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Duck & Goose Hunting
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Tennessee River
& Kentucky Lake
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Waterfowl
Forecast
Click on the Weekly Waterfowl Report icon (on
your left) for recent duck counts, hunting reports, and updated
information.
Updated September 11, 2007 (See Fall Flight
Forecast Below)
WHERE ARE THE DUCKS?
NEW DU MAP HELPS TRACK WATERFOWL MOVEMENT
As the fall hunting season approaches, there’s
one question on the mind of every duck hunter: Where are the ducks?
Ducks Unlimited is now helping answer that question. This week, Ducks
Unlimited launched the most comprehensive migration map on the Web
today.
It’s online now at
www.ducks.org/MigrationMap.
“This is a must have tool that duck and goose
hunters will use. It’s a truly integrated migration map of the U.S. and
Canada, so they can see where the ducks are during the migration
season,” said Anthony Jones, Web manager for Ducks Unlimited. “For
years, people have been asking for a comprehensive, interactive map like
this. That’s exactly what we’re giving them – and then some.”
Migration map users can report on waterfowl
numbers in their local areas or hunting locations. Visitors loading the
map will see an aerial view of North America with real-time colored
“markers” scattered across the map.
Each dot represents a user-submitted report
with color-coded waterfowl concentrations. Hunters can click on any dot
to view the detailed report and in some cases, view detailed aerial maps
of their favorite hunting locations. They can even select which type of
view they prefer – aerial, road or a hybrid view.
Users also can view migration patterns from
two, five and 10 days back on the map.
“This allows hunters to not only see present
activity levels, but also lets them know how birds are moving over
time,” Jones said.
Users can also switch between different
classifications of waterfowl, such as diving ducks, puddle ducks and
geese.
“When a user submits a report, we ask them to
classify the waterfowl they encountered. If they aren’t sure, we have a
waterfowl id section where they can identify a bird down to the species
level,” said Jones.
As an added bonus, visitors to the migration
map can also subscribe to a special service and receive instant email
notifications when a report is posted to their favorite hunting
location.
The migration map is available throughout the
fall and winter months exclusively on the Ducks Unlimited Web site,
www.ducks.org.
GOOD NEWS FOR UPCOMING DUCK SEASON
Preliminary report shows increase in breeding ducks for
2007
MEMPHIS, Tenn., July 11, 2007 – The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
recently released its preliminary report on mid-continent breeding ducks
and habitats, based on surveys conducted in May. Overall, duck
populations increased 14 percent since last year with an estimated 41.2
million breeding ducks on the surveyed area. As a result of winter
snowfall and good precipitation, habitat conditions are similar or
slightly improved compared to conditions in 2006.
"The 14 percent increase in breeding numbers for the 10 surveyed
species is consistent with what Ducks Unlimited’s field biologists have
observed across the U.S. and Canadian breeding grounds this spring,"
said Ducks Unlimited’s Executive Vice President, Don Young. "Excellent
brood-rearing habitat is present in many areas and brood survival is
expected to be above average."
| 2007 Breeding
Ducks By Species (in millions) |
| Species |
2006 |
2007 |
% Change
from 2006 |
Change from
Long-term Avg. |
| Mallard |
7.277 |
8.032 |
+10 |
+7 |
| Gadwall |
2.825 |
3.355 |
+19 |
+96 |
| American wigeon |
2.171 |
2.803 |
+29 |
+7 |
| Green-winged teal |
2.587 |
2.911 |
+13 |
+55 |
| Blue-winged teal |
5.860 |
6.694 |
+14 |
+48 |
| Northern shoveler |
3.680 |
4.553 |
+24 |
+106 |
| Northern pintail |
3.386 |
3.335 |
-2 |
-19 |
| Redhead |
0.916 |
1.009 |
+10 |
+60 |
| Canvasback |
0.691 |
0.865 |
+25 |
+53 |
| Scaup |
3.247 |
3.452 |
+6 |
-33 |
One of the most important elements in duck breeding success is the
amount of water present on the prairie breeding grounds. When the survey
was conducted in May, total pond counts for the United States and Canada
combined showed 7 million ponds, a 15 percent increase from last year’s
estimate, and 44 percent higher than the long-term average.
The mallard number is 10 percent higher than last year. An estimated 8
million mallards are on the prairies this spring, compared to last
year’s estimate of 7.3 million birds. Mallard numbers are 7 percent
above the long-term average.
"The increase in mallard populations continues to keep them at levels
near the North American Waterfowl Management Plan goal," said DU’s
Director of Conservation Operations, Dr. Scott Yaich.
