HuntTheNorth.com's:
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2008 Fall Waterfowl
Migration Report |  |
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* Last Updated on Thursday December 4, 2008
NOTE: THIS REPORT WILL BE OUR FINAL REPORT FOR THE 2008 WATERFOWL HUNTING SEASON. BE SURE TO CHECK BACK AT THE END OF FEBRUARY FOR OUR 2009 SPRING SNOW GOOSE MIGRATION REPORT!
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Minnesota Waterfowl Migration Report
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We would like to give a special thanks to the following outfitters for their help with our 2008 fall migration reports in the state of Minnesota: Adam Johnson of First Flight finishers, Chuck Ellingson of The Watson Hunting camp, Phil Schmidt of Goosebusters Guide Service, Nick Metzen of Flight Patrol Guides and Matt Kostka of Top Gun Guide Service.
Weekend Weather Forecast: |
In northern Minnesota expect a high of 18 degrees on Friday, a high of 13 on Saturday and then a high of again only 13 degrees on Sunday. Lows will hit 13 degrees on Friday and should be around a frigid -3 degrees Saturday and increasing to 9 degrees Sunday night. Skies will be cloudy through the weekend with a 50% chance of snow precipitation on Friday, 30% chance on Saturday and Sunday. Expect SSW winds all day Friday (10-15 mph) with winds changing to the west and NW through Sunday morning. On Friday, winds will be up to 15 mph. On Saturday afternoon winds will be NW at 20 mph. On Sunday expect SSW winds at 5 - 10 mph.
In western Minnesota expect a high of 28 degrees on Friday, a high of 22 degrees on Saturday afternoon and then a high of 23 on Sunday. Lows will continue to stay around 20 degrees all weekend, starting at 22 degrees Friday night and decreasing to 11 degrees Saturday and staying constant at 20 degrees through Sunday night. Skies will be partly cloudy on Friday, Saturday, and mostly cloudy Sunday with snow showers likely (30% chance of snow precipitation). Also expect W winds at 15-22 mph on Friday, north winds all day Saturday at 15-20 mph to SE winds Sunday at 10-15 mph.
In southern Minnesota expect high temps in the mid to high 20's Friday and decreasing to 27 degrees Saturday and then staying constant in the mid 20's on Sunday. Low temps should slowly decrease each night from 24 on Friday night to 13 degrees on Saturday and then increase again to 22 Sunday night. Expect partly cloudy skies on Friday, mostly cloudy skies on Saturday, and overcast skies on Sunday, with a 30% of snow precipitation on Sunday. Also expect SW winds at 21 mph on Friday, NNW winds all day Saturday at 22 mph, and SE winds Sunday at 11 mph. |
| N.W.R. Activity: |
Lac Qui Parle Refuge: Reported that as of December 4, 2008 they estimated that there were still between 90,000 - 120,000 Canada geese on the refuge. Although they do feel that slowly they are starting to lose some of those birds through the week now. They also estimate that there are still around 10,000 mallards on the refuge and with no snow cover in the area feel that the majority of the waterfowl will stick around until that changes. They also noted that both the duck and Canada goose seasons are now officially closed for the year in that area.
Big Stone NWR: Reported that as of December 4, 2008 the refuge is now completely frozen over now and all of the waterfowl have moved on. They did note that some of the Canada geese from the refuge have moved up to the Big Stone Power Plant near Ortonville, MN.
Talcot Refuge: Reported that as of December 4, 2008 the refuge at last count there were still about 5,000 Canada geese in the area but not many ducks left. They also stated that there are still a couple pockets of open water left in the refuge but it did get very cold later in the week and that may have pushed some of the geese out of the area.
Upper Mississippi River Valley NWR: Reports that as of November 25, 2008 on Pool 9 there were 4,545 Canada geese, up from 2,414 Canada geese the week before. There were also 20,405 puddle ducks, all of which were mallards, up from 10,680 puddle ducks the week before. There were also 15,765 diver ducks, down from16,530 diver ducks the week before. Of those there were 11,805 Canvasbacks, 740 Ring necks, 1,000 Scaup, 690 Golden eyes and 1,730 Buffleheads.
Rice Lake NWR: Reported that as of November 20, 2008 they were completely frozen over besides a 10’ opening being kept open by a few Trumpeter swans and a handful of ducks. |
| Reports From The Field: |
Adam Johnson of First Flight Finishers (651-442-7259) guides out of the Twin City area. Adam said that there are extremely large concentrations of Canada geese currently staged in the Twin City metro area. Adam also said that they ended the Minnesota duck season with a bang as well. He stated that the last day of the season they hit a field where they limited out on mallards easily. In fact they had about 19 flocks of 15 – 100 mallards decoy right in which made for an exciting hunt. Adam is expecting the late Canada goose season to be as successful as they last couple weeks have been.
