Mississippi Alluvial Valley waterfowl hunters search for ans

[whislinwings]

I want to say I read somewhere that more ducks nested south of the Canadian border than they did north for the first time ever. I've read harvest reports for Oklahoma and Texas that were up greatly in numbers. Which leads to my theory: Many of the tributaries and streams north of the Canadian border (Manitoba and eastern Saskatchewan) flow to the east to form the Mississippi river in northern Minnesota. In North and South Dakota the major river is the Missouri. Going back to my original point of where they nested, I theorize that many of the ducks that normally nest north of the border remained south and followed the Missouri River down and puddle jumped in Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas. In other words, the Central and Mississippi flyways merged, i.e. the Mississippi flyway "moved west."

[GordonGekko]

I have always thought the jet stream played a part in the lateral dispersion of the migration, but I have never seen any studies to prove it....

[davidees]

I want to say I read somewhere that more ducks nested south of the Canadian border than they did north for the first time ever. I've read harvest reports for Oklahoma and Texas that were up greatly in numbers. Which leads to my theory: Many of the tributaries and streams north of the Canadian border (Manitoba and eastern Saskatchewan) flow to the east to form the Mississippi river in northern Minnesota. In North and South Dakota the major river is the Missouri. Going back to my original point of where they nested, I theorize that many of the ducks that normally nest north of the border remained south and followed the Missouri River down and puddle jumped in Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas. In other words, the Central and Mississippi flyways merged, i.e. the Mississippi flyway "moved west."

Thats makes sense, if the nesting thing you spoke of is true.

[quack_a_tack]

I want to say I read somewhere that more ducks nested south of the Canadian border than they did north for the first time ever. I've read harvest reports for Oklahoma and Texas that were up greatly in numbers. Which leads to my theory: Many of the tributaries and streams north of the Canadian border (Manitoba and eastern Saskatchewan) flow to the east to form the Mississippi river in northern Minnesota. In North and South Dakota the major river is the Missouri. Going back to my original point of where they nested, I theorize that many of the ducks that normally nest north of the border remained south and followed the Missouri River down and puddle jumped in Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas. In other words, the Central and Mississippi flyways merged, i.e. the Mississippi flyway "moved west."

I also believe this to be true.

[armyduckman]

I am not sure that it is as much the flyway moved as you may think. That theory would be applicable if only the Mississippi Flyway did not have as many ducks and the Atlantic and Pacific flyways were normal while the Central flyway had increased numbers.
In California most hunters had one of the worst seasons they have had in years also. We had many of the same problems that you had in MS also: a fairly warm season all year long and more water than normal. Many hunters total bag limits for a 100 day season were about 25% of their normal bag.
My friends in North Carolina also reported the same thing, they had fewer ducks than in past years; while friends in the OK/TX area reported a banner year.

What I think we saw was a combination of several factors: A delayed migration due to warmer weather across the country, atypical water levels that affected the normal migration routes in some areas of the country and spread out ducks more than normal.

[quack_a_tack]

What I really think is....hell it really don't matter hat I think. They were not here and I was unable to get there. No one can explain nature. Better luck next season.

[BR549]

Anat, I agree with most everything you said. We were off bad this year too. But also had some great hunting during the iceup, simply because of what you said. EXPERIENCE! Knowing where to go under what conditions! The weather is definately what controls our duck flights. We need northern blast to come right down our flyway! We had a total of ONE this year! That won't get it guys! Yes it got cold, but look where those fronts came from? The biggest majority of the came down from the northwest. That also is what pushed the ducks down the central flyway instead of ours! When 3/4's of our flyway gets hammered with brutal cold and freezing temps we have ducks too! It just didn't happen this year. Plus you couple that with the pressure being applied and that's why we didn't kill many ducks! If you only have one hole to hunt and you go 3 days a week with no new ducks coming in don't you think the few you had are going to leave? Sure they are! You can't pressure ducks! I never hunt a hole without at least 4 days rest, except in extreme and rare conditions, such as the ice this past year. It just don't work! You have to let em rest, and when numbers are low it becomes even more critical!

[jwarwick]

On duck migrations... I like to think of the sky as an ocean, and the ducks are lucky enough to be able to "swim" from one desirable place to another exactly like fish in the currents of the sea. Of course they can go anywhere they want to. It just so happens that their summer "spawning" areas (Canada, Dakotas, etc.) are a long way from their winter "warmer waters" (southern states, Mexico, etc.). These general locations have been proven best for their survival and vitality over the eons, and they won't vary far (50 miles?) from these destinations unless there are immediate and strong natural forces occurring during the last leg or two of the migration, making another alternate destination more desirable.

I have noticed that on the cool graphics of the migration routes shown in above posts that their migration routes are relatively straight from their summer grounds to their winter grounds- after all, why waste valuable energy flying willy-nilly en-route. They will fly through some rough sh*t in a straight line North-to-South. But once far enough South, they have evaded the main catalyst for the trip (weather inhibiting good feeding), then they look for the best place to winter-over, and are able to spread out during the normal search for good feeding and resting areas. During this time, local harsh winter weather smears them around through the season, but they are generally still in their target region.

I have a construction project on the Miss. coast, and I watched the weather very closely this late fall/ early winter. We (southern states) had wave after wave of odd and strong thunder storm fronts moving from the Galveston, TX area, moving up NE through LA, MS, TN. I have to think that these fronts occluded good access to the Miss. and Ark deltas, and diverted ducks to the west. The weekly biologist-counts of migration activities at the MWFP website shows this, and a buddy of mine in Port Arthur, TX verified it for me that ducks were en-mass in SE TX all season.

