DuckSouth.com

Anatidae wrote:Planting, harvest, freeze-up and migration were all LATE.........by about a month, up North this year........all affected by weather. We usually see fields with 10-12K ducks in them anywhere from last week of October to first week of November in mid-latitude Saskatchewan. Those numbers did not show-up until 3rd week of November when our friends up there called and said they just finished harvest.

Bottom Line.......everything is LATE.......it takes a sequence of weather events to produce conditions that are conducive to migration....(i.e. ice and snow).......this is the 3rd or 4th Alberta system.....I think it will take a minimum of 6 of these to make'em show-up.......8-10 to show-up in significant numbers down here.

Combine late migration (for wahtever reason) with weather systems that are spaced apart, and you won't see significant numbers like we did in the late 90's. If we get ducks, it'll be because the Alberta weather events come in close succession.....compressing the time frame it takes to 'move' birds.

I'm no forecaster or biologist......but I would venture a guess that ducks will start showing-up around Jan 1 if current projections hold-up. Whether we get a mass migration will depend on what happens after this system moves through......til Jan 31st.

http://www.cfr.msstate.edu/kennedychair/weather.asp

Forecasts:
Special Note: Because of the holiday break we will not produce a Duck Migration Forecast on 28 December 2009. Please look for the next forecast on 4 January 2010. Good hunting and Happy Holidays!

Overview: Weather during the coming week will remain similar to last week with little change in the freeze line. Currently, snow and ice have accumulated around mid-Missouri across to Indiana. Ice is melting quickly in southern Missouri-Indiana and good numbers of ducks appear to remain at these latitudes. Small amounts of snow fell in the Ohio River valley but temperatures are expected to moderate this week which will likely melt much of the snow currently on the ground in the region between Kentucky and Indiana/Ohio. October this year was the wettest in 115 years, likely resulting in abundant wetlands for ducks to use. Thus, increased wetland availability coupled with only moderately severe weather has likely allowed birds to remain at mid-latitude locations and disperse widely across the landscape. We are now officially in an El Niño event and are expected to remain in such a pattern until spring 2010. El Niño events are typified by above average temperatures across the upper Midwest US and colder than normal and wet conditions in the southeastern US. However, El Niño patterns can be upset by a strongly negative Arctic Oscillation pattern.

To learn more about El Niño and the Arctic Oscillation visit:
http://www.cpc.noaa.gov/products/precip ... enso.shtml
http://www.cpc.noaa.gov/products/precip ... x/ao.shtml

Major migrations: With wetlands frozen solid in the Dakotas through Iowa, most duck migrations will now be coming from mid-latitude (Missouri-Illinois) locations. Please note that WSI values for Jamestown, North Dakota and Des Moines, Iowa are now ‘off the charts’. Thus, we are no longer developing WSI values for Jamestown, ND or Des Moines, IA as most of the ducks in those locations have moved south. WSI values predict little migration through the coming week. The majority of ducks remaining at mid-latitude locations of Missouri-Illinois are mallards and WSI values are not great enough in the coming week to cause much movement of these birds. Our WSI forecast is good through 25 December 2009, however, the long range forecast calls for decreasing temperatures and a chance of snow following Christmas day. If these conditions occur expect another substantial movement of mallards into the lower Mississippi Valley between Christmas and New Years.

Minor migrations: The WSI moderates throughout much of the coming week. Thus, expect small to non-existent mallard migration this week. The WSI predicts that dabbling ducks other than mallards remaining at mid-latitude locations (Missouri-Illinois) will continue to migrate at irregular intervals throughout the week.

Haven't seen many teal at all in our little hole in N. delta.

Killed this one this AM in Arkansas. 1st Blue Wing I have ever killed.

2 things,.........

1) Whatcha callin BS on Lodi ?

2) Nice bird there Ducker ?

Rip Em !

Man I am going to give it to you straight, hope you can handle it. I hunted in Arkansas today 2 days before Christmas, and IT WAS 60 DEGREES AT 430 THIS MORNING! Thats why we are still shooting blue wings in the delta area. Now a little logic We get the fronts here that they get up north (maybe not as harsh of fronts), and we still have the first sub- species of migrating duck that really shows up here. Hence we will get new ducks from the north when these BW are being short from the coast to Argentina, instead of Missouri to Vicksburg. Hope that makes some sense it sounded good in my head.

Our pintails are 3 weeks ahead of schedual, and we shot ducks on a lot of 60 degree days, but never a bluewing... in 15 years on that farm, and a lifetime of duck hunting in that area, never seen a blue wing killed. somethings really odd. travis

killed january 10th LAST YEAR in northeast arkansas:



ain't nothin' wrong.............just a big ole bald headed whiner............or weener...........or or or.

oh, and dear rip em, you need someone to clean house on some blue wings, me, gauge and trapper is awaiting.....pick the phone up mofo, else i'm gonna have to go shoot these osceola's next year by myself.

gator

Turkey hunting in S. Florida is not allowed,... unless I have an invite !

That is all !

Busky

i'm real REAL close brotha.......so much so, i'm almost counting on it happening this year.

gator

Is this in place of the NM deal,... or in addition too !?!?

Gotta keep me skrait on dis stuff man !

Rip Em !

if it occurs, probably in place of.

remains to be seen....gator

Gator, that is what i'm talking about..... a mature BW drake.. i hope you put him on the wall. the prettiest bird in the air. and use to be the rariest in this area....

In place of is good with me !

Keep me infoamed !

Rip !

judge jb wrote:Gator, that is what i'm talking about..... a mature BW drake.. i hope you put him on the wall. the prettiest bird in the air. and use to be the rariest in this area....

judge, he's sitting over my right shoulder as i type this.

funny story about that bird. doubleR and i were talking the day before about blue wings and how i guessed i'd have to go down to mexico to kill a nice, plumed bird. that day, i ate a fast food burger and that evening started puking my guts up............the next, and i DO MEAN, the next day me, ramsey and forrest were hunting together in what we call the "pan field". well, they were hunting, i was hanging out the sides puking.

anyhow, 3 birds skirted the decoys and i saw a flash of white........and shot. sent gauge and on the return looked at ramsey and forrest and said, "ya'll aint' gonna believe this."

for 5 seconds i forgot about the puking.

my good friend pat pitt (thewaterfowler) was handed that bird and in his own words, "i hunt mexico often and you ain't gonna kill a finer specimen." that's all it took, pat mounted it. it's beautiful and is probably my favorite mount - not counting the brant he did for me.

they're definitely a very pretty bird, gator

Hey Judge,... It was just the luck of "that" paticular draw !

Last time he hunted with Mike and I, he saw a flash of "God knows what", threw up and shot,.. then Trapper promptly returned, proudly holdin a Merganzer hen !

Ran it to the plug !

TRUE STORY,.... GETS FUNNIER EVERY TIME THE MEMORY ROLLS AROUND !!!!

GOOD STUFF !

Rip Em !