Migration Reports
Week of September 30-October 4, 2013
Canada:
Name: Bill Dougan
Date: September 30, 2013
Location: Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
Weather: Temperatures have been ranging from lows of 11 Celsius to highs of 19 Celsius. Mostly sunny for most of the week with moderate winds. Maybe some clouds and showers for opening day on October 1.
Snow Cover: Hopefully none for the next few months.
Water Conditions: Some ponds are still a little low in water level from the dry summer.
Feeding Conditions: All of the grain fields have been cut for a while now. Corn fields are just starting to be cut also. Some potato fields are starting to be dug as well.
Species and Numbers: Very good numbers of black ducks and mallards here now. There are lots of geese coming in now, over the last week there has been a large push of birds into the areas, reports are that there are lots of birds in Labrador still to come.
Migrations: Starting to see very good numbers of geese building up in areas all over the island with more birds to come. There are lots of ducks here now with more arriving every day.
Season Stage: We are just starting our regular season on October 1st.
Hunting Report: Guys are excited about opening day with all the birds that are in the areas it should make for a great opener.
Gossip: Guys are looking forward to the new regulation changes to our season this year with the season being extended until the end of December it should make for some great hunting.
Name: Russell Brzezinski
Date: September 29th, 2013
Location: London, Ontario
Weather: Sporadic rain, low ceiling, mid 60’s.
Snow Cover: N/A
Water Conditions: Calm to light chop, SSW winds.
Feeding Conditions: N/A
Species and Numbers: Good numbers of mallards sighted and wood ducks. Geese are coming in nicely.
Migrations: Molts are in and decoy readily. Start of the regular duck season in the Southern Zone of Ontario.
Season Stage: Beginning of regular duck season
Hunting Report: Canadas are decoying readily. A good number of hunters were out with decent shooting opportunities had by most.
Gossip: N/A
Pacific:
Name: Kent Contreras
Date: September 29th, 2013
Location: Newport, Washington
Weather: Temperatures have been below average with above average precipitation. Low temps in the upper 30’s and high temps in the 60’s. Cloudy with rain and thundershowers the past week and the same forecasted for the coming week. We received two plus inches of rain in places and more coming.
Snow Cover: Snow in the mountains and higher elevations.
Water Conditions: We have received higher than normal precipitation for the year. River level is running a little below average and sloughs, ponds and lakes are full for the most part.
Feeding Conditions: Excellent
Species and Numbers: Canada goose populations are a bit above average. We seem to have held a few more geese this year then years past. Duck numbers have varied but reports are that the numbers seem to be a bit higher than normal.
Migrations: No migrations yet – only local birds.
Season Stage: Pre-season
Hunting Report: Early season goose hunters slammed out limits in the basin area and had some success in the NE corner of the state.
Gossip: Need a break from the rain.
Name: Allen Riggs
Date: 10-1-2013
Location: Newport WA
Weather: Rainy and cold, a high temp near 50 with overnight lows near 40.
Snow Cover: None
Water Conditions: Water levels are high due to recent rain; water is clear and cold.
Feeding Conditions: Birds are feeding in recently cut fields and waterways.
Species and Numbers: A few Canada geese are present with stable numbers of mallard and gadwall ducks
Migrations: N/A
Season Stage: 2 weeks before opening day
Hunting Report: N/A
Gossip: Bird numbers are up this year and the old timers predict a nasty winter. Should add up to a great year!
Name: Travis Lyle
Date: 9-30-2013
Location: Fernley, NV
Weather: 60-70 for highs, lows in upper 40’s.
Snow Cover: Received about an inch with last cold front in the mountains.
Water Conditions: Bad. Worst I’ve ever seen. Most areas have little to no water.
Feeding Conditions: Same as water. Not looking to good.
Species and Numbers: Got the local boys now. Honkers and a few puddlers.
Migrations: Have seen some geese on the move. Not much.
Season Stage: Oct. 12 is the opener.
Hunting Report: Doesn’t look good with the water conditions.
Gossip: Youth hunt went well, and then some warm weather is coming again.
