Warmth cuts into waterfowl hunting

Turn to colder weather favoring outdoorsmen in recent days.

Published online on Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2008

Waterfowl hunters haven't had much to quack about this season thanks to dry conditions and warmer-than-normal temperatures.

But like the weather, which has gotten foggier and chillier in the past week, perhaps fortunes are beginning to turn.

"Maybe it's a sign things are about to pick up," said Will Johnson of Fresno, a waterfowl hunter and Ducks Unlimited officer who frequents local public hunting areas.

"If you look back in the month of November, we might have gotten one or two days where it dropped below 60 degrees. You can't waterfowl hunt in that type of weather unless you're in Mexico or something."

Waterfowl season got off to a strong start in mid-October but it didn't take long for hunters to bag all the resident birds. Other birds hankered down and saw no need to leave their nests during daylight hours.

Until the weather changes, forcing migratory birds from Oregon, Washington and even British Columbia to flee their frozen habitat, the pattern will hold.

"Normally we have a good opener and then there's nothing until December," said Roger Wilbur, assistant manager of the Los Banos Wildlife Area. "But this year it's been even a little slower than usual."

Last weekend's results show an uptick over previous weekends, no doubt caused by the colder weather.

Saturday, 152 hunters at Los Banos Wildlife Area averaged 1.28 birds and 294 at Mendota Wildlife Area averaged 1.64. Sunday, 76 hunters at Los Banos averaged 2.07 birds, while 161 at Mendota averaged 0.86.

Gadwalls, mallards and shovelers were the most common bird bagged by hunters at those two public areas. Green-winged teals are also starting to make an appearance, Johnson said.

Hunters generally prefer mallards and pintails to teal and shovelers, but most will take what they can get.

Fog can also benefit hunters, as long as it hovers a couple of hundred feet above ground level.

"Birds will fly a little bit below the fog to see where they're going, and that allows hunters to see them as well," Johnson said. "When the fog is really, really thick, we can't see them and they can't see us."

Daily bag limits for licensed hunters are seven birds, and must not have more than one female mallard and two pintail, redheads or scaup of either sex. Possession limits are double the daily limits.

Waterfowl season ends in late January.