Duck and goose hunters in the Pacific Northwest are not only looking at a repeat of last year's not-that-bad hunting season but may even see some improvement, courtesy of late rains in northern Alberta's water-starved nesting areas.
The late rainfall was followed in August and September by early storm systems across much of Alaska's waterfowl production areas, encouraging birds to leave.
A stronger equatorial El Niño weather pattern has long-range forecasters leaning toward a milder start to the season and potentially a later freeze than last year.
Washington
Field biologists seem optimistic about local production statewide, reports Kyle Spragens, waterfowl section coordinator for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.
“There are plenty of birds around,” he says. “We saw more hatchlings in our traps compared with last year. Alaska got pummeled with rain the last couple of weeks, and a lot of those birds may be flooded out. Mallards, pintails, wigeon, and teal are starting to boogie out of there.”
As usual, Puget Sound's tidal lands, especially in the north, will get some early action.
Drought maps confirm dry conditions in southeastern counties. Recent rainfall has settled some of the dust, but has fallen far short of refilling the marshes.
Spragens remains enthusiastic about northern Alberta's late nesting, pointing to reports of “a ton of mallards up there.”
Cackling geese and brant reports are still being tabulated, but while a few more cacklers may be on the way, a two-bird limit remains. Local goose production was estimated to be about average statewide.
Wrangel Island's snow geese funnel across the northwest in largely unknown numbers since Russia's cooperation with the United States and Canada has been interrupted by the war in Ukraine. However, Spragens says that some information may be coming in, suggesting a possible slight improvement in nesting success.
Oregon
Brandon Reishus, waterfowl coordinator for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, says local duck production was “just a little better than average on the east side, but there were no big swings in the west.”
He predicts “a slug of early green-winged teal and wigeon in coastal estuaries,” with decent early hunting for the first week or so west of the Cascade Range.
Eastern Oregon's popular Summer Lake and Klamath Wildlife Management Areas have good water (spring-fed at Summer Lake and pumping under water rights at Klamath) and should see decent hunting when birds begin to arrive in late October and November.
Malheur Lake had water early but was only muddy by the time banding crews arrived, he notes.
The Buena Vista Unit of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge will be closed for the season due to wildlife damage, and Warner Valley's usual duck-magnet labyrinth of marshes is dry this year.
Idaho
Like his counterparts, Jeff Knetter, upland game and migratory bird coordinator for the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, is hoping for an improved fall flight of ducks, courtesy of northern Alberta's vast complex of prairie ponds.
Knetter reports similar or perhaps slightly lower-than-average production of local birds due to “our driest winter on record.” April, he explains, was the wettest, but he isn’t confident it was enough to offset the drought.
On the upside, the state's panhandle did carry over decent stored water, and hunting there should be better than in the south and southeast.
State-managed lands will vary in accessibility and water availability, requiring hunters to check their destinations, and Knetter reports significant water issues at Market Lake in the east.
“The weather's going to be dry, which will drive migration like any other year,” he notes. “How and when ducks arrive will be driven by the weather.”
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