NoDak
Another primo year for waterfowlers
For the third time in as many falls, there is the set-up to have an outstanding waterfowl season in most of North Dakota.
Coming off the third straight winter with better-than-average snowfall and moisture, wetlands in the Central Plains and in Prairie Canada have wetlands fully recharged — and then some.
Of the course the same was said about the waterfowl season last fall.
Water and grass conditions were primo and that should have set the stage for an unforgettable fall for waterfowlers.
Unfortunately, things didn’t pan out although there was water in seemingly every low spots last fall but the ducks were absent.
The number of wetlands in the Central Plains and in Canada are the second highest on record.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service conducted their 56th annual survey this spring and logged 8.1 million ponds in North Dakota, South Dakota and Canada.
That was 22 percent higher than last year and 62 percent higher than the long-term average.
On the prairies of Canada, conditions rebounded somewhat last year after several dry years and the pond count was 4.9 million, an increase of 31 percent over a year ago.
And the ducks have responded. The survey showed 45.6 million ducks, an 11 percent increase from last year and 35 percent higher than the long-term average.
Numbers aside though, more ducks do not necessarily translate into good hunting.
Rick Warhurst is the manager of programs for the Dakotas for Ducks Unlimited in Bismarck.
Warhurst said as most waterfowlers will attest to, the bottom line is a lot of things can change between the breeding and shotgunning seasons.
Last fall for instance, the weather turned cold around Halloween and stayed cold, moving a lot of ducks south in one fell swoop.
Mallards, in particular, seemed to stay in Canada throughout most of the duck season season then when the time came to migrate, they were through and gone.
Cropping patterns in North Dakota last fall also had a lot to do with duck movement in the fall and that could well be the case again this year.
With about 6 million acres of land that went unplanted this year, ducks may not have a lot to choose from as they migrate south.
And while water conditions are better in Canada this year, things are still comparatively dry in the boreal areas of Canada and Alaska, meaning ducks likely will stay farther down to nest.
According to the USFWS, the number of mallards in this year’s survey were up 9 percent from a year ago, 22 percent from the long-term average.
The number of pintails also jumped 26 percent more than the long-term average, as did canvas backs (21 percent), redheads (106 percent), gadwalls (80 percent) and blue-winged teal (91 percent).
Green-winged teal, down in numbers 17 percent from a year ago, still are up 47 percent in the longer term.
And, with all of the flooded timber in the state this year, it could be one of the best wood duck seasons in recent memory.
Widgeon are the species most notably down in numbers, 14 percent fewer than last year and 20 percent from the long-term average.
Warhurst said the one thing he has seen out in the field throughout the summer is a lot of young broods.
“Last week I saw a brood of mallards crossing the road that could have been more than a week or two old ... just out of the shell,” he said.
Because of the widespread flooding this summer, ducks have had to nest, and renest multiple times, Warhurst said.
“There are lots and lots of broods out there,” he said. “I probably have never seen a year like this in my life.”
With younger birds in the field, that may tend to keep flocks more localized this season as some ducks may not have had time to fledge and go farther north to feed.
Or it could have the opposite effect when it comes to duck movement this fall. With so much water to be had it the state, the ducks could simply move from place to place until they find the right set of conditions of water, cover and food.
And if you happen to stumble on one of those spots this fall, it may be the only duck hunting spot you will need.
The resident waterfowl season opens Sept. 24 and it looks as though the regulations will be the same as last fall.
Mike Johnson, waterfowl biologist for the North Dakota Game and Fish Department, said the set-up is there for a good season for waterfowlers.
Last year, he said some species migrated through early but for the die-hard hunters, November did offer some excellent opportunities.
If hunters want to take advantage of some of the early-season migrators, Johnson said wood ducks and blue-winged teal are among the earliest to depart.
The same goes for pintails, although strong numbers and a little luck when it comes to the weather could hold them here until mid-to-late-October.
The season again will be 74 days with a six-duck daily limit, Johnson said.
The daily limit will be no more than five mallards, only two of which can be hens, two scaup, two redheads, three wood ducks, two pintail or one canvasback.
“The set-up is there,” Johnson said. “But we always play the game of what happens with the weather and the migration.”
(Reach reporter Brian Gehring 250-8254 or brian.gehring@bismarcktribune.com.)
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