Chuck Ellingson of The Watson Hunting Camp (952-484-8717) guides near the Lac Qui Parle Refuge in western Minnesota. Chuck said that the goose hunting season ended on Sunday in the West Central Zone. He noted that there are still over 150,000 Canada geese in the refuge and they ended the last week of the season with a bang! Chuck said that overall this was their best goose season to date. He did say that the duck hunting in the area was very spotty this season though. Since the DNR extended the pheasant hunting season through January 1, Chuck is still taking out upland hunters out so give him a call!
Matt Kostka of Top Gun Guide Service (507-696-0208) guides out of the Rochester area. Matt said that this week the goose hunting around the Rochester area has really picked up and they are getting more and more geese in the area every day. Matt stated that his hunters are now limiting out frequently and he expects the hunting will remain constant from here on out. Matt did note that the weather is playing a big role in when the birds are feeding. Each day has been different all week. Matt also noted but on the sunny, clear days, the birds are definitely feeding later in the afternoon.
Nick Metzen of Flight Patrol Guides (612-408-5897) guides around the western suburbs of the Twin Cities. Nick said that this week he feels they have lost more ducks due to the lack of open water in the area. Nick also said that any open water right now is holding birds. Nick also stated that the goose hunting continues to be very good and that although the geese are still only feeding in the afternoons, they have been coming out a little bit earlier giving his hunters a bigger window of hunting which has been nice. Nick ended by saying they have had what he feels is an excellent season overall and he is expecting a very good late season and still has a few openings for last minute bookings if anyone is interested.
Phil Schmidt of Goosebusters Guide (612-325-9746) has been hunting around the Hutchinson area this past week. Phil stated that he feels that they are at peak migration in the Hutchinson area right now for Canada geese and the hunting has been terrific! Phil also noted that overall the duck season was a little below average but they are way ahead of last year with their Canada goose numbers for the year. Phil expects the late goose season to be excellent as well and although the duck season is now closed there are still a lot of mallards hanging around.
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Iowa Waterfowl Migration Report
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We would like to give a special thanks to the following outfitters and reporters for their help with our 2008 fall migration reports in the state of Iowa: Shawn Eldredge of Prairies Edge, Blake Schoh of Wings Over Water and Scott McClelland.
Weekend Weather Forecast: |
In north eastern Iowa expect a high of 28 degrees on Friday, a high of 22 degrees on Saturday afternoon and then a high of 23 on Sunday. Lows will continue to stay around 20 degrees all weekend, starting at 22 degrees Friday night and decreasing to 11 degrees Saturday and staying constant at 20 degrees through Sunday night. Skies will be partly cloudy on Friday, Saturday, and mostly cloudy Sunday with snow showers likely (30% chance of snow precipitation). Also expect W winds at 15-22 mph on Friday, north winds all day Saturday at 15-20 mph to SE winds Sunday at 10-15 mph.
In central Iowa expect high temps in the mid to high 20's Friday and decreasing to 27 degrees Saturday and then staying constant in the mid 20's on Sunday. Low temps should slowly decrease each night from 24 on Friday night to 13 degrees on Saturday and then increase again to 22 Sunday night. Expect partly cloudy skies on Friday, mostly cloudy skies on Saturday, and overcast skies on Sunday, with a 30% of snow precipitation on Sunday. Also expect SW winds at 21 mph on Friday, NNW winds all day Saturday at 22 mph, and SE winds Sunday at 11 mph.
In south western Iowa expect a high of 37 degrees on Friday, a high of 41 on Saturday and then a high of again 33 degrees on Sunday. Low weekend temps will stay around the low to mid 20's and possible high 20's through the weekend. Skies should be mostly to partly cloudy throughout the weekend with only a very slight chance of snow showers on Friday, 10% chance of rain on Saturday, and 10% chance on Sunday. On Friday also SSW winds at 15-20 mph. On Saturday expect NW winds at 15-22 mph and on Sunday expect SE winds at 9 mph. |
| Refuge Activity: |
The most current data available as of November 26, 2008, shows the following survey counts for their respective areas:
Big Marsh Area: 1,200 Canada geese and 600 ducks of which there are 97% mallards, and 3% other dabbler ducks.
Sweet Marsh Management Area: 400 Canada geese and 100 ducks of which there are 100% mallards.
Otter Creek Management Area: 100 Canada geese and 600 ducks of which there are 88% mallards and 12% other puddle ducks.
Red Rock Management Area: Reports 500 Canada geese and 4,700 ducks of which there are 96% Mallards and 4% diver ducks.
Odessa Management Area: 3,000 Canada geese and 16,600 ducks of which there are 91% mallards, 9% other puddle ducks and 1% diver ducks.
Sailorville Management Area: Reported 700 Canada geese and 1,800 ducks of which there are 58% Mallard, 12% puddle ducks and 29% diver ducks.
Green Island Management Area: 8,300 Canada geese and 4,000 ducks of which there are 89% Mallard and 11% other puddle ducks.
Riverton / Forney Management Area: 100 Canada geese and 38,900 ducks of which there are 95% mallards and 5% other puddle ducks. |
| Reports From The Field: |
Shawn Eldredge of Prairies Edge (515-321-4667) stated that this week his guys have been doing very well in the fields hunting Canada geese. He also stated that the field mallard hunting in the area has slowed down quite a bit this week, most likely due to the fact that everything is freezing up at this point but the Canada goose hunting has been great.
