Delta Waterfowl - News on Ducks and Duck Hunting

A Day in the Field: See Delta Waterfowl student Tim Kimmel as he bands mallards and gadwalls in North Dakota. Watch more Delta videos on our YouTube channel.

From the Breeding Grounds: It's Dry...Real Dry...Bad Dry (Posted July 8, 2008)

BISMARCK, N.D. -- What a difference a year makes.

Canadian Ponds Last year the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's annual Waterfowl Breeding Population and Habitat Survey painted a rosy picture -- Canada had the fourth-highest pond count in recorded history and five duck species were in record or near-record territory.

The 2008 breeding population survey, released this week by the Service, shows a 39 percent decline in Canadian ponds and double-digit percentage drops for 5 of the 10 most abundant species in the traditional survey area.

"Overall, the duck numbers aren't as bad as they might have been, but don't look for much production this year," says Dr. Frank Rohwer of Louisiana State University, Delta Waterfowl's scientific director. "Those areas across the breeding grounds that are wet are not the productive areas, and the most productive areas are dry...real dry...bad dry."

Read the full press release >>

Species at Risk Stewardship Fund and Ruffed Grouse Society Join Ontario ALUS Pilot (Posted July 8, 2008)

ALUS Two of the latest financial contributions to the Norfolk County, Ontario, ALUS pilot project highlight the range of environmental values that can result from the ALUS model of conservation.

The Alternate Land Use Services (ALUS) is a policy vision that seeks to compensate agricultural producers for providing ecological services for the good of society. The program was originally conceived by Manitoba’s Keystone Agriculture Producers and Delta Waterfowl Foundation as a mechanism to achieve healthy Canadian landscapes in partnership farmers and ranchers.

Minnesota Hen House Project Update by Matt Chouinard (Posted July 8, 2008)

Matt Chouinard Though things sound less promising in North Dakota and the Canadian prairies, the remaining wetlands in Minnesota seem to be in pretty good shape. According to the 2008 Waterfowl Breeding Population Survey, conducted in mid-May, wetland and mallard numbers in Minnesota were 32% and 34%, respectively, above their long term averages. This is good news for Minnesota duck hunters, and hopefully wetland conditions will remain good through the fall waterfowl hunting season.

Additional good news can be found with our cooperative project with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR). Though not surprising based on the waterfowl survey, roadside pair counts I conducted during May found good numbers (6 to 19 pairs per square mile) of mallards. I conducted the counts in the Working Lands Initiative Target Areas in Big Stone, Grant, and Stevens Counties, areas where we are also installing new Hen Houses. This bodes well for the 210 new Hen Houses I installed last winter, as well as the other 300 plus DNR Hen Houses I am monitoring and evaluating.

USFWS Regulations Committee Approves Scaup Harvest Strategy

Bag Limit Could be Reduced to One Bird for Upcoming Season (Posted June 30, 2008)

Bismarck, N.D -- American waterfowl hunters are one step closer to facing a reduced scaup bag limit for the upcoming hunting season.

That's because the Service Regulations Committee of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) approved a harvest strategy last week that paves the way for the bag limit reduction. The move was opposed by Delta Waterfowl, the state wildlife agencies in Louisiana, Minnesota, South Dakota and North Dakota, as well as the Mississippi and Central Flyway Councils and the California Waterfowl Association.

"The decision is very disheartening, but not all hope is lost," said Delta President Rob Olson, noting that the scaup bag limit for Mississippi and Central Flyway hunters could be reduced from two birds to one. "A final decision to reduce the scaup bag limit won't be decided until later this summer, but this move does send a clear message to scaup hunters that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is intent on reducing the bag limit, despite strong opposition from Delta and others. We believe the harvest model used by the Service may be inadequate and should be fully reexamined before any reduction in the scaup bag limit occurs."