Central:
Name: Mike Clement
Date: 09/30/13
Location: Devils Lake, ND
Weather: Highs in the 60’s Lows in the 40’s.
Water Conditions: Larger sloughs hold good water with the smaller wetlands dry. Rain this past weekend helped out sloughs and corn crops
Feeding Conditions: Mostly all of the wheat fields have been harvested and most have been tilled over now. Birds have been feeding in mostly wheat fields and some bean fields.
Species and Numbers: Most of all the waterfowl in the area are still local birds with a few more honkers in the area every week.
Migrations: With the warm temperatures still there hasn’t been much activity in the migration
Season Stage: Early
Hunting Report: There are plenty of great opportunities for ducks and geese with the great hatch this year.
Name: Kirk Steffensen
Date: 10/2/13
Location: Lincoln, NE
Weather: Warmer, highs in the lower-80’s with overnight lows around 50. However, a low pressure system is predicted to move through the area on Friday night before the duck opener.
Snow Cover: None
Water Conditions: Good, area lakes are much better than last year.
Feeding Conditions: Small amounts of corn and beans have been harvested.
Species and Numbers: Some teal with a few big ducks.
Migrations: Nothing notable.
Season Stage: Zones 2 and 4 open on October 5th.
Hunting Report: Nothing currently open.
Gossip: Nothing at this time.
Name: Jared Shepard
Date: 09/30/13
Location: Scottsbluff, NE
Weather: Varying from highs in the 80’s to highs in the mid 60’s with lows in the lower 40’s to as low as 34.
Snow Cover: None
Water Conditions: Water levels are pretty much the same as last week and about average for this time of year.
Feeding Conditions: Primarily alfalfa and chopped corn with a variety of beans.
Species and Numbers: Lots of teal have moved on with the low overnight temps this past week. Local hatch mallards remain in the area.
Migrations: No noticeable migrations this past week.
Season Stage: Youth waterfowl season opens the 19th and 20th of October followed by regular duck season on the 23rd of October. October 5th marks the dark goose opener to the unit north of us and the statewide light goose opener.
Hunting Report: Due to the 2013 survey we are anticipating a great season out here.
Gossip: None at this time.
Name: David Williams
Date: 10-01-2013
Location: Choctaw, OK
Weather: Unseasonably warm, highs in the upper 80’s, low in the 60’s.
Snow Cover: None
Water Conditions: Water conditions are good. Much improved levels from past couple years.
Feeding Conditions: Corn has been cut. Currently preparing fields for wheat seeding.
Species and Numbers: Very isolated groups of blue-winged teal. Low numbers overall.
Migrations: Light pushes of teal with northerly winds.
Season Stage: All seasons are closed.
Hunting Report: None, all seasons closed.
Gossip: Improved water and food conditions have Oklahoma duck hunters excited about the upcoming season.
Mississippi:
Name: Steve Esping
Date: 9/30/13
Location: Maple Lake, MN
Weather: Cool nights/mornings, Sunday highs in the high 60s/ low 70s
Snow Cover:
Water Conditions: Bad, rain desperately needed. Sloughs are low and boggy but holding birds
Feeding Conditions: Bean fields are not looking very healthy this year and there is still a lot of corn standing.
Species and Numbers: Few ducks, mainly wood ducks and brown mallards. There are a good number of geese.
Migrations: No new birds in the area that I noticed.
Season Stage: early
Hunting Report: A lot of hunters around but there weren’t a lot of shooting. We managed to coax some geese in and only saw a few ducks.
Gossip: It’s hard to find birds and hunters are not having much luck. Cattle ponds and tucked away water holes are the seeing the best action.
Name: Richard Shamla
Date: 09/30/13
Location: Clara City, MN
Weather: Daytime highs in the 70’s and nighttime lows in the 40’s. A front moved through this weekend bringing rain to the area.
Water Conditions: Most bodies of water remain low, but the levels of the rivers are up with the rains.
Feeding Conditions: Waterfowl are feeding in the silage feeds and newly harvested bean fields in the area.
Species and Numbers: Most of the waterfowl are still locals, but while goose hunting this week I viewed some new small Canada geese in the area.
Migrations: Not much for migration activity viewed this week and the warm temperatures and mild winds probably haven’t helped.