Blake Schoh of Wings Over Water Outfitters (563-419-7546) guides on the Mississippi River near Lansing, Iowa. Blake stated that at this point the river is almost completely frozen over so he has packed it in for the year. Overall Blake said he was a little disappointed in the duck hunting on the river this fall. He stated that they were able to get their ducks but they sure had to work for them.
Field Reporter Scott McCelland reported that he was able to hunt Thanksgiving Day, Friday and Saturday. Scott reported that the duck hunting wasn’t very good but they were able to shoot some mallards and a few geese. Scott ended by stating that he hopes the Iowa DNR does a better job next year getting the food supply planted to help draw the ducks and geese.
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North Dakota Waterfowl Migration Report
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NOTE: As of November 20, 2008, this will be the final report from North Dakota. We would like to thank Dave Beam, Kyle Blanchfield and Mike and Deb Ropel for their weekly reports.
Weekend Weather Forecast: |
In north central North Dakota expect a high of 18 degrees on Friday, a high of 27 on Saturday and then a high of 32 degrees on Sunday. Lows will hit 9 degrees on Friday and should be around 30 degrees Saturday through Sunday night. Skies will be cloudy through the weekend with a 40% chance of snow precipitation Sunday. Expect westerly winds all day Friday (5-10 mph) with winds changing to the SSE through Saturday morning. On Friday, winds will be up to 10 mph. On Saturday afternoon winds will be SSE at 10-15 mph. On Sunday expect WSW winds at 5 - 10 mph.
In central North Dakota expect expect a high of 28 degrees on Friday, a high of 38 degrees on Saturday afternoon and then a high of 37 on Sunday. Lows will continue to stay around 30 degrees all weekend, starting at 20 degrees Friday night and increasing to 30 degrees Saturday through Sunday night. Skies will be partly cloudy on Friday, Saturday, and mostly cloudy Sunday with snow showers likely (30% chance of snow precipitation). Also expect STRONG SE winds at 10-20 mph on Friday, south winds all day Saturday at 5-12 mph and STRONG WNW winds Sunday at 10-20 mph.
In south eastern North Dakota expect a high of 28 degrees on Friday, a high of 36 degrees on Saturday afternoon and then a high of 37 on Sunday. Lows will continue to stay around 30 degrees all weekend, starting at 20 degrees Friday night and increasing to 30 degrees Saturday through Sunday night. Skies will be partly cloudy on Friday, Saturday, and mostly cloudy Sunday with snow showers likely (30% chance of snow precipitation). Also expect WSW winds at 8 mph on Friday, south winds all day Saturday at 5-12 mph to WSW winds Sunday at 5 - 10 mph. |
| N.W.R. Activity: |
Lake Alice NWR / Devils Lake Wetland Dist: Reports that as of November 20, 2008 the only open water left in the region is Devils Lake. They reported decent numbers of scaup, golden eyes and mallards still using the lake as well as a few Canada geese. Other then that specific area, there have not been any additional concentrations of waterfowl reported in the area for some time. They also reported having about 6” of snow cover at this point in the season as well.
Arrowwood NWR: Reported that as of November 20, 2008 it is pretty much over in their area for the year. They stated that the entire refuge is completely frozen over and they have not seen a duck for over a week now. They did note that although all of the smaller lakes and sloughs are frozen, some of the larger bodies of water are still open including Devils Lake and the Jamestown Reservoir. They also noted that they have seen a few scattered flocks of Canada geese hanging around as they only have a light snow cover on the ground at this point.
Tewaukon NWR: Reported that as of November 20, 2008 all of the small water in the area is now frozen over but there are a couple of the big lakes are still open. They also reported that although they do not have an official waterfowl survey, they reported that there are a few small flocks of waterfowl scattered throughout the area but they would not recommend hunting at this point due to the lack of birds left in the area. |
| Reports From The Field: |
Kyle Blanchfield of Northern Flight Guide Service (701-662-5996) is stationed out of Devils Lake, ND. Kyle reported that as of November 19, 2008 all of the water except for Devils Lake, is now frozen over in the area. Kyle did say that they received another wave of new northern mallards in the area this past week and the hunters who have been field hunting around Devils Lake have been doing well. He also noted that there are still very good numbers of diver ducks on the big lake as well but other then that, the waterfowl migration has moved through the area and he has elected to pack it in for the year. Kyle said overall it was a fantastic year again in 2008 and he is getting ready for the upcoming ice fishing season now.
Dave Beam of Beams On The Prairie (701-282-0456) reported that everything north of Devils lake is completely frozen over as far as he knows and the season in that area is over! Dave is making provisions for the upcoming Nebraska spring snow goose season already and feels that with the excellent 2nd hatch they should have a great season for 2009!
