Here We Go Again (22-23)

[smashdn]

Our "refuge" never filled with birds until the cold around christmas. Even then it wasn't half the numbers I have seen there without the weather.

Weather tends to stir them up and concentrate them but I don't think we ever really had numbers of birds down like I have seen before.

I know I can go look but just thinking, what were the top counts at Sloughs and Ballard? Also, the refuges in semo, did they ever really get birds like in the past this year?

Ballard has held 100k steady at times. Sloughs used to hold around 15-20k since I have cared to look.

Need snow. I don't think just cold does it for mallards and geese. I'd much rather there be 8" of snow and be 30F than it be 8F and no snow.

 

[hunt-4-life21]

Our "refuge" never filled with birds until the cold around christmas. Even then it wasn't half the numbers I have seen there without the weather.

Weather tends to stir them up and concentrate them but I don't think we ever really had numbers of birds down like I have seen before.

I know I can go look but just thinking, what were the top counts at Sloughs and Ballard? Also, the refuges in semo, did they ever really get birds like in the past this year?

Ballard has held 100k steady at times. Sloughs used to hold around 15-20k since I have cared to look.

Need snow. I don't think just cold does it for mallards and geese. I'd much rather there be 8" of snow and be 30F than it be 8F and no snow.

Ballard hovered around 90-99k during the Christmas-NYE split but they never acted like new ducks imo. Even when the blizzard blew in, it took those conditions for them to act right. The rest of the season, numbers were 40-50k consistently but they sat on the front slough and never moved til dark. We've killed a lot more ducks at 20k and have weather to make them them act right than had 50k loafers soaking up the sun on the refuge.

 

[smashdn]

40-50k is, I would think, below average.

 

[Bee]

I'd much rather there be 8" of snow and be 30F than it be 8F and no snow.

truth. but 8 inches of snow and super cold thirty miles north of you and all the way north to canada is the ultimate iMO

 

[smashdn]

The recipe for success - for me and where I hunt - I need birds to push down, typically means a froze out and snowed over Ohio and Pa, and them to scatter about to sloughs and farm ponds. THEN I want it to freeze all that small stuff for 2-3 days. Pushes birds to bigger and moving water where I have the equipment to hunt them effectively.

Barring that I like back water. I have to drive much farther but it typically means I am under far more birds and bird sthat for the most part seem willing to work as they are out and about exploring newly flooded stuff. I try to get on the leading edge of the crest in shallow (most recently flooded) water. If you spend much time running after them when the water gets out you see them right on that dry and wet edge. I guess that is where the food is easiest for them to get after.

 

[HeadedWest]

I’ve heard it before but where is the PA data coming from?

I know of about dozen bands and they were all from the Lake Erie area.

 

[smashdn]

No data. Purely anecdotal on my part. When PA freezes and gets snow the black ducks get thick here. I am right on I-65. There is a fair amount of teal that nest in that Atlantic flyway corridor but I can't say as I've really seen them like the black ducks. I don't see much in the way of pintails nor wigeon typically on a freeze up. More so on the thaw.

My thoughts are the ducks from western edge of the Atlantic and eastern edge of the miss flyways utilize the day or two after a front to ride the north wind down and we usually get a southwest wind on a warmup which would push birds south of us somewhat eastward. Sort of a loop.

Anymore I'd rather hunt a thaw and south wind.

 

[HeadedWest]

We see similar things on the eastern end of the state. Probably just on a much smaller scale.

Don’t have a big sample size, but the black duck band I know of killed locally, was banded in the Lake Erie area of Ohio as well. We have a group of 40-50 Black ducks that show up every year in early November. Other than that flock, the blacks seem to be a scattered into the mallards.

 

[HuntressOfLight]

January 4th (intentionally refrained from previously mentioning all the black ducks...)

 

[Bee]

East Ky that is east of I-75, S W Va, and E Tn all get bunch of black ducks on severe cold/snow and they come from Erie, Pa, Ny, Ontario and even Quebec. I have taken and have seen black duck bands from all of those places that support that migration route. . Sorta get pushed down the western edge of the Appalachian mountains.

 

[HeadedWest]

East Ky that is east of I-75, S W Va, and E Tn all get bunch of black ducks on severe cold/snow and they come from Erie, Pa, Ny, Ontario and even Quebec. I have taken and have seen black duck bands from all of those places that support that migration route. . Sorta get pushed down the western edge of the Appalachian mountains.

Any within the last 10 years?

 

[bigpuddin43]

this is the first year in the last 10 years I believe that we didnt kill any black ducks. used to kill 1 or 2 almost every weekend. I know of some shot this year but our group didnt kill any.

 

[HeadedWest]

this is the first year in the last 10 years I believe that we didnt kill any black ducks. used to kill 1 or 2 almost every weekend. I know of some shot this year but our group didnt kill any.

Do you see big flocks (10+) of black ducks when you get on them or are they mixed in with Mallards?

 

[bigpuddin43]

usually mixed with mallards but our best years on black ducks are always when there is snow in the north east.

 

[Bee]

Any within the last 10 years?

every year for a long time ...decades...