Phattest ducks I've ever seen - Pics

[Anatidae]

Most of the ducks we killed on the SK trip were in excellent shape. During one particular week, we killed the biggest, fattest ducks we've ever killed in SK - or Mississippi (for that matter).

[gobama123]

Big Duck !!!

Looks kinda like some of those "boat-dock" Mallards that we kill from time-to-time.
You didn't have a loaf of Wonder Bread in your decoy spread did you ?


Just kidding.... Nice Duck.

God Bless you

[CrackerMallard]

We call um CRACKERMALLARDS...............

[Blake Williamson]

Damn I guess day break is short a few more tamies.

[CBrown]

Anatidae it seems the ducks you kill there should always be in better shape (ie. fatter) than here in Mississippi. Is that true? I know they are feeding all the way down but ducks can easily travel 250-300 miles in a 24 hour period, imagine the amount of reserves and energy they require.That is nothing but nature's pure energy right there. If we were about to make a 1300 mile journey we would also need to be in the best shape of our lives. Did they seem larger than normal this year?

[Anatidae]

That's too deep for me. Not larger (duck size) than normal - but more large ducks than we normally see. I think it's a product of how advanced the migration is in a given region and the variation in general physiology (level of tolerance to weather influences). Mature ducks will always be more prone for survival than juvies.

[Take 'em]

That's too deep for me. Not larger (duck size) than normal - but more large ducks than we normally see. I think it's a product of how advanced the migration is in a given region and the variation in general physiology (level of tolerance to weather influences). Mature ducks will always be more prone for survival than juvies.

Can't remember off hand what the dates were last year when yall were up there but if I am thinking right, it was about the same time. Didn't you say last year the migration was 2-3 weeks late? With it being said that you saw more large ducks would that possible mean the migration is a little bit earlier than last year or is it about the same? Just trying to think back on all the old post you made referring to the migration and hoping it isn't weeks late again this year

[matt]

Lets see some more pictures. How was your trip?

[Dux Be Us]

PHOTOSHOP!!!

[quackquack33]

Local Duck........ lol

[Anatidae]

Of course I'm still learning - but it's almost impossible to speculate on the entire migration unless I had visited a broader area......as in traditional survey counts and such. But from my observation (and strictly for the Mid-latitude region of SK) I would say the migration is still later than normal years (by about 3 weeks), but not quite as late as last year (roughly 5-7 weeks).

I missed it completely last year (what stage the migration was in) until I got a call from our friends up there - that said the ducks just arrived.......that was November 18th. The cool-down happened after that. This year, the cool-down hit about November 10th.......but I'm not convinced that the bulk of the migration had even hit mid-latitude SK and certainly not left Canada.....just isolated parts of it. There were still tons of snow geese 6o miles North of the border on November 12th.

Basically, (and for what's it's worth) I think there is as much lateral movement as longitudinal until the food source gets covered with snow. Therfore, I think with the isolated occurances of snow/freeze/thaw, and ample open water yet - the migration is still (at minimum) 4 weeks later than a normal year.

There's still plenty of food on the ground in parts of Canada the have not recieved heavy snow. Birds will stick tight for a week after water freezes over, then hop to the next-closest open water with good feeding nearby. The fact that I saw swans moving through on November 11th, snows were still concentrated in Southern SK, did not see a very heavy concentration of ducks where we were, the wariness of local honkers, and the fack that the giant honkers (14-16lb birds) hadn't arrived in larger numbers in our area yet - leads me to speculate that the big push (mass exodus) hadn't really occurred yet.

Keep in mind - I only view a small area and am at best, a 'sofa scientist'.

I will say that I saw more re-charged potholes than in the previous 7 years.......but nesting cover around those potholes has been consumed by the plow. I would think we'd need several 'wet' years in crop production areas to replenish sufficient nesting habitat.