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South Dakota Waterfowl Migration Report
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We would like to give a special thanks to the following outfitters for their help with our 2008 fall migration reports in the state of South Dakota: Bruce Prins of Prairie Sky Ranch, Josh Kiesow of Outdoor Adrenaline and John Luttrell of Luttrell Kennels and Legacy Outfitters.
Weekend Weather Forecast: |
In north eastern South Dakota expect a high of 26 degrees on Friday, a high of 20 degrees on Saturday afternoon and then a high of 22 on Sunday. Lows will continue to stay around 20 degrees all weekend, starting at 20 degrees Friday night and decreasing to 10 degrees Saturday and staying constant at 20 degrees through Sunday night. Skies will be partly cloudy on Friday, Saturday, and mostly cloudy Sunday with snow showers likely (30% chance of snow precipitation). Also expect W winds at 15-20 mph on Friday, north winds all day Saturday at 15-20 mph to SE winds Sunday at 10-15 mph.
In central South Dakota expect a high of 28 degrees on Friday, a high of 22 degrees on Saturday afternoon and then a high of 23 on Sunday. Lows will continue to stay around 20 degrees all weekend, starting at 22 degrees Friday night and decreasing to 11 degrees Saturday and staying constant at 20 degrees through Sunday night. Skies will be partly cloudy on Friday, Saturday, and mostly cloudy Sunday with snow showers likely (30% chance of snow precipitation). Also expect W winds at 15-22 mph on Friday, north winds all day Saturday at 15-20 mph to SE winds Sunday at 10-15 mph.
In south eastern South Dakota expect high temps in the mid to high 20's Friday and decreasing to 27 degrees Saturday and then staying constant in the mid 20's on Sunday. Low temps should slowly decrease each night from 24 on Friday night to 13 degrees on Saturday and then increase again to 22 Sunday night. Expect partly cloudy skies on Friday, mostly cloudy skies on Saturday, and overcast skies on Sunday, with a 30% of snow precipitation on Sunday. Also expect SW winds at 21 mph on Friday, NNW winds all day Saturday at 22 mph, and SE winds Sunday at 11 mph. |
| N.W.R. Activity: |
Sand Lake NWR: Reported that as of December 4, 2008 the refuge is now completely frozen over and almost all of the waterfowl have left the area. They noted that the last official count that they conducted was on November 28, 2008 and at that point they were holding about 9,000 Snow geese and 3,000 Canada geese. They were also holding about 5,000 ducks, mostly mallards.
Waubay NWR: Reported that as of December 4, 2008 the refuge is completely frozen over. They also reported that earlier in the week there were a couple of lakes in the area including Lynn Lake and Hazleton Lake, that were still holding a few mallards but it has gotten extremely cold now and they feel most of the waterfowl have moved south.
La Creek NWR: Reported that the last official count they conducted was on November 25, 2008 at which point they are holding 11,000 Canada geese and 13,000 ducks on the refuge. |
| Reports From The Field: |
Bruce Prins of Prairie Sky Ranch (605-738-2411) is located in the NE corner of the state near Sisseton, SD. Bruce stated that it is all over now. He said on Thursday Dec 4, they hit 8 degrees and everything is locked up solid at this point. He feels that what was left of the mallards and Canada geese in his area last week have all taken off. Bruce said that overall the 2008 season was good. He said he has no complaints. Bruce felt that the migration started off a little slow but the duck hunting was consistent throughout the year.
John Luttrell of Luttrell Kennels and Legacy Outfitters (605-532-4142) is located out of Clark, South Dakota- just west of Watertown. John said that there are still a couple places with open water in the area that are holding some decent numbers of snow geese mixed with mallards in the area. He noted that on Tuesday they had 40 degree temps but on Tuesday night temps dropped down to 7 degrees and they got 2” of snow so he is not sure how much longer the birds will be sticking around at this point.
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Wisconsin Waterfowl Migration Report
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We would like to give a special thanks to the following outfitters for their help with our 2008 fall migration reports in the state of Wisconsin: Rob Kaminskis of Beaver Creek Outfitting, Todd Lensing of Flyway Fowling, Matt Raley of Hideaway Hollow Outfitters, Rob Siemers of RM Waterfowl and John Rechlitz of Rolling Waves Adventures.
Weekend Weather Forecast: |
In north central Wisconsin expect a high of 18 degrees on Friday, a high of 13 on Saturday and then a high of again only 13 degrees on Sunday. Lows will hit 13 degrees on Friday and should be around a frigid -3 degrees Saturday and increasing to 9 degrees Sunday night. Skies will be cloudy through the weekend with a 50% chance of snow precipitation on Friday, 30% chance on Saturday and Sunday. Expect SSW winds all day Friday (10-15 mph) with winds changing to the west and NW through Sunday morning. On Friday, winds will be up to 15 mph. On Saturday afternoon winds will be NW at 20 mph. On Sunday expect SSW winds at 5 - 10 mph.
