Weather Crucial For Waterfowl

Duck and goose hunting may be terrific in Eastern Washington this fall and winter. Then, again, the hunting could be disappointing.

It’s not the number of birds that counts most these days. It’s the weather.

If temperatures nose-dive and snow covers harvested wheat and corn fields, the birds could depart for warmer climes.

If the winter is exceptionally mild, with many “blue bird days,” hunting could be somewhat disappointing.

If moderately bad weather forces the birds to feed during the daytime, the wind blows at 15-25 miles an hour and feed in the fields isn’t covered by snow, hunters could take home limits.

A two-day closure was set in the middle of the duck season to allow hunters to take advantage of the maximum number of hunting days allowed by the federal government and still begin the season on a Saturday and end on a Sunday.

An early goose season was held Sept. 9-14 and hunters did exceptionally well during the first couple of days. Then many of these geese packed their bags for less-disturbed areas.

Water was abundant this year in the Spokane region this spring and both ducks and geese brought off large broods during their nesting season.

Duck hunting should be good for Washington-reared birds during the first few days of the season, Washington Fish and Wildlife Department biologists predict. It won’t take long for the ducks to become wary. After the first few days, they tend to shun decoy spreads and flare when they hear phony calls.

All but the die-hard hunters will give up and wait for the big flights out of Canada. Traditionally, large numbers of mallards arrive starting the second week in November. Actually, ducks don’t adhere to a time table. They leave the British Columbia and Alberta lakes and harvested grain fields when snow covers their food and water freezes over.

Although hunting for ducks and geese this fall and winter could be outstanding, the number of hunters likely will be considerably lower than those for the 1960s-70s. One of the reasons is that a high percentage of prime hunting spots is under lease by duck and goose clubs, as well as by guides.

To enjoy consistently good hunting, a hunter has to spend $500 to $1,500 a year to belong to a hunting club. The cost is too much for most hunters.

Thousands of acres of land and many lakes and reservoirs are open to all hunters, but because so much prime hunting is locked up in the clubs, the areas open to the public are usually over-crowded.

However, Fish and Wildlife Department officials insist that freelance hunters can get permission to hunt on prime land if they’re persistent.

The Fish and Wildlife Service says that the duck population this year totals about 41.8 million. That is only 4 percent under last year’s record number and 27 percent above the long-term average.

Mallard numbers are 9,470,000, down from the 10,806,000 tallied in 1999. Other duck numbers, with 1999 figures in parentheses: Gadwall, 3,158,000 (3,235,000); wigeon, 2,733,000 (2,920,000); green-winged teal, 3,194,000 (2,631,000); pintail, 2,900,000 (3,058,000); redhead, 926,000 (973,000), and canvasback, 707,000 (716,000).

This year’s bag limits are seven ducks a day and 14 in possession after the first day. Waterfowlers can take four geese a day and have eight in possession.

Check regulations carefully for different rules pertaining to Washington’s waterfowl management zones.

This sidebar appeared with story: HUNTING SEASONS Waterfowl

Eastern Washington

Duck: Oct. 7-18 and Oct. 21-Jan. 21

Goose: Oct. 7-26 and Nov. 4-Jan. 21

North Idaho

Duck: Oct. 7-18 and Oct 21-Jan. 21

Goose: Oct. 7-18 and Oct. 28-Jan. 21