anyone know were all the birds are in the skagit area?

[Shannon]

I have heard from many people that we will get more birds when it gets cold again. I can't figure this year out myself. A lot of fields I have been hunting for 20+ years have less birds using them than I have ever seen. The counts on the bays are really close to historic averages so I am not thinking there will be waves of ducks coming on the next cold snap. I hope I am wrong. I have had some good shoots but the days I wake up and hear the wind and rain thinking today is going to be a good day end up being so so. I will say I haven't hunted the salt once this year and I know that is part of my problem but by now the fields should be holding more birds than I am seeing. Hopefully I am wrong and a cold snap brings birds out of the wood work.

[Little Dave]

A company that does the bald eagle float trips there reported that the eagles left, figuring the river flushed out a lot of the salmon during the high water.  I'm not sure how displaced eagles affect the other birds, but it could be part of the reason.

[duckhunter]

the people who fly the bays to get an esstimate on about how many birds are here say there are not many at all even on the bays there are some but not near what the last years have been yeah the cold weather will help but it would need to stay cold for like a week straight.

[Shannon]

The report I got had an average year on the bays. Skagit was way down but Samish/Padilla Bays were up enough to make up for it. Where did you get a report that said any different? The one I had was from the state and I think it was done on 12/10. Thats why I am not holding my breath for a cold front to bring in a ton of birds. Maybe the report I got was inaccurate. Good Luck to all anyways. Its still better than work no matter how you look at it.

[mjbskwim]

Well over here in Sequim,we had huge rafts of ducks just before Turkey day.Now there hasn't been enough to get me out of bed in the morning.We saw flocks of a hundred +- around.Now maybe 5-10
Hope more come down soon.

[h2ofowlr]

I wouldn't mind a few more good wind storms and some cooler temps.  That should at least get the birds move a little bit more.

[duckhunter]

yeah this weather feels like summer and its winter duck and goose time and this weather is totall *censored*. im tired of it! wind of some 20 degree temps is wat we need for a week straight. these ducks that came down here in that little snow storm we had went back north or to canada and are just waiting for the cold weather. no cold and windy winter=no good waterfowl hunting.

[D-Rock425]

I haven't hunted much this year but when I have got out its been pretty slow for me.