In eastern Wisconsin expect a high of 28 degrees on Friday, a high of 22 degrees on Saturday afternoon and then a high of 23 on Sunday. Lows will continue to stay around 20 degrees all weekend, starting at 22 degrees Friday night and decreasing to 11 degrees Saturday and staying constant at 20 degrees through Sunday night. Skies will be partly cloudy on Friday, Saturday, and mostly cloudy Sunday with snow showers likely (30% chance of snow precipitation). Also expect W winds at 15-22 mph on Friday, north winds all day Saturday at 15-20 mph to SE winds Sunday at 10-15 mph.
In south western Wisconsin expect high temps in the mid to high 20's Friday and decreasing to 27 degrees Saturday and then staying constant in the mid 20's on Sunday. Low temps should slowly decrease each night from 24 on Friday night to 13 degrees on Saturday and then increase again to 22 Sunday night. Expect partly cloudy skies on Friday, mostly cloudy skies on Saturday, and overcast skies on Sunday, with a 30% of snow precipitation on Sunday. Also expect SW winds at 21 mph on Friday, NNW winds all day Saturday at 22 mph, and SE winds Sunday at 11 mph. |
| N.W.R. Activity: |
Horicon NWR: Reported that as of December 4, 2008 they are now completely frozen over and are maybe holding 1,000 Canada geese and very few ducks.
Necedah NWR: Reported that as of November 28, 2008 they were holding 31 Canada geese and 11 mallards. They stated that the refuge is 99% frozen over and the waterfowl migration is pretty much over for the year where they are at.
Trempealeau NWR: Reported that as of November 25, 2008 they were holding 1,145 Canada geese and 200 ducks- all of which were mallards.
Upper Mississippi River Valley NWR: Reports that as of November 25, 2008 on Pool 9 there were 4545 Canada geese, up from 2,414 Canada geese the week before. There were also 20,405 puddle ducks, all of which were mallards, up from 10,680 puddle ducks the week before. There were also 15,765 diver ducks, down from16,530 diver ducks the week before. Of those there were 11,805 Canvasbacks, 740 Ring necks, 1,000 Scaup, 690 Golden eyes and 1,730 Buffleheads. |
| Reports From The Field: |
Rob Siemers of RM Waterfowl (262-745-2060) has been guiding in the south east region of the state and said that this past week the field Canada goose hunting has been tremendous! Rob said that although the geese are only feeding once a day now, in the afternoons, they have been limiting out daily at this point. Rob hopes this will continue until the end of the season.
Rob Kaminskis of Beaver Creek Outfitting (262-497-4954) is located in Racine, Wi on the eastern side of the state. Rob said that this week the goose hunting has been good but all of the ducks have left. At this point Robb said the geese have been feeding from about 9:30 am until about 3:30 pm. Overall Robb felt the waterfowl hunting season was a little below average due to the fact that for some reason the birds were very had to pattern this fall. He said they would not stay in the same field for more then a day or two which made it tough to get on the X.
John Rechlitz of Rolling Waves Adventures (414.322.4736) guides on Lake Michigan for divers. John said that the duck hunting has been great when they have been able to get out. John said that the recent fronts have made it tough to get on the lake due to the high winds but when they have been able to hunt they have been very successful John’s hunters have been taking old squaws, buffleheads, and a few blue bills. John said they are just now starting to see some golden eyes showing up as well. John also noted that there are about 20,000 blue bills in the area but for some reason they have been very hard to decoy lately. Overall John felt that the season was excellent!
Todd Lensing of Flyway Fowling Guide Service (608-734-3235) is located on Pool 9 of the Mississippi river near Ferryville, WI. Todd said this week the hunting has been hit and miss due to the river continuing to freeze up and thaw throughout the week. At this point they are mainly taking mallards and a few gadwalls. They are also seeing a good number of Canada geese as well. As for the diver ducks, there are still some canvasbacks and mergansers around but that is about it. With the cold temps expected for the rest of the week Todd is hoping that he will be able to finish out the season without having to cancel the last few hunts but it is getting tough getting out on the river now he said.
Matt Raley of Hideaway Hollow Outfitters (715-347-4868) guides out of Pool 9 and Pool 11 on the Mississippi River. Matt said that it is pretty much over now on the river as they are now able to walk on most of the ice. Matt said that he was able to take advantage of some of his late season hot spots earlier in the week and they did very well taking mallards, gadwalls and even a few black ducks. Matt wrapped it up by saying that he felt over the duck season on the river was below average.
Hunters on Pool 9 of the Mississippi river stated that this week the hunting has really been hit and miss. They stated that one day they will limit out on mallards and gadwalls and the next day it is a struggle to fire the guns. Most likely that is due to the fact that the river is freezing and thawing daily at this point. They also stated that they have seen a few flocks of mergansers moving along the river but beyond the puddle ducks and mergansers, there are a few canvasbacks still around but that is it.
Hunters in western Wisconsin said the goose hunting has been very good this week as the birds are now flocked up in big concentrations and are only feeding during the last hour of the day which has made it very easy to pattern the geese.
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Missouri Waterfowl Migration Report
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We would like to give a special thanks to the following outfitters for their help with our 2008 fall migration reports in the state of Missouri: Shawn Eldredge of Prairies Edge, Dan Guyer of Iron Duck Hunting, Johnny Porter of Webfoot Guide Service and Matt Kostka of Top Gun Guide Service.
