Michigan waterfowl hunters are in the thick of waterfowl season in all three zones. Many hunters enjoyed successful opening days around the Mitten State, but as the season progressed, conditions reverted to shorts and T-shirt weather and the hunting slowed. The weather is likely at least partly responsible for any lack of success. In many cases there are plenty of ducks present; they simply do not move consistently in warm conditions.
This has impacted hunting from the Upper Peninsula (UP) all the way to the southern border with Ohio and Indiana. Significant staging areas in the UP, such as the St. Marys River corridor, have hosted plenty of migrating ducks over the past few weeks as they work their way down the flyway. Hunters’ bags were heavy with early-migrating species such as teal, pintails, wigeon, and ring-necked ducks up until a couple of weeks ago, when the usual procession of mallards, redheads, and long-tailed ducks began to arrive, followed by scaup last weekend.
Goldeneyes, buffleheads, scaup, and plenty of redheads are content to stick around the big water of the UP, but getting them to hit a decoy spread requires near-perfect conditions.
In Saginaw Bay, waterfowl are present, but the birds often rest far offshore and only move inshore occasionally to feed in shallower water. Properties managed by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) are an exception, and so far the season has been good.
Ryan Soulard, an MDNR wildlife biologist based at Fish Point State Wildlife Area (SWA), says, “Saginaw Bay has reached the halfway point of the season, and despite mild October weather, Fish Point hunters harvested over 4,500 ducks for the first 30 days of the 60-day season. Mallards comprise most of those ducks, with green-winged teal, northern pintails, and our beloved state duck, the wood duck, coming in behind them.”
According to Soulard, an impressive number of redheads, a few canvasbacks, and scaup have shown up in hunters’ bags on the property as well. While plentiful ring-necked ducks are all but gone now, wigeon are still present in good numbers. In addition, numbers of mallards, black ducks, and gadwalls have increased this week, which is a good bellwether for the season’s second half.
Not too far south, light winds and warm days have stretched out the outstanding fall fishing opportunities. If you’re a fisherman, it’s not an issue, but boat traffic has been very high, and ducks are not able to settle into a pattern because they are flushed numerous times daily. This drives diving ducks offshore as far as possible. In the case of inland lakes around the region, ducks simply leave altogether.
“There are definitely some birds around, but the weather has been too nice, and the perch and muskie boats keep blowing them out,” reports captain Jeremy Ullmann of MI Guide Service, who hunts Lake St. Clair and Lake Huron. “They have been shooting them good on the Canadian side, and things are definitely picking up here with lots of fresh redheads and bluebills the past couple days.”
Along Michigan’s Lake Erie shoreline, things are much the same. “It’s been rough, like hunting 30-day-old stale bread,” says MDNR wildlife biologist supervisor Joe Robison. “We’re not seeing mallards, and with this mild weather, ducks in the area have been very nocturnal. With no wind, warmth, and sunshine, there just isn’t any reason for ducks to feed. I’m sure it will pick up soon as the weather cools down.”
On the opposite side of the state, warm weather has finally subsided to some degree, and waterfowl activity has increased.
“We had temps in the mid-70s the other day. Ducks don’t want to move in those conditions,” says MDNR wildlife technician Mike Richardson. “Besides a few birds trickling in here and there, hunters across the west and central portions of Michigan have been complaining about no meaningful movement of ducks since opening weekend. Thankfully, we are already seeing some duck activity with favorable winds and cooler temperatures late this week.”
Goose hunting is a big bright spot in Michigan, and this season has been exceptional. Richardson reports geese are plentiful across the same region and hunting has remained strong. With the corn harvest in full swing, geese and mallards should have an abundance of food across the state for the foreseeable future.
Sign up for Migration Alerts
Stay up to date with the latest migration information.
