Snow and Ice - Where are the birds?

[jkm1272]

Plenty of snow and ice up north. Just curious who has more ducks this year than the past 2 year. Want to prove my theory that weather is not the only thing that brings ducks south. There has to be ducks to come. Lots of people on this site said wait for cold, snowy weather. Well it was here last week.

In the south Delta I did not see much change. A few more birds but still nothing like late nineties, or anything that would make me think we should be at a six duck limit.

[eagle700]

...
In the south Delta I did not see much change. A few more birds but still nothing like late nineties, or anything that would make me think we should be at a six duck limit.

My observations as well. I agree that there is NO way that the real duck numbers are as stated. Either that, or the Mississippi Flyway has completely changed.

[Wildfowler]

Want to prove my theory that weather is not the only thing that brings ducks south.

Would you mind sharing your theory with us?

[Ducks be us]

Suspect we'll suffer from a few flyby's, as we're frozen up to. Would also suspect moving water to be a good spot. Y'all have a nice day!

[blazer5]

Was riding down old 61 this a.m. saw thousands of ducks on a place called beaver dam lake, its private. Johnsons bottom, thousands of ducks, private. However, considering the number of boats at the cut-off, I'd say there were some ducks in that vicinity also. Didn't get out on the lake though.

[Super Black Eagle]

the delta is full of ducks. like someone said, private. beaver damn is good when they are flying, but they raft up early and when that happens it is all over. The trucks at the cutoff are a mixture of duck hunters deer hunters from harden point club. As of last week one of thier roads was under water.

The %^&$%$ is holding a few birds, but as of 11:15 this am they were all rafting at #$% %^ $#$%.

There are a few birds down, no not like they have been before, but there are definitely some birds here. check out all the holes not being shot up.

SBE
Adam

[weimhunter]

Hey blazer5, where you close to Arcola?

[Greenhead22]

The birds are here, just flying after you leave the blind.
I hunted from 6:30-8:59 this morning with no luck.........at 9:00.......the floodgates opened.

Birds flew consistently from 9-11....barely missed getting the limit.

[tunica]

The birds are here, just flying after you leave the blind.
I hunted from 6:30-8:59 this morning with no luck.........at 9:00.......the floodgates opened.

Birds flew consistently from 9-11....barely missed getting the limit.

just the reverse here they fly prior to legal and once the shooting starts there gone..What birds I've seen come back are coming after shooting time. Dang those yankee's and Canucks sure have educated them. If you like to sky blast you may kill a couple but if you like to work them then your saving shells for next year.

[Greenhead22]

Birds are flying from 6:25-6:40........then it's over a 2 hr dead period.

[jkm1272]

My theory or opinon is that there are not many ducks period.

[mallardhunter]

What snow are you talking about when you say "Plenty of snow and ice up north"?

Look at the image below. I can promise you that it shows MORE snow than is really on the ground (I live in one of the blue areas, and our snow is long gone).

It takes six inches of snow to cover food enough to cause a duck to migrate. Only northen Wisconsin and northen Minnesota have that much snow. The entire rest of the Miss flyway is snow-free - as far as having enough snow to move a duck.

Click here and look at the current temps: http://www.weatherimages.org/data/imag20.html

Mallards are gonna gang up at the freeze line (the blue areas) as shown during the heat of the day, usually afternoon. Today, the freeze line was northern Minnesota, northern Wisconsin and North Dakota.

I wouldn't expect the majority of mallards to be too far below the areas mentioned above.

Take a look at the AGFC satellite tracking of 10 mallards. Two ducks are about as far south as Vicksburg, one duck has made it about to Nashville, while the other 7 are north of the Arkansas state line. And that's about where I'd expect to find 'em, based on the actual weather conditions over the entire flyway.

This is the URL to track those ducks, but I think you have to log in or something to make it work: http://vestig.cast.uark.edu/website/wat ... p?Cmd=INIT

Now, I don't know how many ducks there are, but I can't come up with any good reason for the entire waterfowl biologist community to conspire to lie about duck numbers.

What I do know is:
1. No-till farming is leaving much more grain on the ground up north for the ducks.
2. Record warm weather over the last few years has caused a decline in duck migration and a dramatic increase in paranoid speculation about consipiracy theories.
3. Record decreased snowfall over the lat few years has caused a decline in duck migration and a dramatic increase in paranoid speculation about consipiracy theories.
4. The recent snow event was the typical "sucker-snow" that originates in Texas, covers a swath across the middle states, suckering in many duck hunters that this snow is gonna cause ducks to move. The majority of the mallards were north of that snowfall area, sitting in an area with no snow on the ground (see snow cover map for clarification).

I am one of those folks that say "it's the weather, stupid". You are right in that cold, snowy weather was "here" last week. Problem is it wasn't where the ducks are or were - it was where you were!

[SWAG]

Well I guess back in the eighties it snowed 6 inches solid across the whole midwest every Christmas because we sure used to see ducks. No doubt the farming practices have changed and I can only guess what man-made potholes all over creation might be doing but it does not really matter what or who or how.....there are not ducks like there used to be. Ducks live on the prairie all spring and summer. They migrate south in the winter. Either we are not "south" anymore or the numbers are not adding up. No more clouds of thousands upon thousands of ducks circling like a tornado over Paynes or Tippo or Buzzard for days...maybe even a month at a time. Twenty days in a row of limits by 7:30. I see "pockets" of ducks but no more widespread stuff. It was pretty good for a couple of weeks in 2002-2003. Other short periods come to mind, but not like when I was a kid or in my teens when ducks could be seen or heard at all times from Christmas through January. I do not know where the ducks are or how many of them exist, only what I can see right here at home and "she show ain't what she used to be". And to think I live where the duck counts show to be the best hunting? I can only guess what others throughout the state must see? My two cents.

[Drakeshead]

Greenhead22,

Are you hunting in MS or LA? Also, I sent you an email.

[Wingman]

Josh, check your pm's.