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s annual survey of breeding pairs, which has been conducted nearly annually since 1955, wasn’t conducted either last year or this year because COVID restrictions prohibited USFWS pilots from crossing into Canada, where they do most of their flying. The most recent data available was from the 2019 waterfowl population status.

    That annual survey data is analyzed and used to establish season structures and bag limits in each of the four continental flyways. Without the data, waterfowl managers are flying blind, says Walker.

    The only other survey that has enough longevity to be reliable is North Dakota Game and Fish’s breeding duck survey, results of which were released in June. The survey, which has been ongoing for 74 years and was pulled off despite COVID restrictions, showed water indexes down 80 percent from 2020, and 68 percent below the long-term average.

    Mallards in the North Dakota survey were down nearly 49 percent from 2020 numbers, and pintails were down 68 percent, to their lowest count since 1991. The only species that was up was gadwalls, which posted a 47 percent increase from 2020.

    Mike Szymanski, the department’s game bird management supervisor, noted that biologists counted an estimated 2.9 million ducks in the North Dakota survey; that’s about 19 percent above the long-term average.

    “That’s a big reservoir of ducks,” says Walker. “And that’s a buffer that we didn’t have the last time we went into a prolonged drought. But if you’re talking about this fall flight, I would anticipate that there will be fewer young birds in the harvest. I’m preparing for a fairly small fall flight comprised of older birds compared to normal.”

    Walker notes that this year’s season structures are already set, using data from the 2019 continental survey. Bag limits and season structures are fairly liberal, based on that data, which may cause some unease for waterfowl managers.

    “Even if we got moisture now, it’s too late to help ducks,” says Walker. “It might make the grass a little greener and hopefully keep some cows from being sold, but it’s not going to have an impact on prairie [duck] production.

    Shorter Seasons and Smaller Bag Limits May Be Ahead
    Season lengths and bag limits could suffer to the drought.
    This drought could shrink seasons and bag limits. Joe Genzel
    Waterfowl managers note two related concerns based on poor production in the Central Flyway. One is that hunters, coming off two decades of liberal bag limits and long seasons and a COVID season that put more hunters in the marsh than previous years, may overharvest the adult birds.

    With limited survey data, waterfowl managers may react by restricting both bag limits and season lengths for the 2022 season. That reduction, in turn, may surprise waterfowlers who have never hunted through 3-duck bags and 50-day seasons. Some may even leave the marsh altogether.

    On the other hand, we’re entering this drought cycle with a continental population of 38 million ducks, far more than when we entered the previous drought cycle. Walker calls the two-year gap in data “not ideal,” but notes that the USFWS’s breeding-pair survey is mature enough to account for variations, and remains confident in the monitoring system to ensure sustainable duck numbers and harvest opportunities.

    Plus, Walker is counting on the resilience of intact habitat.

    “One of the things that’s true of the classic prairie pothole system—the vast complex of shallow wetlands—is that they thrive on cycles of wet and drought,” he says. “Wetland productivity tends to decline through extended wet periods. Drought is a useful reset, especially if it doesn’t last too long.”

    He says the most important consideration is to ensure that the prairie pothole habitat is intact.

    “We have to keep the table set, the nesting cover and the wetland basins,” he says. “As long as they’re there when we get wet, ducks will recover regardless of harvest. In general, habitat affects duck populations more than anything else.”



    .




    Log In
    Listen to your elders. Not because they are always right but because they have more experiences of being wrong.

    "We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give" Sir Winston Churchill

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Oct 2001
    Location
    Hampton Co., SC
    Posts
    10,122

    Default

    Good read...
    \"I never saw a wild thing feel sorry for itself. A small bird will drop dead frozen from a bough without ever having felt sorry for itself.\" <br />D.H. LAWRENCE

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Sep 2001
    Location
    Wateree, South Carolina
    Posts
    48,808

    Default

    3-duck bags and 50-day seasons
    20 years late...

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    Johnston
    Posts
    22,403

    Default

    Maybe if we have to go through a couple of 30/3’s it’ll weed out some of the garbage…..
    Quote Originally Posted by Mars Bluff View Post
    Only thing we need to be wearing in this country are ass whippings & condoms. That'll clear up half our issues.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jun 2011
    Location
    Columbia, SC
    Posts
    3,946

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by FEETDOWN View Post
    Maybe if we have to go through a couple of 30/3’s it’ll weed out some of the garbage…..
    I’d like to think so but I think it might just concentrate them more.
    Sea Ark 1542 w/ Yamaha 40
    Xpress 16 w/ 50 Hammer
    War Eagle 15 w/ 30 Hammer

    --------------------------------------------------

    "Sometimes you gotta grab the bull by the horns and the women by the tits and take charge in your life" - General Patton

    "I'm very drunk and I intend on getting still drunker before this evening's over."
    - Rhett Butler

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jul 2003
    Location
    Moncks Corner
    Posts
    15,556

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by FEETDOWN View Post
    Maybe if we have to go through a couple of 30/3’s it’ll weed out some of the garbage…..
    Yep and move some of the money from the "consumption" side of the duck equation back to the "production" side of the waterfowl equation.
    Ephesians 2 : 8-9



    Charles Barkley: Nobody doesn't like meat.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Dec 2005
    Location
    Ballard's Landing
    Posts
    15,424

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by FEETDOWN View Post
    Maybe if we have to go through a couple of 30/3’s it’ll weed out some of the garbage…..
    I wouldn’t count on it.

