Conditions Improving For Duck Nesting Grounds

Delta Waterfowl forecasts that ducks arriving in the prairie pothole region of the Dakotas and Canada will find far better conditions to produce ducks — hopefully a lot of ducks — than they have for past few years.

Data collected and mapped by The Duck Hunters Organization, as well as the conditions observed by “boots on the ground,” show that wetland habitat conditions in the PPR look to be much improved. Delta’s Predator Management trappers and Hen House delivery specialists are reporting ample snowpack in the core of the PPR of northern North Dakota, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and portions of Alberta.

Mike Buxton, waterfowl programs manager for Delta Waterfowl, gathers hydrologic and weather station data and compiles it into Delta’s Waterfowl Breeding Habitat Conditions Map.” The Feb. 28, 2022, map shows outstanding improvement over what looked to be dire habitat conditions going into the winter.

“Things are looking good on the prairies, especially when you get up into Canada,” Buxton said. “It’s been a snowy winter in Saskatchewan and Manitoba. In fact, at least until mid-February, Winnipeg was reporting its third-snowiest winter on record. Big snowfalls in Saskatchewan and Manitoba, combined with winds that drifted the snow right into the wetlands where it is most beneficial, mean good conditions when the melt begins.”

Eastern North Dakota has good sheet water and wetland levels, a stark contrast to the past couple years, when everything from seasonal to even semi-permanent wetlands were bone dry. Water — or the lack thereof — is the greatest determinant of duck production, and in turn, good hunting seasons. Not only does a generous snowpack lead to large fall flights, but a high number of naïve, juvenile ducks means more birds over decoys and happy hunters.

Buxton has also heard reports from Delta trappers in the Devil’s Lake area of northeastern North Dakota that the permanent wetlands are full of water, and the first mallards are already starting to arrive.

February and March are normally prime time for Delta’s Hen House delivery specialists to be in the prairie wetlands maintaining and adding to the fleet of more than 10,000 mallard-producing nesting structures in the PPR.

“They’re reporting a bad-news/good-news situation,” said Matt Chouinard, Delta’s senior waterfowl programs and Delta Marsh property manager. “The bad news is there’s been so much snow, it has been challenging for them to do their work. The good news is obvious: All that snow should make for great wetland conditions when the ducks return.”

Forecasts for nesting season conditions in Alberta are less clear.

“One of our Hen House contractors near Red Deer, Alberta, said he was able to drive his pickup truck out onto the dry wetlands there to complete his work in January,” Chouinard said. “However, since then, he reported that the area got significant snow later on, which should help.”

In the Pacific Flyway, drought conditions continue to plague California, and reduced water allocations for the crop season will hamper duck production. Farther north, wetland conditions have improved in Washington and Oregon, while important waterfowl breeding areas in Alaska are starting the spring in good to excellent shape.

Switching to the Atlantic Flyway, the deep greens and blues on Delta’s conditions map covering the eastern half of Canada indicate wetland conditions should be historically good for the upcoming nesting season there. John Clements, Delta regional director for eastern Canada, confirms heavy snowfall in this important Atlantic Flyway breeding region.

“With the snow pack we see from northern Ontario through Quebec and into all of the Maritimes, there will be plenty of water,” Clements said. “The wetlands will be brimming once the melt kicks in. We just need warming temperatures to make it happen so they’re ready when the ducks and geese arrive.”

Looking at the big picture across Canada and the PPR, Delta Waterfowl believes there’s cause for optimism among those who love ducks and duck hunting leading into the nesting season.