Season Stage: Second week of regular season. This week the duck and goose season is closed for central Minnesota zone until Saturday.
Hunting Report: Hunting reports remain strong throughout the zone. Most hunters still good numbers of ducks and geese.
Name: Floyd Decker
Date: September 29, 2013
Location: Bloomingdale, Michigan
Weather: Looks like fall may be here to stay. A slight warm up is forecasted for early week then dropping back to seasonal temps with little rain predicted in the long range forecast.
Snow Cover: None
Water Conditions: Local water levels are normal for the most part. The Kalamazoo River near Saugatuck is very low. If you decide to navigate it make sure to stay between the markers or you WILL be pushing off a sand bar. We ran the River east of I-196 this past week and ran aground more than once, even within the marker buoys.
Feeding Conditions: Pasture ponds and the few picked corn fields are proving to be the most active as of late.
Species and Numbers: Good numbers of local Canada geese. Not as many wood ducks as we have seen in past years.
Migrations: Mostly local birds present.
Season Stage: All seasons are closed in the south zone until regular season opens on October 12th.
Hunting Report: With many farmers picking and about to be picking fields, hopes are high for a great start to regular season.
Gossip: 13 days and the fun begins!
Name: Shawn Lewis
Date: 9-26-13
Location: Midland, MI
Weather: Hot, highs in the 80’s.
Snow Cover: None
Water Conditions: Low. It’s been a dry summer and early fall.
Feeding Conditions: Beans are coming off and they are chopping lots of corn
Species and Numbers: Locals duck populations look up and the geese are back in large numbers.
Migrations: Geese still seem to be arriving daily.
Season Stage: Very early. Only the Upper Peninsula will be open after Sun. The middle zone opens the following weekend.
Hunting Report: It has been great we keep picking away at them. Pressure has dropped with the limits lowering for regular goose.
Name: Gerry Mazur
Date: October 1st, 2013
Location: Erie, Michigan
Weather: Foggy mornings with temps in the lower 60’s. Highs moving into upper 70’s and lower 80’s for several days.
Snow Cover: Ha!
Water Conditions: Water varies with the wind at this end of the lake, but overall it still seems to be at a lower level.
Feeding Conditions: Good weather has enabled farmers to get in fields. Beans are being harvested and opening up some feeding in the area.
Species and Numbers: Canada’s are in decent groups but very spotty. Just not seeing many ducks in the bay or on the river. City feeding is really pulling locals out of the hunting picture.
Migrations: Starting to see a few more Hawks move in along with geese.
Season Stage: Lower Michigan will open for ducks and geese October 12.
Hunting Report: Plenty of doves in Michigan, oh that’s right there is no season.
Gossip: Non-Resident license for next year may go up substantially. Call or email a Congressman close to where you hunt and ask ‘What’s up with dat!”
Name: Ben Brettingen
Date: 9/30/13
Location: Buffalo County, WI
Weather: 70s with large cold front and rain
Snow Cover: None
Feeding Conditions: Corn fields are coming off for silage, birds using alfalfa and corn for feeding.
Species and Numbers: Canada’s are roosting on the local city ponds, streams and rivers. An abundance of teal, and woodies, mallards are starting to come in as well.
Migrations: Geese have started a slow migration into the area
Season Stage: Early
Hunting Report: Hunters have reported success walking small creeks jumping wood ducks or setting up on small sloughs and catching early morning woodies. A few cornfields were loaded with birds!
Gossip: Scouting, scouting, scouting! Find where the bids are roosting and follow them to the field they are feeding!
Name: Brandon Geweke
Date: 10-01-2013
Location: Green Bay, Wisconsin
Weather: Low’s 40’s-Highs 75 Winds from the south make it hot but when we get a north wind the skies are black with Canadas.
Snow Cover: 0
Water Conditions:
Feeding Conditions: The majority of our winter wheat fields have been flipped, but the soy beans are being harvested as we speak, birds are in fields early and spread out over the entire field family groups
Species and Numbers:
Migrations: North wind days we start to pile up the Canadas, Lots of our retention ponds are now holding fresh geese. Looking very promising
Season Stage: Opening duck season this past weekend for WI Shot 30 opening morning
Hunting Report: Goose hunting is great, opening morning for duck was a success lots of ducks in the area, 9 year old shot a banded wood duck made the hunt!