The most positive news coming out of this year’s survey is that
redheads, canvasbacks and northern shovelers are at record highs, and
increases were also seen in two of three species of concern.
American wigeon numbers improved to 2.8 million (7 percent above the
long-term average) and lesser scaup numbers improved slightly to 3.4
million. While this slight increase is a positive mark on a 20-year
decline, scaup remain 33 percent below their long-term average.
Pintail numbers remained similar to last year (down 2 percent) and
are still 19 percent below the long-term average. However, this year’s
excellent habitat conditions could benefit pintail recruitment.
"It was extremely wet across the southern prairies and parklands in
general, and the core pintail breeding areas in Saskatchewan, in
particular," said Yaich.
Nine of the 10 surveyed species increased this year. Blue-winged teal
jumped 14 percent to an estimated 6.7 million birds. This is the third
highest estimate for blue-winged teal since 1955 (48 percent above their
long-term average). Green-winged teal also increased 13 percent to 2.9
million birds (55 percent above the long-term average).
There was an estimated 3.4 million breeding gadwall on the survey area.
This boosts their population by 19 percent since last year and 96
percent above the long-term average. For the second year, redheads also
increased 10 percent to 1 million birds (60 percent above the long-term
average).
Canvasbacks increased by 25 percent. Now an estimated 865,000
breeding birds are on the survey area, a healthy 53 percent above their
long-term average. Northern shovelers are at an all time high. With 4.6
million northern shovelers on the prairies, their numbers are 106
percent above the long-term average.
“Pintail and scaup continue to be well below their long-term averages
and remain a significant concern,” said Yaich. “DU and others are
continuing with targeted research programs on scaup and pintails that we
hope will soon give us a better understanding of the conservation
actions that will help these species recover.
"Overall, there was some improvement in populations compared to 2006.
Habitat is the core factor driving the health of duck populations and
the size of the fall flight," said Yaich. "When it is wet, there is
still enough breeding habitat to maintain duck populations at levels
that can produce a good fall flight. However, that habitat is under
siege on many fronts and is being lost at alarming rates in some places.
It’s important to maintain our focus on restoring and protecting these
habitats, so they can continue to produce ducks for future generations."
As part of its new Wetlands for Tomorrow campaign, Ducks Unlimited
recently launched two species conservation initiatives. The Mallard
Conservation Initiative is designed to conserve the mallard’s most vital
breeding, migration and wintering habitats in the prairies, and in other
areas such as the Great Lakes region, the Chesapeake Bay, the
Mississippi River watershed, the Columbia Basin and key areas of
California. And, the Pintail Conservation Initiative is an effort to
restore important breeding habitat in Alberta, Saskatchewan and the
northern plains of the United States, as well as in key migration and
wintering habitats of California’s Central Valley, the Klamath Basin,
the Gulf Coast and Mexico.
Throughout May and June, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the
Canadian Wildlife Service survey the main waterfowl breeding habitats
from the mid-continent area to Alaska. Since 1990, the United States
Fish and Wildlife Service and the Canadian Wildlife Service have
conducted surveys in eastern North America. Population estimates for all
species surveyed were similar to last year and to the 1990-2006
averages. These surveys provide the scientific basis for many management
programs across the continent including the setting of hunting
regulations. This is the 52nd consecutive year of the mid-continent
survey.
Delta
Waterfowl Press Release
|
July 12, 2007
Breeding Grounds Wet; Duck Numbers Climb
Duck hunters will find plenty to cheer about in the annual
Waterfowl Breeding Population and Habitat Survey, released Friday by
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The fourth highest Canadian pond count on record propelled the
breeding populations of three duck species - northern shovelers,
redheads and canvasbacks-to all-time highs and pushed the
green-winged teal population to its second-highest level on record.
Blue-winged teal took advantage of improved water conditions on both
sides of the border to achieve their third highest breeding
population ever.
The total-duck breeding population climbed 14 percent to 41
million birds and mallards rose 10 percent to just over 8 million.
May ponds across the surveyed area were at 7 million, a 15 percent
increase from 2006 and 44 percent higher than the long-term average.
"The breeding grounds got wet and five species are at or above
record levels-that's great news," said Delta Waterfowl President Rob
Olson after reviewing the numbers.
Of the other surveyed species, gadwall rose 19 percent to 3.4
million breeding birds, wigeon jumped 29 percent to 2.8 million,
green-winged teal rose 13 percent to 2.9 million, blue-winged teal
were up 14 percent at 6.7 million, shovelers rose 24 percent to 4.5
million, redheads climbed 10 percent to just over 1 million, scaup
bounced 6 percent from year's record low to 3.5 million and
canvasbacks jumped by a surprising 25 percent to 865,000.