I don't think this was odd from the ducks perspective at all, they were diverted from their usual "warm waters" destination and headed to their best alternate, directed by the weather.... perfectly normal for them.

Anyway, I didn't have many ducks to shoot at in the South Delta, but i'm already up for next year!... What else you gonna do?

Jon

[Birdroost]

DU is full of S$$t duck numbers are down. Its all big biz.

[litlhitch]

I think that there are alot of factors, but the main one being they didn't show up. We hunted hard fields, rivers, sloughs, and between. I have gone out this week to the same places and there are more ducks than I have ever seen. Did they decide to come east, no its just got bad enough to get them here with the amount of food around. There also was alot of water, we had several fields we dont pump but filled up on there own like several others allowed.

this may have something to do with the fact that alot of fields have been drained, concentrating the remaining birds.

[quack_a_tack]

I think that there are alot of factors, but the main one being they didn't show up. We hunted hard fields, rivers, sloughs, and between. I have gone out this week to the same places and there are more ducks than I have ever seen. Did they decide to come east, no its just got bad enough to get them here with the amount of food around. There also was alot of water, we had several fields we dont pump but filled up on there own like several others allowed.

this may have something to do with the fact that alot of fields have been drained, concentrating the remaining birds.

DING DING DING

[SoftCall]

I used to subscribe the the flyway shift theory. I spent a great deal of time in my life hunting the MS delta from the mid 70's through 2003. I still venture back to hunt some of the old honey holes that produced consistently through those years. I also started hunting the central flyway in Oklahoma in the late 90's. There were mallards hitting peanut fields consistently on a daily basis like you would see them piling into your holes in the MS flyway when everything north of Tunica would lock up. I firmly believed that the ducks had moved flyways based on the abundance of waste grain and relatively low hunting pressure in OK. I have now seen the same thing happen in OK. I blame the lower success rates on afternoon hunting in peanut fields. Ducks there don't spread out and hit all fields in the afternoons. They all get up from the reservoirs and head out to feed within an hour or so of each other. Birds follow each other and there are literally waves of birds all heading the same direction. They may all pile into a couple of quarters and you could see 50K+ ducks (no BS) covering a solid half section. I have video and pics of this. When hunters put out a dry field spread in the evening and hammer the birds consistently over a two year period, the ducks become educated. I see the same number of ducks sitting on the refuge during the season as I used to, but hunting reports from the afternoons are spotty at best. The ducks have become nocturnal much earlier in the season due to a massive increase in hunting pressure. Certain areas of OK were once secrets and could be hunted with a knock on the door and a Christmas ham. Now you compete with money for leases on property that was accessible only 5 years ago.

I also used to see the same thing that many of you do in MS. I hunted the Morgan City, Sidon, Swiftown and Belzoni areas consistently for almost 30 years. In the later years, ducks would mysteriously show up in good numbers about a week to 10 days after the season with no real weather event to push them down. My opinion was that these ducks had been resting in safe zones for the season and feeding in non traditional patterns as a result of pressure. Big rivers, private clubs with large spreads, refuges and non traditional areas (like more WRP) when there is an over-abundance of H2O provide these habitats for ducks. When the season ends and there is zero hunting pressure, they react accordingly and spread out. Also, no till farming and variances in winter preciipitation rates have essentially delayed at least a portion of the migration (again in my opinion). I debated this with Rob Olson of Delta Waterfowl one night for a couple of hours over dinner. I simply did not believe what he was saying (he subscribed to the pressure theory). I agree with him now whole heartedly.

I have also expanded my hunting area over the last ten years. The practice of hunting the same holes throughout the season doesn't work for me anymore. Afternoons are for scouting, not hunting. Driving 2 hours from the camp has become the norm to find birds. It's just the way it is these days.

[ITO Radio]

One year it is "not enough winter so the ducks stayed up north". Another year it is "ducks are out west". And now it is "ducks used non-traditional areas". I can't wait for the "ducks have gone nocturnal" alibi- surely that one is coming. This entire charade reminds me of the old country lyrics "who you gonna believe- me or your lying eyes?" I been around this game 40 years all over three states. Ducks arent here like they used to be cause we dont have the numbers we used to have- simple as that.

[BR549]

One year it is "not enough winter so the ducks stayed up north". Another year it is "ducks are out west". And now it is "ducks used non-traditional areas". I can't wait for the "ducks have gone nocturnal" alibi- surely that one is coming. This entire charade reminds me of the old country lyrics "who you gonna believe- me or your lying eyes?" I been around this game 40 years all over three states. Ducks arent here like they used to be cause we dont have the numbers we used to have- simple as that.

WHAT??????? I really can't believe what my eyes just read! You have way more ducks now than you've ever had! How many of those 40 years did you keep records from an area? Duck numbers are way up from where they were years ago. problem is the number of hunters way outgrew the the numbers of ducks! You have 10 times the number of hunters you had years ago and 100 times the water and area for the ducks to scatter out in. The numbers are here they are just scattered out to the point you don't see the concetrations any more like you once saw. Yes we hunt less number of days now but kill way more ducks on the days we go! Have you forgotten the days when you had 1 duck or 2 duck limits? My god you can kill 6 per day now! Multiply that out with the number of hunters you have today vs what it was 25 years ago!