2012 Waterfowl Forecast
DU biologists and Magazine staff provide a flyway-by-flyway breakdown of what hunters might expect for the 2012-2013 waterfowl hunting season.
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Duck numbers remain strong as habitat declines
MEMPHIS, Tenn. - July 3, 2012 - The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) released its preliminary report today on breeding ducks and habitats, based on surveys conducted in May and early June. Total populations were estimated at 48.6 million breeding ducks in the surveyed area. This estimate represents a 7 percent increase over last year's estimate of 45.6 million birds, and is 43 percent above the 1955-2010 long-term average. This year's estimate is a record high and is only the sixth time in the survey's history that the total duck population exceeded 40 million.
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Video: 2012 Duck Numbers
For the past 75 years, Ducks Unlimited has had the best waterfowl science in the business guiding our work. Today, Ducks Unlimited's Chief Scientist, Dale Humburg, discusses this year's Waterfowl Habitat Report and what it means to your bag this fall.
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Duck Numbers Remain Strong as Habitat Declines
Total populations were estimated at 48.6 million breeding ducks in the surveyed area. This estimate represents a 7 percent increase over last year's estimate of 45.6 million birds, and is 43 percent above the 1955-2010 long-term average.
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Conservation: Ducks in a Crowded World
Sustaining healthy waterfowl numbers will be a great challenge as the earth's human population grows
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