Sure-Shot Game Calls

The Zen of Wingshooting - Delta Waterfowl The Zen of Wingshooting All live in the moment when ducks are over decoys By Kyle Wintersteen My dog (and yours, I imagine) has this remarkable, downright enviable ability to live life strictly in the moment. He can fall into a deep, leg-twitching slumber, but should I gently sweep the back door ope...

Teal Time: Mature drakes are typically the first to leave the breeding grounds, followed by adult hens and juvenile birds, which have only recently developed primary feathers required for flying. By Labor Day, large flights of teal are on the move, riding the cool winds of early cold fronts. For waterfowlers, the appearance of these swift little ducks is a welcome harbinger of autumn following a long, hot summer.

The migration habits of blue-winged teal set them apart from other North American waterfowl. They not only migrate earlier than other waterfowl species—including the more cold-tolerant green-winged teal—they also journey faster and farther from their breeding grounds. Many bluewings blow through the US in a matter of days, stopping only briefly along the way to feed and rest.
Photo: Michael Furtman

The Best Shotgun for You | Ducks Unlimited No matter your skill level, experience, or budget, you need a gun that fits

Handle the Handler: 7 Tips for Gundogs and Trainers Here are seven tips from some top Eukanuba Pro Trainers on what dog handlers can do to work more successfully with their gundogs.

Ever heard of the “duck factory”?

Biologists often refer to the Prairie Pothole Region of the north central US and central Canada using this phrase. Complexes of small wetlands and adjacent grasslands make this region unique and especially hospitable to breeding ducks. This year, the US portion of the PPR is experiencing wet weather making conditions promising for duck production, especially later nesting species such as gadwall.

📸 photo: wetlands and grasslands in central North Dakota during mid-August 2024.

Early Season Retriever Safety - Delta Waterfowl Early Season Retriever Safety By Bill Miller The conditions and terrain most dogs encounter during the early duck season are significantly different than on other opening days, such as a dove hunt in a hot, dry field. Nor do duck dogs put on the dry, dusty miles of bird dogs in the prairie states hu...

🚨 The 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰 𝗪𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝘄𝗹 𝗕𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗼𝗽𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗛𝗮𝗯𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁 𝗦𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗲𝘆 from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) results are in!

Our team of experts weigh in on the data collected by the USFWS earlier this May and provide valuable insight into what duck hunters can expect in their flyways this fall.

Along with analyzing the year-to-year and long-term averages for several waterfowl species, our team reviews the May pond counts and Eastern Survey results and makes predictions about how the hunting season will unfold.

https://deltawaterfowl.org/annual-breeding-waterfowl-population-survey-estimates-33-99-million-ducks-up-5-from-2023/

Looking Ahead: What’s New for the 2025-2026 season?

According to the companion Adaptive Harvest Management report released simultaneously with the 2024 Waterfowl Population Status report, the USFWS will recommend a three-pintail daily limit next year for all four flyways for the first time since 1997. This recommendation originates from a recently approved interim pintail harvest strategy.

To learn more, visit www.ducks.org/ducknumbers.


Photo: Austin Moffet

Using GPS locations collected by our mallards we are able to identify areas that are frequently visited during different times of the year. The more a duck revisits an area, the more they will remember about the landscape including where the food, safety, and hunters are. We are using this analysis to better understand the cognitive ability of waterfowl throughout their life cycle. The map below shows a drake mallard that had set up home base on Reelfoot Lake (red circle) before hunting season started, but he decided to relocate (blue arrow) down to Hop-In Refuge (pink circle) once hunting season opened. This bird stayed at Hop-In Refuge for the rest of the hunting season - notice that red coloration which indicates greater revisitation to the area.

New $100 million Cox Enterprises gift could help save North America’s Prairie Pothole Region Cox Enterprises has donated $100 million to the wetland and waterfowl conservation nonprofit Ducks Unlimited to preserve threatened wetlands in the Prairie Pothole Region.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service plans to open a large amount of acres for public hunting and fishing!

While this expansion will provide more hunting opportunities, Delta Waterfowl will continue to push for increased access for hunters to federal refuge lands identified as being potential waterfowling hotspots.

https://deltawaterfowl.org/delta-waterfowl-cheers-expansion-of-hunting-access-on-national-wildlife-refuges-urges-greater-action/

2024 State Waterfowl Survey Results and Roles in Adaptive Harvest Management This year’s state waterfowl surveys offer mixed results that will continue to influence Adaptive Harvest Management (AHM) decisions across our flyways.

Let’s talk about the interesting variation we see between individual ducks as we look at two of our GPS marked gadwall. This drake gadwall flew over 2,000 miles further than a hen gadwall marked at the same time. Both of these birds were captured and fitted with a GPS transmitter the same day and followed similar paths for about a month until a major cold snap shook up the landscape. The drake gadwall flew south in search of open water, while the hen gadwall hunkered down and found moving water that stayed open. The drake started his migration two weeks before the hen and arrived in Canada a full month earlier. Each individual animal faces trade-offs between movements, exploration costs, and the potential gains. One goal of our research is to better understand how these differences in behaviors actually affect waterfowl migrations, wintering/breeding areas, and ultimately survival.

The 10 Best Duck Hunting Dogs | Field & Stream Ever wonder what retrievers made the best duck hunting dogs? Click to read our expert's picks for the top duck dog breeds.

2024 California Waterfowl Breeding Population Survey Results The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) 2024 Waterfowl Breeding Population Survey observed a decrease in the estimated total breeding duck population, down 25% from 2023.

Behind the Numbers | Ducks Unlimited Here’s what you need to know about the annual Waterfowl Breeding Population and Habitat Survey

Barrel Length Ballistics - Delta Waterfowl Barrel Length Ballistics Adding or decreasing a few inches of barrel can enhance wingshooting By Brad Fitzpatrick I once asked a skilled s***t shooter why he strictly shot guns with 30-inch barrels. Certain that a long and detailed dissertation on barrel length would follow, I was a bit taken aback....

Last week we checked in on a hen mallard on the breeding grounds, so this week we are going to take a look at the summer habits of drake mallards. This drake mallard from Tennessee National Wildlife Refuge arrived to the breeding grounds of Saskatchewan in late April of 2024. He hung around the same area for over a month, likely keeping an eye on his pair-bonded hen and her nest. Drakes will often accompany their hen on nest recesses and will breed with them again if the nest fails, but they keep their distance from the nest to avoid attracting predators. Once the eggs hatch, the drakes generally fly to a secluded molting area where they spend the rest of their summer replacing their feathers and feeding up for the fall migration. Take a look at the map below to see how this drake back tracks along his spring migration path to find a suitable molting location after breeding. #

The Harvest Information Program, HIP, was first instituted in 1999 and has since proven itself extremely useful in helping guide the management of North American waterfowl populations.

However, many waterfowl hunters do not fully understand the importance of this yearly survey on harvest numbers and hunter effort. Before buying your license this season, read up on how you play an important role in waterfowl management.

https://deltawaterfowl.org/what-is-hip/