    Most folks I see at the ramp rarely have more than 1-3 birds amongst 3 hunters and they come back every weekend.
    Be proactive about improving public waterfowl habitat in South Carolina. It's not going to happen by itself, and our help is needed. We have the potential to winter thousands of waterfowl on public grounds if we fight for it.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Dec 2008
    Location
    Sc
    Posts
    1,353

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by FEETDOWN View Post
    Maybe if we have to go through a couple of 30/3’s it’ll weed out some of the garbage…..
    Na, they they would have a chance at actually killing a limit thus boosting moral and recruiting more of their friends to join.
    I don't belive in miracles, I rely on them.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jul 2008
    Location
    In the middle of it
    Posts
    8,166

    Default

    The limit may as well already be 3, for most, since they bumped up the woodie limits.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    Jame isle
    Posts
    6,041

    Default

    Some days it’s just hard to stop shooting at 6 lol!
    867-5309

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Sep 2001
    Location
    Wateree, South Carolina
    Posts
    48,808

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Relentlous View Post
    Some days it’s just hard to stop shooting at 6 lol!
    https://scducks.com/forum/showthread...rvation-Permit

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Location
    SC
    Posts
    4,304

    Default

    Greys make up 1/3 to 1/2 of my limits so it's good to see those numbers but it's depressing to see the rest.
    Listen to your elders. Not because they are always right but because they have more experiences of being wrong.

    "We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give" Sir Winston Churchill

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    York Co
    Posts
    4,825

    Default

    It sounds like the decreased limits on pintails isn't working too well

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Sep 2001
    Location
    Wateree, South Carolina
    Posts
    48,808

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by YoungBuckTX View Post
    It sounds like the decreased limits on pintails isn't working too well
    It was never going to work as long as Billy Bob could still sit there banging away at the rest of a 6 bird limit. Limiting the pressure was always more important than the number of ducks actually killed...

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Aug 2009
    Location
    Probation
    Posts
    10,071

    Default

    I only target mature ducks anyway. Some may still be molting but mature enough nonetheless lol
    Quote Originally Posted by BOG View Post
    Tip:
    Although it is natural for you and seems to be out of your hands, try to suppress your natural inclination towards dumbassedness and do some research of your own.I wish you luck.
    Tekton Game Calls
    http://tektongamecalls.com

  16. #16
    Join Date
    May 2005
    Location
    where you aren't
    Posts
    2,287

    Default

    Probably be the best season in years....everytime they report bad numbers, the birds are thick....

  17. #17
    Join Date
    Dec 2008
    Location
    Sc
    Posts
    1,353

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by BRR View Post
    Probably be the best season in years....everytime they report bad numbers, the birds are thick....
    My opinion on the subject. If we continue to study the same places wether there is water or not, has food or not we are missing the boat. The birds are not going to try and make it work in a dry area. They will continue to travel till they find suitable grounds. The studies are done in the same areas every year. One year lots of water and lots of duck, next little water and fewer ducks.

    Young buck points out the decrease in pintails, yet the last three seasons I have seen more than ever before. That is in all locations I hunt including sc.
    Last edited by 12341234; 08-01-2021 at 04:44 PM.
    I don't belive in miracles, I rely on them.

  18. #18
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    united states of america
    Posts
    21,584

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by BRR View Post
    Probably be the best season in years....everytime they report bad numbers, the birds are thick....
    I agree with this

  19. #19
    Join Date
    Oct 2001
    Location
    Hampton Co., SC
    Posts
    10,122

    Default

    So, a season and bag reduction is imminent due to dry conditions in the PP Region.
    But, what about the species that don't nest there such as ringneck whose numbers aren't affected?
    \"I never saw a wild thing feel sorry for itself. A small bird will drop dead frozen from a bough without ever having felt sorry for itself.\" <br />D.H. LAWRENCE

  20. #20
    Join Date
    Sep 2012
    Posts
    2,191

    Default

    A little unsavory agreeing with brr, but damn if that isn't the truth. Since 1975, these numbers and figures have not been the results I have seen when they arrive.

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •