Waterfowl forecast bright for duck hunters

Breeding ducks reached a record high in 2015 following several consecutive years of exceptionally wet weather in the Prairie Pothole Region of the northern United States.

This year’s estimate of breeding ducks was 49.5 million birds, a slight increase from last year’s record total and the largest since standardized surveys began in 1955, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

This year’s mallard breeding population of 11.6 million birds was also a record, eclipsing the previous high of 11.2 million birds set in 1958.

Green-winged teal numbers were up 19 percent, hitting a record high of almost 4.1 million birds. Populations of gadwalls, redheads, canvasbacks, blue-winged teal, American wigeon, and northern shovelers were also well above their long-term averages, while northern pintails and scaup remained below their long-term averages, according to the survey.

Here are the forecasts for the Mississippi Flyway and Central Flyway, provided by the waterfowl conservation group, Ducks Unlimited.

MISSISSIPPI FLYWAY

The Mississippi Flyway receives most of its waterfowl from the Prairie Pothole Region, as well as from Canada, the Great Lakes states and the Arctic.

Canada biologist Lena Vanden Elsen said the outlook for waterfowl breeding is mixed in southern Manitoba this year.

“Habitat conditions have been variable due to sporadic precipitation combined with carryover water from last year’s wet conditions,” she said. “Nest initiation was early, but a severe mid-May storm may have reduced the size of mallard and pintail clutches. However, thanks to above-average spring temperatures, peak nesting cover growth occurred early, benefiting late-nesting species such as gadwalls and blue-winged teal as well as renesting mallards and other ducks.”

Mallards and other ducks raised in the Great Lakes states are an important component of the waterfowl harvest throughout the Mississippi Flyway and in the mid-Atlantic states. In Minnesota and Wisconsin, mallard numbers were similar to last year’s estimates and their long-term averages.

In Michigan, mallard numbers were also similar to the previous year’s estimate, but remained below their longterm average. Total duck numbers were up in Minnesota this spring and were similar to the previous year’s estimates in Wisconsin and Michigan, but remained below their long-term averages in each of these states.

CENTRAL FLYWAY

The majority of Central Flyway waterfowl are raised on the prairies of the United States and Canada. Saskatchewan consistently ranks at the top of North America’s most important waterfowl breeding areas.

More than 13.5 million breeding ducks were surveyed across the grasslands of this province, similar to the 2014 estimate and 74 percent above the long-term average.

Canada biologist Kelly Rempel reports that despite variable wetland conditions, another strong waterfowl breeding effort was observed in Saskatchewan this year.