WEATHER

[Paul26]

This has been a very favorable weather week for us. This storm in the NEast and Great Lake area is exactly what the doctor ordered. I have a friend on the Chesapeake and he said they were getting shat on pretty good.

Based on what I am seeing with my own eyes, it wasn’t bad enough here for the early arrivers to leave.

You read it here first: we are going to have 2012-like (TS Sandy) early numbers here in this first split. I am thinking i’ll be shooting at scaup during Thanksgiving weekend.

Anyone from Hyde County: pls PM in 3-4 days and let me know if there was a increase in numbers with this wx. I won’t be there until the last weekend of the season but I like to know what that magical place is holding

[black_duck]

Talked to a buddy whose got a good place on the Eastern Shore of MD. Said the mallards arrived there this week with the weather.

[Paul26]

Coming full moon on the 23d will not hurt either

[echoduck]

Going to take a lot more than this weak storm to get a significant push. You will see a push this week regardless of the weather, the calendar migrators. The hardy birds(mallards, divers) will not push until there is a lack of food/water. That’s why the boys on the Chesapeake are shooting blackheads after New Years instead of Thanksgiving.

[DuckMauler]

I saw 2 buffleheads while fishing Wednesday morning.....the migration is on in all seriousness, I spent 3 days on public water from sunrise to sunset fishing this week and never saw a single migrating duck(other than 2 buffleheads) and out of the duck hunters I saw never heard a single shot fired.

[EastBound&Down]

Your looking in the wrong places. Took a peak in the swamp this morning after deer hunting and I'm holding half the Atlantic flyway. Couple of wood ducks and a pair of mergansers. Getting ready to buy a case of shells and melt the gun barrel

[spots_2016]

Down here in southeastern NC I've seen a few migrating flocks coming in mainly puddle ducks and a few buffleheads and ringnecks

[DuckMauler]

Your looking in the wrong places. Took a peak in the swamp this morning after deer hunting and I'm holding half the Atlantic flyway. Couple of wood ducks and a pair of mergansers. Getting ready to buy a case of shells and melt the gun barrel

I'm ready for one of those EBD special wildlife viewing adventures

[EastBound&Down]

Your looking in the wrong places. Took a peak in the swamp this morning after deer hunting and I'm holding half the Atlantic flyway. Couple of wood ducks and a pair of mergansers. Getting ready to buy a case of shells and melt the gun barrel

I'm ready for one of those EBD special wildlife viewing adventures

Should of been with me yesterday. Watched small group of blackheads in the swamp yesterday in beaver pond for about 15mins. They were team hunting bait fish by rafting them together beating their wings on the water and then swarming on them to feed once bait got disoriented.

You just better get ready to get your feel of "gravies" come in a few weeks when I drop you off to visit with Steve

[Galactic Ricky]

BBs are around. Small groups and pairs in my neck of the woods.

[DuckMauler]

Your looking in the wrong places. Took a peak in the swamp this morning after deer hunting and I'm holding half the Atlantic flyway. Couple of wood ducks and a pair of mergansers. Getting ready to buy a case of shells and melt the gun barrel

I'm ready for one of those EBD special wildlife viewing adventures

Should of been with me yesterday. Watched small group of blackheads in the swamp yesterday in beaver pond for about 15mins. They were team hunting bait fish by rafting them together beating their wings on the water and then swarming on them to feed once bait got disoriented.

You just better get ready to get your feel of "gravies" come in a few weeks when I drop you off to visit with Steve

Oh I'm ready for gravies.....that's what gets my side of the blind pumping. You tell Gibbs that he doesn't get to go on any wildlife viewing events without me present.

[MakeApile]

This has been a very favorable weather week for us. This storm in the NEast and Great Lake area is exactly what the doctor ordered. I have a friend on the Chesapeake and he said they were getting shat on pretty good.

Based on what I am seeing with my own eyes, it wasn’t bad enough here for the early arrivers to leave.

You read it here first: we are going to have 2012-like (TS Sandy) early numbers here in this first split. I am thinking i’ll be shooting at scaup during Thanksgiving weekend.

Anyone from Hyde County: pls PM in 3-4 days and let me know if there was a increase in numbers with this wx. I won’t be there until the last weekend of the season but I like to know what that magical place is holding

Worst November split ive had in 7 years holes that have produced 50-60 ducks during the november split alone only had 3 ducks killed out of them.