Weekend Weather Forecast: |
In north western Missouri expect a high of 37 degrees on Friday, a high of 41 on Saturday and then a high of again 33 degrees on Sunday. Low weekend temps will stay around the low to mid 20's and possible high 20's through the weekend. Skies should be mostly to partly cloudy throughout the weekend with only a very slight chance of snow showers on Friday, 10% chance of rain on Saturday, and 10% chance on Sunday. On Friday also SSW winds at 15-20 mph. On Saturday expect NW winds at 15-22 mph and on Sunday expect SE winds at 9 mph.
In central Missouri expect a high of 41 degrees on Friday, a high of 45 on Saturday and then a high of 37 degrees on Sunday. Low weekend temps will stay at around low 30's through the weekend and possibly 33 degrees on Friday. Skies should be mostly to partly cloudy throughout the weekend with only a 00% chance of precip on Saturday with no precipitation predicted during the day Friday and Sunday. On Friday also expect southwest winds at 15 mph. On Saturday expect NW winds at 20 mph and on Sunday expect ESE winds at 10 mph.
In southern Missouri expect highs around 46 Friday, mid 50's through Saturday and then staying steady through Sunday afternoon. Low temps will stay around the low to upper 30's through the weekend. Skies should be partly cloudy on Friday with a 10% chance of rain precipitation. On Saturday and Sunday skies should be clear to partly cloudy with no precipitation predicted for the duration of the weekend. Expect SE winds at 5-10 on Friday and SSW on Saturday at 10-15 mph. On Sunday expect south winds in the morning at 10mph. |
| N.W.R. Activity: |
Squaw Creek NWR: Reported that as of December 1, 2008 they had 4,050 Canada geese on the refuge, down from 6,022 Canada geese last week and 160,000 Snow geese up from 110,000 Snow geese last week. There were also 75,558 ducks on the refuge, down from 121,961 ducks the week before and of those there were 61,000 mallards.
Swan Lake NWR: Reported that as of December 4, 2008 there were holding about 40,000 ducks earlier in the week but then the refuge started to freeze over and the duck numbers dropped to around 5,000 of which about half of those were mallards. They also stated that there were about 60,000 Snow geese and 20,000 Canada geese in the refuge this week as well. At this point they are working to open up some of the gates to add in more water and thaw the refuge to keep the remaining waterfowl in the area for a while.
Grand Pass Conservation Area: Reported that as of December 4, 2008 they were holding 115,000 ducks of which 90% of those are mallards. They said that there are also a few snow geese around as well. They said that this week they are freezing over now but still had 34 parties hunting and averaged about 3.5 birds per hunter.
Four Rivers Conservation Area: Reported that as of November 25, 2008 they currently have 47,000 ducks in the management area at this time and those are mostly mallards.
Bob Brown Conservation Area: Reported that as of November 24, 2008 they were holding 41,000 ducks. Of those there were 95% mallards and 5% other dabbler ducks.
Nodaway Valley Conservation Area: Reported that as of November 21, 2008 they were holding 29,000 ducks, up from 3,400 ducks last week. Of those there were 92% Mallards, and 5% Teal and 2% other dabbler ducks. |
| Reports From The Field: |
Shawn Eldredge of Prairies Edge (515-321-4667) has been guiding around the Squaw Creek NWR. Shawn said this past week the hunting has continued to be excellent. Shawn has mostly been targeting snow geese and mallards in the fields. Shawn also said that as the week has progressed the snow goose hunting has gotten a little tougher as with the cold weather, the juvenile geese have moved out of the area and they are now mainly taking adult snows. He noted that the field mallard hunting has continued to be consistent though.
Dan Guyer of Iron Duck Hunting (816-210-3969) guides out of the Smithville and Squaw Creek region. Dan stated that they have been hunting the marshes around Squaw Creek NWR this week and the hunting has been excellent! Dan said that there has to be at least 300,000 snow geese on the refuge now. He said that all week they have been taking mixed bags of Canada geese, Snow geese, Speckle belly geese and several species of puddle ducks including; mallards, pintails, gadwalls and teal. Dan also said that Smithville lake is full of birds right now as well. He said that they have seen good numbers of Canada geese, Snow geese, mallards, gadwalls, golden eyes and scaup on the lake this week.
Matt Kostka of Top Gun Guide Service (507-696-0208) has a camp running out of northwest Missouri around the Bob Brown C.A. Matt said that his crew has been doing very well harvesting limits of mallards in a flooded corn field setting this week. He said they did especially well during a recent blizzard earlier in the week. Matt also noted that he has heard there are about 300,000 snow geese in the area as well as a lot of Canada geese.
Johnny Porter of Webfoot Guide Service (870-634-6661) is based out of Stockton, Missouri in the south western region of the state. Johnny said that his hunters have all been taking limits of mallards every day this week. He said that they have been hunting several different locations in the area and all of them are holding good numbers of mallards at this time. He did note that they have not seen any other species of puddle ducks now besides the mallards recently.