Gossip: Nothing at this time.
Name: Justin Weber
Date: Tuesday, October 1, 2013
Location: Cottage Grove, Wisconsin
Weather: Mid 60’s with sunshine.
Snow Cover: None
Water Conditions: Most ponds have some water.
Feeding Conditions: Geese are hitting freshly cut silage fields and bean fields.
Species and Numbers: Tons of young mallards around. Woodies are up from last year. Teal are nowhere….
Migrations: Geese are everywhere. Ducks are all locals still.
Season Stage: Early season
Hunting Report: Opening weekend was very good this year with lots of mallards and woodies. Geese are starting to group up and it seems that every day theirs a few more on the roost.
Gossip: Lots of young of the year mallards.
Name: Greg Owens
Date: 9/30/2013
Location: Lacrosse, WI
Weather: Lows in the 40’s highs in the 60’s
Snow Cover: N/A
Water Conditions: Very low
Feeding Conditions: The rice crop is very healthy this year
Species and Numbers: Quite a few woodies and teal, and a few mallards, pintail and geese.
Migrations: We picked up quite a few teal this past weekend.
Season Stage: The season is closed now for 12 days.
Hunting Report: There were far fewer hunters out than last weekend. Overall success was about the same with most groups shooting a few birds.
Gossip: Woodies and teal are still the bulk of the birds that most people are shooting.
Name: Josh Ernst
Date: 9/30/13
Location: Walford, Iowa
Weather: Sunny, mid 60’s-mid 70’s
Snow Cover: NA
Water Conditions: Low to normal.
Feeding Conditions: Seem to be feeding early and really late here locally, almost like the birds are on to the game already.
Species and Numbers: Locally, seeing larger than average early numbers of geese. Ducks seem to be the same for early seasons and mostly teal and wood duck.
Migrations: The change in weather patterns over the last few weeks have brought and sent flocks of teal thru however larger than average goose numbers remain in the area.
Season Stage: Early season
Hunting Report: With the crops starting to come out and numbers looking pretty good the report is positive. Local hunting pressure has been pretty heavy however with deer seasons about to kick off there should be a drop off in pressure. Best of luck and be safe!
Gossip: Nothing yet.
Name: Bill Grabe
Date: 10/01/2013
Location: Cedar Rapids, IA
Weather: Sunny Days 75-85, cool evenings 50-55.
Snow Cover: None
Water Conditions: Below average
Feeding Conditions: Ideal.
Species and Numbers: Canadas and a few mallards.
Migrations: Groups of Canada geese have started to show up in and around town. No new pushes of ducks.
Season Stage: South zone goose season opens Saturday.
Hunting Report: None.
Gossip: Several groups did well during the early 5 day season for ducks. Several mallards, teal, and wood ducks.
Name: Shaun Patrick
Date: 10/2
Location: Troy, MO
Weather: Highs in the 80’s, lows in the 50’s.
Snow Cover: N/A
Water Conditions: Good
Feeding Conditions: Good, harvest 30% complete.
Species and Numbers: Resident Canada geese are here, some mallards and pintails.
Migrations: Seen a few new groups of bigger ducks. No major migrations as this point.
Season Stage: Closed, early goose opens this weekend in Missouri.
Hunting Report: N/A
Gossip: Folks are getting excited for the upcoming season. Finishing up last minute touch ups to our club.
Name: Jay Hayter
Date: 10/2/13
Location: Shreveport, LA
Weather: 60-80s and rainy, should be cooler over the weekend.
Snow Cover: None
Water Conditions: Low to normal depending on location.
Feeding Conditions: Good, rice fields and corn being harvested now.
Species and Numbers: A few teal, mallards, and wood ducks around at the moment.
Migrations: None observed yet, we will need some north winds to move them down.
Season Stage: Teal over, the main duck season will open in November.
Hunting Report: Teal hunting was very spotty overall.
