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All evidence I have to this possibility is anecdotal at best. However, it seems to me that the MS Flyway is shifting westward.

Any thoughts on this as a possibility, and if so, what might be causing it?

I think everyone (including ducks) is trying to get far away from Albanians...............

Im sorry, could resist. And no i dont have a logical answer for you.

I think Bradley and Patrick absolutely killed it in their explanation of why they think it is shifting west with a lot of data to back it up.

https://endofthelinepodcast.podbean.com ... dcast-app/

Hadn’t listened to podcast. Need to download app.

But, yes I believe it is. I would venture to state, although no hard facts, that it’s farm practice related to why they r moving westardly.

I’ve been through the Midwest several times and you see a lot more conservation practices used out there as apposed to here. Also the tillage practices promote left over grain to be used by waterfowl. Here there’s nothing left for them except what is left to be hunted.

But we r talking about a duck and we all no they do things that make no sense.

My take, and I did listen to the podcast. I do agree with what they are saying, however there are more duck holes above us than ever. Missouri is the new Arkansas with 100's of pits going in every year. Same goes for TN, KY, and anywhere else that can be flooded.

I think they not so much shifting as in they are spread out more than they ever have been. Plus you have federal refuges that literally feed waterfowl like cattle. They do not leave ever until the feed is gone. So do I think it is shifting West? Short answer is No. My long answer is above.

I need to listen to that podcast. Have it downloaded...next flight I'll catch it.

It is food and pressure (or the lack of). Canada geese may have a brain the size of a cashew. But they've figured out that they eat good and don’t get shot on the golf course. Migrating ducks are figuring out the same. An Oklahoma cattle yard may not have the best view, and the corn may come with bovine sprinkles, but they aren't getting shot at every 200 yds.

Answer: No.

The MS Flyway is tied to the MS River. It hasn't changed to my knowledge.

Is the Central Flyway becoming more utilized by ducks during migration? The anecdotal answer is YES, and I would assume that the harvest numbers would back this up.

Why is this occurring? Plentiful food sources (corn, peanuts, etc) and milder winter temps in the heartland in general.

I agree with most of the above. Things have definitely changed. When I was a kid there were plenty of mallards and teal later in the season in pearl river county. Now they are practically non existent. Still plenty of wood ducks though. I have been hunting the delta forever in ms and some in AR and LA and it seems to be more hit and miss. So the big question is where are they and how do we get to them?

North by northwest

Truck!

In 12 hrs drive u can be in some great waterfowling areas

I don't really have any experience with Oklahoma, Missouri, or any other location north or west of us, but I do have about 42 years of experience chasing ducks around the Miss Delta, and I have most definitely noticed a change in how the ducks use the Miss Delta. My philosophy is that the change is a result of Group IV soybeans. Back in the day, the soybean harvest was happening around Thanksgiving, whereas today, it is usually close to 100% complete in October, which allows time for fall tillage, which means no waste grain left in the field, not to mention the unharvested fields that got caught by the weather before the harvest was completed. While this is great news for the farmers in the Miss Delta, it is not so great for the duck hunters. It used to be that agricultural fields provided a tremendous food source for wintering waterfowl, and lots of ducks came to the Miss Delta to feed on this grain. That is not the case today, and unless you are doing something positive to feed waterfowl in these agricultural fields, there is simply nothing there for them. The same philosophy applies to the amount of acres that have been converted to trees thru CRP and WRP......they are no longer marginal agricultural fields with waste grain, or a full crop, available to the ducks. Sure, they provide other benefits, but not waste grain.

In other words, it's all about the availability of food, and to a duck, if that means shifting west or north or wherever, he is going to do it in order to eat.

So......feed them, and they will come.

I think there is less pressure further west. And so the ducks go further west every year. On this note, teal hunting in south east Louisiana was dismal for me this year. But the teal are stacked up near the Texas / LA border.