U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) release the 2024 Waterfowl Population Status Report

Damn baldplates be doing some fricking....


What I want to know are ringnecks up or down????

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What I want to know are ringnecks up or down????

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That's what I was thinking! They forgot the most important duck!

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What scientific reason would there be for widgeon to increase by half.

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They may or may not have increased. The margin of error on their duck counting is 50%.

How bad are pintail numbers nationwide if we are down that bad. They seem to be everywhere here.

I'm calling bullshite on that wigeon increase. It's probably the most common species on my Central Texas tanks so I guess I will find out.

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How bad are pintail numbers nationwide

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They’re not.

The pacific and central flyway have been absolutely loaded with pintail the past few seasons.

The problem with pintail are the drake and hen ratio is so out of whack, they need to raise the limit to 3 but make it all drakes.

Side note a buddy just got to Sask the other day to get ready for the season and said there’s more ducks there than he’s seen in a decade.

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they need to raise the limit to 3 but make it all drakes.

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I think they did raise it to 3, but not till 2025-26.

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What I want to know are ringnecks up or down????
That's what I was thinking! They forgot the most important duck!

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No doubt...in my neck of the woods if it weren't for ringers and wood ducks there'd be entire seasons where the total harvest for even good duck hunters would be 5-6 birds. Blackjacks are the sportingest duck there is....fast acrobatic flying machines that LOVE decoys and bad calling....and smoke or make a gumbo about as good as anything....

My first duck hunt in the PNW was at McNary NWR and was with a co-worker who had lived in the area his entire life and had nearly 60 years experience hunting ducks in the area. For those not aware the Columbia River Valley is Mallard Central...may not be quite as high numbers as the Central Flyway but hunter hours per bird is probably better....the place is CRAWLING with Mallards of the year and they are easy, early, to decoy...way easier than they are by the time they get to the Southern Central flyway. Any way we are sitting in the blind and ringnecks are pouring into the decoys as they are wont to do....and of course my old flatulent Lab and I are. as is our custom, planning on shooting the things. Old dude I was with was under the impression they were some sort of coot. Seriously. They do not shoot ringers at all, nearly! I have always subscribed to the "when in Rome" way of thinking so I did not shoot them either....but it was DAMNED difficult for a north Georgia redneck not to limit out on them within 15 minutes of shooting time every trip. My old flatulent Lab, having never been to Rome, was very put out with me about this flaw in my character....

I could be wrong but I believe ring necks nest in the boreal forest and it’s why they aren’t listed. Not much real data on ring necks breeding activities that I am aware of, but delta has been doing some ringneck research the last few years. This one study and show of effort is why I donate to delta over DU, I don’t see mallards anymore and could care less about them, I want my money going to the birds I still see and hunt.

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What scientific reason would there be for widgeon to increase by half.

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Low numbers the previous years and things returning to or oscillating around baseline.