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Nebraska Waterfowl Migration Report
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We would like to give a special thanks to the following outfitters for their help with our 2008 fall migration reports in the state of Nebraska: Josh Kern of Big Island Waterfowl and Larry Frimann of Blackgoose Outfitters.
Weekend Weather Forecast: |
In north eastern Nebraska expect high temps in the mid to high 20's Friday and decreasing to 27 degrees Saturday and then staying constant in the mid 20's on Sunday. Low temps should slowly decrease each night from 24 on Friday night to 13 degrees on Saturday and then increase again to 22 Sunday night. Expect partly cloudy skies on Friday, mostly cloudy skies on Saturday, and overcast skies on Sunday, with a 30% of snow precipitation on Sunday. Also expect SW winds at 21 mph on Friday, NNW winds all day Saturday at 22 mph, and SE winds Sunday at 11 mph.
In central Nebraska expect a high of 37 degrees on Friday, a high of 41 on Saturday and then a high of again 33 degrees on Sunday. Low weekend temps will stay around the low to mid 20's and possible high 20's through the weekend. Skies should be mostly to partly cloudy throughout the weekend with only a very slight chance of snow showers on Friday, 10% chance of rain on Saturday, and 10% chance on Sunday. On Friday also SSW winds at 15-20 mph. On Saturday expect NW winds at 15-22 mph and on Sunday expect SE winds at 9 mph.
In south eastern Nebraska expect a high of 41 degrees on Friday, a high of 45 on Saturday and then a high of 37 degrees on Sunday. Low weekend temps will stay at around low 30's through the weekend and possibly 33 degrees on Friday. Skies should be mostly to partly cloudy throughout the weekend with only a 00% chance of precip on Saturday with no precipitation predicted during the day Friday and Sunday. On Friday also expect southwest winds at 15 mph. On Saturday expect NW winds at 20 mph and on Sunday expect ESE winds at 10 mph. |
| N.W.R. Activity: |
Norfork GFP Office: Reported that as of December 4, 2008 the Santee Reservoir was the main area that is now being hunted in the region. They have received decent hunting reports from that area this week with hunters mostly seeing; mallards, gadwalls, widgeons and a few late season teal. They have also been told there are some Canada geese in that area as well. Other then that they stated that the Elkhorn River has been semi productive this week as well but with that the ducks may move through the area quickly making for a hit and miss situation. And they reported low temps around 10 degrees late Wednesday night.
Hunters in the rainwater basin stated that earlier in the week they were having fair success on mallards and teal but it was not fast and furious by any means. They felt that the duck hunting in the area overall was average at best for this time of year. |
| Reports From The Field: |
Josh Kern of Big Island Waterfowl (402-720-9199) has been guiding just south of Freemont, Nebraska on the Platte River. Josh stated that not much has changed from last week. He said there are still a ton of mallards sitting on the refuge area of the river and they are still very tough to decoy on the water. Josh said the only way they have been successful recently at hunting the mallards has been in the fields. Josh did say the Canada goose hunting continues to be good and that is what they are focusing on at this point in the season.
Larry Frimann of Black Goose Outfitters (402-660-1220) is located near Valentine, Nebraska. Larry said that this week the Canada goose hunting has continued to get better as more and more geese are showing up daily now. Larry did say that they are a little tough to decoy though and as for the ducks, there are none.
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Manitoba Waterfowl Migration Report
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NOTE: As of November 20, 2008 this will be the final report from Manitoba. We would like to thank Dan Numann, Craig Henry and Scott Barmby for their weekly reports.
Weekend Weather Forecast: |
In north western Manitoba expect high temps hitting a whooping 19 degrees on Friday but then climbing to the 20's to 30's by Sunday. Low temps will increase significantly from the low teens on Friday night, up to the 20's by Sunday night. Skies should be partly cloudy through Saturday with a 20% chance of snow precipitation. On Sunday skies will be partly cloudy and sunny with a chance of precipitation in the forecast.
In central Manitoba expect high temps around 29 degrees on Friday, increasing to 38 degrees on Saturday and dropping down to 29 degrees again on Sunday. Low temps will remain around the teens on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday night. Skies should be partly cloudy on Friday and Saturday but there will be overcast skies with a 30% chance of precipitation on Sunday.
In south western Manitoba expect a high of 18 degrees on Friday, a high of 27 on Saturday and then a high of 32 degrees on Sunday. Lows will hit 9 degrees on Friday and should be around 30 degrees Saturday through Sunday night. Skies will be cloudy through the weekend with a 40% chance of snow precipitation Sunday. Expect westerly winds all day Friday (5-10 mph) with winds changing to the SSE through Saturday morning. On Friday, winds will be up to 10 mph. On Saturday afternoon winds will be SSE at 10-15 mph. On Sunday expect WSW winds at 5 - 10 mph. |
| C.W.S. Reports |
Winnipeg Field Office: Reported that as of November 20, 2008, around the Oak Hammock Marsh area, they are still holding several thousand mallards that have been using some of the natural springs for an open water source but other then that the migration has pretty much moved through the province for the year. They stated that the only Canada geese left around the Winnipeg area now are some of the cripples that were not able to make it south. Otherwise the region is frozen up tight and the hunting is over for the year.