Gossip: Nothing at this time.
Name: Shannon Housend
Date: 10/01-2013
Location: Des Allemands, LA
Weather: Hot, hot, upper 80’s mid 90’s
Snow Cover: Funny, real funny!
Water Conditions: Back to normal
Feeding Conditions: Great, I have never seen grass as healthy.
Species and Numbers: ZERO!
Migrations: ZERO!
Season Stage: Teal season closed!
Hunting Report: Well, all in all if anything I made a new friend I can add to my list! I got to take a friend of mine teal hunting; I showed him what it takes to teal hunt in south LA in the marsh! Was he surprised, he had a lot to write about I tell you. The teal didn’t cooperate but that’s hunting. They are just not here, that’s all I can say. We stayed out there longer than normal and rode and scouted to find them but were unable. We did manage to shoot a few, it wasn’t a total bust.
Gossip: I bet we see some blue-wings around when the regular season opens.
Atlantic:
Name: Sean M. Fritzges
Date: 1 October 2013
Location: Jarrettsville, MD
Weather: Hot the past few days as daytime highs reach 80+. Evenings are producing cool temps in the mid 50’s.
Snow Cover: None at this time.
Water Conditions: Bay tide levels normal, fresh water low in some areas around local ponds and reservoirs. Very little rain the past few months.
Feeding Conditions: Canada geese feeding in hay fields, cut corn and grasses around fresh water ponds. No soybean harvest to date.
Species and Numbers: Resident numbers good.
Migrations: Northern migration has slowed the past few days in our region compared to last week’s push.
Season Stage: Closed at this time.
Hunting Report: Bow hunters are out in full force looking forward to the rut.
Gossip: Waterfowlers are preparing for the season working on farms, pits and blinds. Harvest of switch grass is right around the corner!!!
Name: Marshall Starkey
Date: 9/30/13
Location: Essex, MD
Weather: Above average temperatures this week as we head into the weekend.
Snow Cover: None
Water Conditions: Average to slightly above average water levels
Feeding Conditions: Cut agricultural fields and various marshes and impoundments
Species and Numbers: Small pockets of Canada geese found their way to the Upper Shore last week. Still a few green-winged teal around.
Migrations: Still a few teal around, waiting to see another big push of migratory geese.
Season Stage: Waterfowl seasons are now closed.
Hunting Report: The waterfowl seasons are closed across the state, and a lot of hunters are turning their attention to the sika deer rut which is just starting down in Dorchester County.
Name: John Taylor
Date: 9-28-2013
Location: Quantico, MD
Weather: Sunny, clear, wind N.E. 10 to 20
Snow Cover: None
Water Conditions: All water is open. It’s tidal but I’m not sure what the tide was.
Feeding Conditions: Corn fields are being cut as we speak. Soybeans have not been cut yet.
Species and Numbers: Canada Geese
Migrations: I’ve been hearing people from the mid to upper bay area say that they have been seeing geese starting to come down for the past two weeks. However, I live on the Lower Eastern Shore and this is the first migrating geese that I have seen in our area this year. Sat. 9-28-13 was the first morning that I saw migrating geese and the have increased every day since then. There were probably close to 700 to 800 geese roosting out on the creek this morning. They have been very vocal. A lot more than the residents in the area. They usually are when they first start arriving.
Season Stage: Very beginning of the migration for our area.
Hunting Report: The regular season isn’t in at this time although we did have a few good shoots on resident geese on the early resident goose season that ran from Sept 2nd. to Sept. 14th.
Gossip: I heard reports of fellas having some good shoots with teal the first week of the early teal season that began on 9-16-13 in the tidal marshes off of the Nanticoke River located on the Lower Eastern Shore of Md. The river divides Wicomico and Dorchester counties. First week was mainly blue wings and then we had a cold front with a full moon and some wind and they seem to have moved on. The second week was mostly green wings.
Name: Kenny Gray
Date: Oct 1, 2013
Location: Chestertown, MD
Weather: Mild, daytime highs in the low 70’s, lows in the 50’s
Snow Cover: None at this time.
Water Conditions: Good, average.
Feeding Conditions: Corn harvest is in full swing, with combines working late into the night.
