Where'd The Birds Go??

[pickardjw]

I was wondering why there were so few people out hunting in the Everett area today. Very few ducks flying, saw zero geese. Decided to check the DU migration map and it looks like a lot of reports saying the ducks are gone in WA and northern OR. Just hunted the same area last weekend and had plenty of birds flying.

Y'all still got ducks in your areas?

[metlhead]

Lots of birds. They are just spread out with all the sheet water. They also have no reason to fly once they have a safe spot.

[pickardjw]

Gonna try a spot tomorrow that was good for me last January, see if it's any different.

[h2ofowlr]

Still plenty of birds in the area.  You just need to put some miles on to find them.

[pickardjw]

How do you scout public land duck hunting opportunities? I know most of the public spots between I-90 and Mt Vernon, which is the range I’m generally willing to travel for a day trip. I know the birds have been sparse from Everett down, at least off the salt. My boat is not salt ready/worthy nor am I. DU reports from other areas are saying the same thing I’m seeing.

I could drive up to the skagit area and look around but in my experience, every time I scout it doesn’t help at all. Saw 200 birds land in a spot a month ago, hunted it the next morning. Bumped the ducks off the water setting up and nothing ever came back. I guess I’m a little lost on how to scout in general. Every time I try it doesn’t seem to help.

I’ve read before, “find where the birds go after they’ve been shot off their first landing spot for the morning” or something along those lines but how do you actually do that when everything around you is private?

[metlhead]

Even many of the private hunting properties can struggle this late unless they are supplemented with grown feed. The amount of land that does not allow hunting far surpasse that which does, and birds have eventually found those places. It takes a massive feeze to kick the birds south. Go to every small farm, golf course, park, city pond, waste water treatment facility and so on. Add the numbers up and youll' realize there are one heckuva lot of birds from Canada to Oregon. Safe spots. Huntable birds just take time and experience to find.

[metlhead]

My area on the coast is a large wintering area for tremendous numbers of birds. After any large rain event, the place seems empty as the majority of the birds head up the river valleys to fresh water and food. Knocking on doors has not worked, so the birds enjoy freedom. It'll  take a few weeks of dry weather to concentrate birds again. Best bet is the early days of a good freeze to push birds to the rivers and then the estuaries in my area.

[Stein]

I agree, they have water and sanctuary galore.  I have ducks in my back yard daily now, I don't remember having that happen before in the 15 years we've lived here.  The local duck ponds are pretty much loaded.

[ghosthunter]

Thousands of birds along Pioneer Hwy between Mount Vernon and Starwood all private.