Olson credits excellent water conditions in the parklands of
Canada for the record redhead and canvasback numbers and near-record
for green-wings.
About the only bad news in the breeding survey was the
beleaguered pintail, which dipped to 3.3 million in spite of a 111
percent jump in the eastern Dakota survey area.
Olson says the good news extends well beyond the end of May, when
crews from Fish and Wildlife and the Canadian Wildlife Service
wrapped up the exhaustive month-long ground and air survey.
"In many areas of the breeding grounds, heavy rains continued
into June and July, which is quite unusual," he says. "When small
wetlands are abundant, hens are more likely to re-nest and brood
survival increases dramatically. For that reason, we expect good
production from these areas."
Despite all the good news, Olson advises hunters to temper their
expectations about the prospects for the fall season, at least as
far as mallards and pintails are concerned.
"Production is a function of when and where the water comes," he
explains. "Ideally, the most productive habitat gets wet early, when
the first ducks arrive. This year some of the best areas were dry
right up to the time the survey was conducted. The Coteau in the
Dakotas didn't get rain until after the mallards and pintails had
gone north, and the southern grasslands in Saskatchewan were dry.
"Those are two of the most productive areas for mallards and
pintails," he says. "We'd be more optimistic about those species if
those areas had been wet early. The good news is that late-nesting
ducks like blue-winged teal, gadwalls and shovelers should continue
to do well.
"The parklands of Saskatchewan were extremely wet and attracted a
lot of mallards, but research tells us that production in the
parklands is only marginal compared to the prairies."
Olson says he continues to be concerned about low mallard numbers
on the Canadian prairie despite the excellent water conditions of
recent years. Saskatchewan's pond count has risen 105 percent since
2004 and is now 52 percent above its long-term average, but mallards
are only 4 percent above the long-term average. Alberta was 68
percent wetter than the long-term average, but mallard numbers there
are down 24 percent long-term. Manitoba was 21 percent over the LTA
in ponds with just 2 percent more mallards than average.
By contrast, the mallard count in the eastern Dakotas was up 138
percent long-term on a 23 percent increase in ponds. "We know that
mallards tend to home in on the areas where they were hatched,"
Olson explains, "so the U.S. number would suggest that the
Conservation Reserve Program is still hatching a lot of ducks and
that we have some ongoing habitat problems in prairie Canada," Olson
says.
A similar trend is apparent with pintails, says Delta Scientific
Director Frank Rohwer. "The lack of response by pintails in Canada
is noteworthy," Dr. Rohwer says. "This is the second wettest year on
record in Alberta, yet the pintail count was down 47 percent from a
year ago and 55 percent from the long-term average. Saskatchewan was
down 6 percent for the year and 21 percent long-term. Pintails track
ponds, but they didn't in Canada.
"Yet even as the pintail count was dropping in Canada, it was
through the roof in the eastern Dakotas. Saskatchewan and Alberta
are the traditional pintail factories, but when two-thirds more
pintails nest in the eastern Dakotas than Alberta, that tells us
something about the importance of CRP."
"The mallard breeding population is at its North American
Waterfowl Management goal, and CRP gets most of the credit," says
Olson. "The U.S. mallard population is 116 percent above its North
American Plan goal, but Canada is 20 percent below its goal.
"That's a huge concern, because we know we're going to lose a
minimum of a million acres of CRP in the next few years, and for
every acre of CRP that disappears, mallard numbers will drop, no
matter how much moisture the breeding grounds get.
"Mallards and pintails arrive on the breeding grounds early, when
cover is sparse and predators don't have much in the way of
alternative prey," Olson explains.
"CRP provides the big blocks of dense nesting cover mallards and
pintails need. Canada doesn't have a program comparable to CRP, and
that's why mallard and pintail numbers haven't responded despite the
ideal wetland conditions."
Olson says the numbers demonstrate the importance of U.S. duck
hunters encouraged their representatives in Congress to support CRP,
swampbuster and sodsaver in the current farm bill, along with the
Emergency Wetland Loan Act and the Clean Water Restoration Act.
"Historically, most of the continent's ducks originated in
Canada, but thanks to CRP, the Clean Water Act and the duck stamp, a
significant percentage of today's ducks originate in the U.S. It's
important that we hang onto the programs responsible for producing
those birds." |
Steve
McCadams
Professional Guide Service
Crappie and Bass Fishing ~
Duck and Goose Hunting
on Tennessee's Kentucky Lake
655 Anderson Drive
Paris, Tennessee 38242
Phone: (731) 642-0360
E-Mail Steve
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