[echoduck]

This has been a very favorable weather week for us. This storm in the NEast and Great Lake area is exactly what the doctor ordered. I have a friend on the Chesapeake and he said they were getting shat on pretty good.

Based on what I am seeing with my own eyes, it wasn’t bad enough here for the early arrivers to leave.

You read it here first: we are going to have 2012-like (TS Sandy) early numbers here in this first split. I am thinking i’ll be shooting at scaup during Thanksgiving weekend.

Anyone from Hyde County: pls PM in 3-4 days and let me know if there was a increase in numbers with this wx. I won’t be there until the last weekend of the season but I like to know what that magical place is holding

Worst November split ive had in 7 years holes that have produced 50-60 ducks during the november split alone only had 3 ducks killed out of them.

Join the club. Worst season for Hyde county since...last year. Everything went downhill for most of us about 3 years ago. Even with the right weather we lack birds. Seriously considering new hobbies

[Shurshot]

Agree about the 3 years ago when chit started going down hill. It started with that first extended very warm winter and hasnt seemed to changed much since. I will say that even though I’m not seeing hardly any birds in our area that we use to, I’ve personally had two nice hunts where we’ve shot 20 puddlers. Not seeing a lot but good shooting has accounted for the numbers.

[black_duck]

Just curious... What do y'all attribute the lack of birds to? Personally, I believe the last three seasons have been average to above average for myself. Lack of birds in the state? Birds being too concentrated on isolated areas?

[Shurshot]

I’m going to guess and say birds failed to be “pushed” into our areas when it got warm back to back several seasons ago. I think it might have then changed the distribution of birds using in eastern NC. I can tell you it has fallen way off during that time. I think if you were to look at the top producing state impoundments you will see a tremendous change in numbers taken. That plays out to all of those general areas too. Again, not exactly sure why. Waterfowl distributions are forever changing ever since records were being kept.

[EastBound&Down]

I’m going to guess and say birds failed to be “pushed” into our areas when it got warm back to back several seasons ago. I think it might have then changed the distribution of birds using in eastern NC. I can tell you it has fallen way off during that time. I think if you were to look at the top producing state impoundments you will see a tremendous change in numbers taken. That plays out to all of those general areas too. Again, not exactly sure why. Waterfowl distributions are forever changing ever since records were being kept.

Agree
Warmer winters and the ducks just don't come anymore.
Lack of habitat, poor water quality, lack of SAV state wide
My observation is that it has fallen off 50% over the last 3-4 year period compared to what the norm was 10,15,20 years ago

[black_duck]

I agree with the idea that the distribution of waterfowl is forever changing. Ducks adapt, and the lowering quality of food and water on the sounds, bays and lake mattamuskeet have certainly affected this. However, if my memory is correct, the waterfowl count for Lake Mattamuskeet and the surrounding area have been higher over the last five years than ever before. I'm not really sure if I believe this though, as the quality of the lake has diminished considerably, and places where you'd drive around and see thousands of ducks from the side of the road are void of ducks. Maybe they are shifting to fewer, larger, and more secluded impoundments?

[echoduck]

Counts have been lower much lower. 2 years ago the lake was holding 25% of the 10 year average the week after thanksgiving. This is historically the highest count of the year, not January as a lot of folks think. I don’t think they have moved to “x” place on the coast. I know a lot of impoundment owners in Hyde and all give a similar story over the last 3 years. I think they simply aren’t moving down this far. Plenty of food, good weather and open water, why would they move south? Hyde has a lot of problems right now but I think there are more problems at the flyway level.

[EastBound&Down]

Hyde has a lot of problems right now but I think there are more problems at the flyway level.

100% agree

[Paul26]

If you don't believe in climate change, become a duck hunter.

This is ridiculous. Of course our Flyway is confused.....I have been looking at maps like this for the past 4 years.

[HydeMarsh]

I think Echoduck is spot on that the problem is at the flyway level.

I am not sure what the major duck habitat organizations do in regards to breeding habitat for the Atlantic flyway. It may be substantial but I can find little on it. It is obvious that much DU and Delta effort goes on in Alberta, Sask, and Manitoba - it is my understanding that many of these ducks traverse the Miss, Central and Pacific flyways.

Part of the issue with discussions on these forums is that there is a portion of the state affected by flyways and a big part in which flyways do not produce duck numbers. My questions below are really in regard to the coastal counties affected by the Atlantic flyway.

Are the guys to the north of us killing more ducks? I do not think so.

