Nesting Grounds

[KSRedleg]

Looks spotty

http://www.agr.gc.ca/pfra/drought/drmaps_e.htm

[tupe]

ND has gotten alot of moisture but most of it came late. Canada is spotty but the big problem north of us is the continued restrictions on the import of Canadian to the US. Because of that alot of grass land is going to plow. Combine that with the surge in soybean production fueled by high prices and the current popularity of low card diets and it isn't an easy year to predict.

Late rains and severe storms most likely disrupted nesting efforts and renesting is never as productive, particularly for pintails who most often do not renest at all.

May pond counts should be out soon but they were also messed up by weather.

Tupe

[tupe]

Real hard to say this year. Evryone in the duck countin buisness I have talked to says this is one of the hardest years to predict they have seen. They are all just waitin to see what numbers the models spit out.

I was up in ND in April and the nesting effort was getting a late start and it was dry i nalot of the area. Rains came a few weeks later but late nest initiation also has lower brood survival and nest success ratios.

Seems like a slippery fish answer but I swear, I never seen so much head scratchin in my life as I have this year when asking what it looks like.

[MSDuckmen]

Seems like a slippery fish answer but I swear, I never seen so much head scratchin in my life as I have this year when asking what it looks like.

Thats because all these past years of guessing finally caught up with them these past few years and they are all gun shy to admit anything positive.

[Anatidae]

They are all just waitin to see what numbers the models spit out.

Screw the models .....I don't have much confidence in numbers lately

On a more scientific note ........Are they seeing any ducks?

[MSDuckmen]

I heard another professional in the field make the comment that this year will be the first year that we have fewer ducks in the field than robo ducks.

Where have you been? That has been the case for better than two years...

[DuckyDan]

I'm not getting my hopes up. I think I'm going to go overboard on my food plots for four legged furry critters this year so I can have some success there. I didn't get a lease for the ducks this year either. I figure they're going to be slim everywhere, so I'd rather save my money. I figure we'll be doing some Lewis and Clark; exploring and scouting on public land. We've had to move around a lot the last couple of years. Seems like the ducks get "splotchy" in the middle of season....here one day, gone the next.

[eastwoods]

I have heard ton of a lot of late water and they can't see them now to know what is there and what aint.