Brandon Field Office: Reported that as of November 20, 2008 there are very few waterfowl left in the region. They stated that during the past couple weeks they have had very cold temps and snow which has covered up most all of the food sources and frozen all of the small lakes and most of the larger lakes. They also stated that what birds that are seen, are flying high and heading south. The noted that there are still a few birds located at Whitewater Lake, in the southwest corner but it is just a small pocket of birds located in the middle of the lake at this point. |
| Reports From The Field: |
Craig Henry of Cupped Wings (204-467-2374) guides out of the Oak Hammock region. Craig stated that as of November 14, 2008 the majority of the waterfowl have moved on south for the year. Craig stated that they do have a few flocks of hearty mallards and greater Canada geese in the area but everything else has moved south for the year.
Scott Barmby of Black Duck Outfitters guides duck hunters on the Delta Marsh out of St. Ambrose, Manitoba. Scott stated that he wrapped up the season on October 28th. He stated at that point in the season they received a strong northwest wind that pushed most of the birds out of the area. He also stated that up until that point they had good numbers of mallards, Divers and Canada geese in the area. After the big winds moved through Scott noticed that many of the Mallards using the fields in the area had moved south. He found that there were still good concentrations of Canada geese in the fields and was unable to get back out into the Delta marsh before he departed back to Maryland for the year. Scott said that overall they had an excellent year hunting the Delta marsh as his hunters took limits of numerous species of diver ducks on a daily basis. Scott did do some field hunting in the afternoons and had good success there as well but said his bread and butter is the Delta!
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Saskatchewan Waterfowl Migration Report
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NOTE: As of November 20, 2008 this will be our final report from Saskatchewan. We would like to thank Mike Franklin and Matt Kostka for their weekly reports.
Weekend Weather Forecast: |
In north central Saskatchewan expect high temps hitting a whooping 19 degrees on Friday but then climbing to the 20's to 30's by Sunday. Low temps will increase significantly from the low teens on Friday night, up to the 20's by Sunday night. Skies should be partly cloudy through Saturday with a 20% chance of snow precipitation. On Sunday skies will be partly cloudy and sunny with a chance of precipitation in the forecast.
In western Saskatchewan expect high temps around 29 degrees on Friday, increasing to 38 degrees on Saturday and dropping down to 29 degrees again on Sunday. Low temps will remain around the teens on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday night. Skies should be partly cloudy on Friday and Saturday but there will be overcast skies with a 30% chance of precipitation on Sunday.
In south western Saskatchewan expect high temps on Friday to hit 21 degrees and then start dropping down to the teens for a high on Sunday. Low temps will follow suit dropping from the mid-teens degrees on Friday night, down to the low-teens degree mark on Sunday night. Skies should be partly cloudy through the weekend. There is a 30% chance of precipitation in the weekend forecast on Saturday and Sunday. |
| C.W.S. Reports |
Wadena Field Office: Reported that as of November 20, 2008 the majority of all of the waterfowl in the area have moved south but there are still some pockets of Canada geese scattered throughout the region. The biggest concentration that they have seen left in the area this week were on Fishing lake. They also reported some smaller flocks of greater Canada geese near Wynyard as well. They ended by stating that thus far the temps have been fairly mild and they wouldn’t be surprised to see the Canada geese in the area hold out for a couple more weeks before they are forced south. They also heard a report that there are also some snow geese located near the border as well so there may be a small push of birds into the states yet to come.
Last Mountain Lake Field Office: Reported that they are in for some extremely cold temps in the region at this time. They stated that the high temps are right around freezing and the lows are down into the single digits. They noted that most of the lakes and sloughs are now frozen over and they feel that by the end of the weekend most all of the waterfowl will be pushed south out of the area. They did note that there may be some snow geese hanging around, south of Regina but that is all they could say at this point. |
| Reports From The Field: |
Mike Franklin of Pacific Wings Prairie Outfitters (509-967-2303) guides out of south western Saskatchewan. Mike stated that they finally wrapped up the season on November 8, 2008. At that point the high temps were around 20 degrees. Mike did state that when he left there were still about a ½ million Snow geese and good numbers of Canada geese in the area staging on the Saskatchewan river. Mike said overall they had an excellent season but noted that except for a couple days in mid October they never really got into the big flocks of Mallards this season.
Matt Kostka of Top Gun Guide Service (507-696-0208) guides out of the Quill Lakes region. Matt said they wrapped up their season in Saskatchewan on November 1. He said that at that time they were seeing huge concentrations of Canada geese and northern mallards in the area. Matt stated that overall the season was excellent. He said the Snow goose hunting was phenomenal! He said that during the last 10 days they hunted, they had excellent Canada goose and Mallard hunts in the area fields.
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