Are the hunters to the south killing more ducks? Do not think that is happening.

Do you guys know where NC's green wing teal come from?

How bout Wigeon and Gadwall?

Pintails?

Redheads, Sacaup, Cans, Buffleheads?

The question may not be "are they coming down?" but rather are they coming across?

Are we sure we really know how many scaup there are? Are Zebra Mussels and deep open great lakes keeping the bulk of them there?

Has it become widely known in the duck world that Eastbound and Duck Mauler reside in NC and the sheer fear from that fact is keeping them away?

LOT of questions and few answers.

[DuckMauler]

I agree with the idea that the distribution of waterfowl is forever changing. Ducks adapt, and the lowering quality of food and water on the sounds, bays and lake mattamuskeet have certainly affected this. However, if my memory is correct, the waterfowl count for Lake Mattamuskeet and the surrounding area have been higher over the last five years than ever before. I'm not really sure if I believe this though, as the quality of the lake has diminished considerably, and places where you'd drive around and see thousands of ducks from the side of the road are void of ducks. Maybe they are shifting to fewer, larger, and more secluded impoundments?

There is no way that the numbers on the lake itself alhave been higher in the last 5 years than in years past. I remember the days of old(10-20 years ago) driving across 94 and seeing so many birds that you could literally walk across the lake on them. The last 5 years you might drive the whole lake and see 20 birds total sitting. It's pitiful.

I do believe that the Atlantic flyway as a whole has a major problem. Our biggest problem in NC is the fact that there is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to hold them here. Back in the day the sounds and coastal areas were loaded with grass(which is why Currituck and mattamuskeet were such a duck/bass fishing capitals) there were lots of birds even on the 'down years'. I think I read somewhere that the mallard limit for the Atlantic flyway will be cut in half next year? I remember up until about 6 years ago that I would kill 50-70 mallards per year......haven't shot one in NC in 3 years now. I certainly know that the people both north and south of us are killing more than we are although it may not be much more.......I'm not even seeing sucks sitting on any of the 1000000000000 refuges we have in our state. To date I've seen 9 migratory waterfowl since the beginning of fall. Haven't even thought about going duck hunting. First the bluebill limit was cut down, then we lost our 90 day sea duck season which before social media got to he so big no one hunted sea ducks, now the mallard limit is going down.......things are bad. I may not pick up a shotgun a single time this year in NC. It's hard to go when all you think about is what used to be.

[sightseer]

I have about 60 acres of grain impoundments that I built in southeastern NC about 10 years ago. My place is within 15 miles of the the NC/SC state line. I do not have a bunch of impoundments around me like Hyde County so I have little competition from the neighbors. I can give you some of my observations.
1. I have about the same amount of ducks as I had last year maybe a little more for the time of year. (About 1200) I had Florence visit this year so I closed up my fields just before the storm. I have never had water on them that early in the year as I pump and it takes about 3 weeks to fill them and I'm always behind. Right after Florence, I had between 2,000 and 3,000 birds. The majority were blue wings and maybe 150 wood ducks.
2. The day before the opening in November all of my ducks left! I observed them on Friday, called my friends and said we were going to smoke them on opening day and only saw 150 birds Saturday morning! A mass migration!
3. The green wings showed up about two weeks later and have stayed put for now. A large group of wood ducks showed up
last week. I've killed a few banded woodies over the last two years and they mostly come from Minnesota of all places and even Manitoba! So talking about a west to east migration may not be all wrong. The teal I have killed with bands have come from Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Ontario.
4. I always get a bunch of merganser late season and they have showed up a little early and I'm holding about 150 of those at the moment. Yee Ha!
5. I have seen less than 10 big ducks in the impoundments this year. I never have that many, maybe 50 or 60 mallards, a few gadwall and about 10 black ducks by Christmas but not this year. You would think that I would hold a bunch of big ducks with all the other ducks that I'm holding but no such luck and never have. It may have to do with not much habitat in the area to hold them. IDK
6. When they eat all the food they are gone like the wind. That explains Lake Mattamuskeet. No food = no ducks! My impoundments look beautiful with 14 inches of water in them and pretty corn stalks but when the kernels are gone off the cobbs
the ducks are gone too!
All in all its an average to better year especially since I flooded early. I think I will up my flood schedule again next year and buy some OFF for the bugs. It just doesn't feel like duck hunting though. So that's a report from the non duck area of NC.
YMMV