Species and Numbers: Based on last year’s records we are currently sitting on twice the birds we had last year and it appears new birds are moving in daily.
Migrations: Last week we had a good early push of Canada Geese, we haven’t had an early push like this in several years.
Season Stage: All waterfowl seasons are currently closed.
Hunting Report: September was a typical September, it was hit or miss on the resident geese, teal and doves.
Name: Arliss Reed
Date: 10/1/13
Location: Albany, NY
Weather: Unseasonably warm
Snow Cover: N/A
Water Conditions: Average to slightly above average.
Feeding Conditions: Most of the ducks are still feeding in wetlands, geese are in chopped corn.
Species and Numbers: Tons of Canada geese, good numbers of teal, mallards and wood ducks
Migrations: Canada geese poured in in big numbers for the last two weeks, I’m sure some ducks had to come with them. It seems to have slowed a bit with the warm weather.
Season Stage: We’re in limbo between the resident Canada goose season and early duck season.
Hunting Report: Resident goose went out with a bang with big numbers of birds around. Early duck starts Saturday in the NE zone.
Gossip: Montezuma Refuge is closed until further notice due to the government shutdown.
Name: Dave Weidner
Date: 10-1-13
Location: Hamilton Square, New Jersey
Weather: Sunny and cool
Snow Cover: None
Water Conditions: Normal
Feeding Conditions: Normal
Species and Numbers: Canada Geese
Migrations: Migration has begun – right on time
Season Stage: Early
Hunting Report: Resident goose season is now complete. We had good numbers of birds and a great start to the 2013 season. Water levels look great and there appear to be a good number of wood ducks and teal around – should be a great early season for ducks as well.
Name: Bryn Witmier
Date: 9/30/2013
Location: Strausstown, PA
Weather: Warm and dry. Temperatures will be in the 80’s this week.
Snow Cover: None
Water Conditions: Low. It hasn’t rained for almost 3 weeks.
Feeding Conditions: Good. Corn is being picked all over the place. Winter wheat is coming up in early harvested corn fields. A few soybeans are even being harvested. Acorns are very plentiful this year.
Species and Numbers: Canada geese are increasing almost daily. Local mallards and wood ducks are around in seasonal numbers.
Migrations: The Canada migration has slowed some. Still birds trickling in.
Season Stage: Closed. South zone duck opener is October 19th.
Hunting Report: I did a little deer hunting in New Jersey this past weekend. That state has ridiculous amounts of deer.
Gossip: PA’s regular archery season opens this weekend. Good luck!
Name: Kevin Addy
Date: September 30, 2013
Location: Reading, PA
Weather: Highs in the upper 70’s and lows in the mid 50’s.
Snow Cover: None
Water Conditions: Levels are low; we haven’t had much rain since July and need a good rain before the south zone duck opener.
Feeding Conditions: Lots of silage down now with cover crop coming up. They continue to combine corn and there is plenty of green grass around for the residents to eat. It looks like we have a good acorn crop this year. Plenty are on the ground.
Species and Numbers: Not much changed since last week. Decent numbers of residents and some migrators have started to trickle in. We have some local mallards, woodies and a few teal around.
Migrations: A few flocks continue to trickle down. Some areas that were void of Canadas now have some birds.
Season Stage: Resident season closed last Wed. The north zone duck opens on the 12th followed by the southern zone the following week.
Hunting Report: No hunting since the closure of the Sept. goose season last week.
Gossip: The deer have started to move and the north zone duck is just around the corner.
Name: Richard Foley
Date: 10/1/13
Location: Engelhard, NC
Weather: Highs have been in the low 80’s.At night it’s been dropping to the mid 60’s
Snow Cover: None
Water Conditions: Have been stable, it has not rained any
Feeding Conditions: The birds that are down have been feeding really early and really late due to it being so warm in the day.
Species and Numbers: Have seen a few teal and a few woodies, nothing substantial however.
Migrations: There have not been any big pushes of birds. Some teal came in early, but not in huge numbers. More woodies are beginning to show but no major push.
Season Stage: Early season opens up tomorrow and runs through Saturday.
