Hunters Can’t Duck Facts: Big Migration Expected

This year’s fishing season is peaking at a time when thousands of the region’s hunters are wondering what kind of hunting they’ll have during the fall months.

Waterfowlers, particularly Ducks Unlimited members, are learning that biologists believe this fall’s duck migration out of Canada will be the largest in years, possibly 83 to 90 million, compared to 71 million last year.

On the other hand, upland bird hunters, who suspect that early June storms and cold weather killed thousands of pheasants, grouse and other birds, are hearing from wildlife managers that, yes, indeed, many young birds apparently failed to survive.

Big game hunters knew that few big game animals failed to survive the relatively mild 1994-95 winter. With a few exceptions, they’re looking forward to excellent hunting this fall.

If Ducks Unlimited officials are right, this will be the best year in several to hunt ducks.

“This coming fall’s flight (of ducks out of Canada) will be the largest ever witnessed by many of today’s waterfowlers,” Matthew B. Connolly Jr., DU executive vice president, said.

Three major factors are responsible for the phenomenal increase in duck numbers, Jeff Nelson, chief DU biologist, said.

“First,” he said, “very good water and nesting cover conditions in key points of the prairie pothole region. Second, years of habitat conservation work by public/private sector partnerships are paying off. Third, (putting) 36 million acres of erodible farmland to use by wildlife under the Conservation Reserve program.”

The CRP compensates farmers for establishing vegetative cover on marginal croplands for a 10-year period. Several thousand acres of land in North Idaho and Eastern Washington are under the program. The Republican-dominated Congress is considering dropping the program.

One of every five ducks that migrate out of Canada yearly funnel into the Pacific Flyway. As the birds arrive in Idaho, Washington and other states, they’ll see the best water conditions in years. Spring rains have kept a high percentage of potholes full of water.

Many potholes and small lakes in North Idaho and Eastern Washington that were dry during the drought years provided thousands of ducks with good nesting opportunities. Consequently, it’s possible the number of ducks raised in the Inland Northwest will be large enough to provide excellent hunting early in the season.

Goose hunters have enjoyed excellent hunting for several years, the result of steady increases in the number of Canada geese. There’s no reason to suspect they won’t have another excellent season this year.

Upland bird hunting probably won’t be as good as hunters hoped it would be. The pheasant nesting season got off to a good start, but deteriorated early in June. Temperatures plummeted and rain fell almost continuously.

Chicks didn’t have a chance to dry out between storms. Thousands probably got pneumonia and died.

Jim Hayden, regional wildlife manager for the Panhandle region of the Idaho Fish and Game Department, suspects the storms and cold weather killed many young birds.

Phil Cooper, public information officer for the department’s Panhandle region, said he has seen few young turkeys and grouse with adult birds, a possible indication that even those birds might have done poorly during the nesting period.

Partridges and quail nest a little later than pheasants. Chukar, Hun and quail chicks start breaking their eggs in early June, but the hatching periods for the birds are in mid to late June. Some chicks even hatch in July.

It’s possible that partridges and quail have done better than pheasants.

Hunters won’t know for sure until the hunting seasons open this fall what spring rains and record low temperatures during nesting periods did to young birds.

Wildlife biologists can predict with a fair degree of accuracy rises and falls of waterfowl populations because it’s easy to count birds on water. However, even veteran biologists won’t put their reputations on the line by predicting in early July what kind of hunting upland bird hunters can expect in the fall.

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The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Fenton Roskelley The Spokesman-Review