Waterfowl Migration Update November 8, 2013
The south central waterfowl hunting zone in Illinois opens up this weekend so it’s time to start our weekly waterfowl migration updates for 2013/2014. Expectations this year are high with the number of waterfowl surveyed over the summer and the cool start we’ve had to fall. Hopefully mother nature will continue to cooperate and this year will be a great year for waterfowl hunting.
Duck Migration
A series of fronts over the past couple weeks has the duck migration in full swing. Pintails, teal, and gadwall are numerous across much of Missouri and Illinois. There has even been a few positive reports out of Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas of good numbers of ducks already this year. Pockets of mallards do exist across these areas as the calendar birds begin pushing south. The big groups of mallards that every waterfowl hunter dreams of are currently across the southern tier of Canada and the Dakotas. Temperatures are dipping below freezing at night and small bodies of water are icing up only to thaw during the day as temps rise above freezing.
Snow Goose/Specklebelly Migration
Light geese are strung out from the Dakotas all the way to Arkansas just as the ducks are. A good number of migrating geese and specklebellies have been moving through our part of Illinois this week and should continue to do so in the future as large concentrations have still been reported all the way to the Canadian border.
Canada Goose Migration
The leading edge of migrating Canada geese have been noted across the Dakotas, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. Let’s hope this year us “southerners” get a crack at them after missing out the last two years.
Next Week’s Weather
The weather this week looks to continue the waterfowl migration southward. A storm system from the north-northwest will move across the central plains and midwest during the middle of the week. Colder temperatures and even snow are being talked about. It doesn’t appear to be a huge system that will blanket a large area, but could leave a narrow band of snow in it’s wake. The drop in temperatures should lock up bodies of water in Canada and many areas in North Dakota other than the rivers. Snow cover is missing all the way across the border into Canada, but as water freezes some birds will move south. As cold air and snow cover begin to build in central Canada, it looks to be only a matter of time before the waterfowl migration gets into full swing as we approach the winter months.
Duck season is now closed across most states. Those that are still open, will end this weekend. With no major weather system forecasted across the country, ducks will likely not make any large scale 
We are quickly approaching the Spring Snow Goose Conservation Season. Unlike last year, it appears as though most of the snow geese have migrated south of I70 across Missouri and Illinois. There have been a few reports of birds north of that line, but not many. Warm temperatures last weekend led to a northward waterfowl migration of snow geese, but many quickly returned south as single digits lows impacted many locations across the Midwest. One of the keys aspects of the snow goose migration is the snow line. True snow cover can’t be found until you reach South Dakota and Minnesota. Snow geese will typically push north until they reach the snow line. With the snow line that far north, look for snow geese to begin to push north quickly as we begin to make our transition to warmer temperatures. Of course, the snow line is subject to change quickly if any weather systems move through. The one aspect that might hold them for the time being is the cold temperatures and frozen water. Cool to seasonable temperatures are forecasted for much of the Midwest through the weekend, but then a warmup is forecasted for early in the week. This could send birds north on Monday and Tuesday in time for the opening of the Conservation Season on February 1st in Illinois and Missouri. As is the case with snow geese, the leading edge of birds is typically all adults. Hunt at your own risk!
Most of the duck hunting zones in Illinois and Missouri are now closed, but many ducks remain. As the season closed in the south-central zone, if you had open water, you were killing ducks. It was a great end to the season for many duck hunters across the area. Further south where the season is still open, many ducks are still around and with the warm weather and thawing ice, many reports of a reverse waterfowl migration are popping up. The bounce back should be short lived as an arctic front and possible winter storm are slated for Sunday. Canada Geese and Snow Geese should follow along with the ducks with the coming weather.
The key is to locate the “X” with the number of geese that are around. Hunting off of the field they’re using might yield a little success, but there isn’t hardly enough geese around to make it worth while.
birds held tight yesterday in the wind and snow, but the sunny skies and north wind today have them on the move across Missouri and Illinois. The snow and freeze line birds have finally been forced to move. Areas north of a line from Kansas City, MO to Peoria, IL are not forecasted to get above freezing for the next 7 days. Water should continue to freeze and ducks should continue to migrate south over the coming days. The majority of the birds around in Illinois and Missouri are Mallards with a few puddle ducks and divers in the mix.
