Weekly Waterfowl Report: 12/10/03

[SB]

MISSISSIPPI HABITAT CONDITIONS AND WATERFOWL NUMBERS
12/10/03


In previous years the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks (MDWFP) has been able to conduct waterfowl surveys and post waterfowl numbers on the MDWFP web site to aid hunters in locating waterfowl concentrations and follow migrations in Mississippi. In an effort to improve the survey method, the MDWFP has provided funding to Mississippi State University for research to develop a sampling method that is efficient, accurate, and more scientific for providing absolute numbers of waterfowl wintering in Mississippi. Over 1,800 miles of transects will be flown bi-monthly to obtain this data. Waterfowl numbers will be provided as soon as possible to waterfowl hunters across the state. In addition to this information, waterfowl hunting reports will be provided by hunters across all regions of the MS Delta.

WATERFOWL NUMBERS:

Waterfowl Aerial Survey Results

Aerial transect surveys of the Mississippi Alluvial Valley in the state of Mississippi

Area Dates Mallards Other dabbling ducks Diving ducks All ducks
NE 11/19-21 41,500 43,000 19,000 103,500
12/02-06 42,000 21,000 26,000 89,000
NW 11/19-21 18,500 21,000 11,000 50,500
12/02-06 14,000 17,000 5,000 36,000
SE 11/19-21 4,000 11,000 25,000 40,000
12/02-06 16,000 5,000 37,000 58,000
SW 11/19-21 12,000 10,000 2,000 24,000
12/02-06 4,000 2,000 2,000 8,000
South Delta11/19-21 NA NA NA NA
12/02-06 7,000 2,000 1,000 10,000
Total 11/19-21 76,000(37%*) 85,000(19%) 57,000(27%) 218,000(20%)
12/02-06 83,000(16%) 47,000(18%) 71,000(32%) 201,000(15%)

* Coefficient of Variation

Area descriptions:

Northeast: north of Hwy 82 to state line, east of a line from Indianola to Clarksdale (Highways 3 & 49) and Clarksdale to Helena (Highways 61 & 49) to hill line

Northwest: north of hwy 82, west of a line from Indianola to Clarksdale (Highways 3 & 49) and Clarksdale to Helena (Highways 61 & 49) to state line

Southeast: south of Hwy 82 to Vicksburg, east of Hwy 61 to hill line

Southwest: south of Hwy 82 to Vicksburg, west of Hwy 61 to state line

South Delta: Delta region south of Vicksburg to Natchez and south to the state line.



HABITAT AND WATER CONDITIONS:

MS Delta - Quality agricultural field habitat normally used by waterfowl will be limited this year due to dry weather. Because of the dry weather, farmers have been actively disking fields in preparation for next Spring's planting season. Fall disking significantly reduces availability of waste grain preferred by waterfowl for feeding. Other habitats have not been negatively impacted by the dry weather. A substantial rain (4"+) is needed to create more areas of surface water across the Delta.

North Delta - Water conditions have been reported as fair to poor. Most available surface water is due to pumping. Very little rain fall runoff has occurred. Most rainfall has soaked into the soil. Areas of surface water have been negatively affected by evaporation. The rainfall received during the night of 12/09/03 was minor with no runoff.

South Delta - The South Delta is very dry. The only areas with substantial surface water were artificially flooded. Soils have lost their moisture with area farmers observed back in the fields disking in preparation for next Spring's planting.


HUNTING REPORTS:

Private Lands

North Delta and South Delta - Hunting reports have been uniform across both the North and South Delta. Hunter success has been very low in the last week. Two different groups of hunters reported good success while hunting catfish ponds for Scaup and Northern Shovelers. One area in the north-central Delta has reported good to excellent success for all of the season thus far. This report is the exception rather than rule from all other reports. The key to this area is the history of waterfowl use of the area and its intensive waterfowl management.

Public Lands

North Delta - WMAs have seen a decrease in duck harvest of 1 bird/hunter on average with one area reporting a decrease from 2.3 birds per hunter a week ago to .8 birds/hunter this week. Average harvest rates have ranged from .5 birds/hunter to .8 birds/hunter for the current week. WMAs with the capability to pump areas have done so and are at normal pool. Those WMAs dependent on rains and river flooding are dry. Harvest has been primarily composed of Mallards and Wood Ducks.

South Delta - WMAs are maintaining an average duck harvest of 1 bird/hunter. Wood
Ducks and Mallards are the primary species being harvested. Some WMAs are still pumping water. A large rain event is needed to bring these areas to full pool. No new ducks have been reported.

[SB]

Sorry for the alignment of the numbers. They looked good before I hit the submit button. The short of it is; we lost ducks. I'll try to do better next time.

[mille011]

Thanks for the update Scott. Hopefully things will pick up in the next week or so. Keep up the good work!

[pintail10]

hey thank you sb. but id love to know if the ppl in the east part of the state could ever get a count? around itawamba county on the waterway.

[dukbum]

THANKS THERE SB!

[SB]

Pintail,

I'm not familiar with the ppl. Can you tell me what that is? The Corps flies the waterway the first full week of January each year. You will have call them to get the numbers. It is all we can do to fly the MS Delta. We concentrate our efforts there, because that is were most of the ducks winter. If you read the information above the numbers, it will give some insight on the research the MDWFP is funding.

Aaron Pierce is the student doing all the work for MSU. My hat is off to him for all that he has done. It is no fun being in a four seater airplane for 24-40 hours a week counting ducks. We are getting some good information from his study.

Stay tuned!

[Ringbill]

I think he means "people"...abbreviated as ppl.

Ringbill

[Strayshot]

Thanks, SB. Much appreciated.

[Delta Duck]

Thanks for the update.

Can Aaron tell the difference between ducks and decoys?
I think he counted all my decoys to get 30,000 plus in the North Delta!

Tell Aaron to land in Tunica and I will pick him up and treat him to lunch at the Blue and White!

Thanks for the great work.

[Ringbill]

Aaron Pearse works under my major professor's here...and let me tell you David I wish he would take you up on that lunch. I think last trip he flew on a very windy Saturday and may have lost the one he had...it get's rough on a 8 hour flying day or so he tells me. Only sickness i get is from counting rice seeds.

His estimates are proving to be fairly reliable (for those who don't know, that's what that 'coefficient of variation' refers to). I hope we see that number go up in the near future.

Ringbill

[SB]

ppl=people You can tell I went to Ole Miss now.

What will trick you is when your up flying, you see water and it looks like ducks on the shallow end of the soybean field. You turn the airplane to go take a closer look. As your approaching you realize those ducks are clumps of grass. You really feel stupid now. you have flown a mile and a half to count grass. You will catch the pilot sometimes turning towards those ducks with the perfect openings to the north or south with in a 25 yard radius of that rectangle shaped structure. Peopl just think there hidden.

Counting decoys....research has actually been done on this. They used a know number of decoys in both fields and woods to determine the accuracy of the person in the airplane counting ducks.

The Blue and White....I hear they have a good lemon morang (sp?) pie. Can I come along too? I need to do a ground count on ducks and geese up that way. Can I drive in?

[SB]

I was with Aaron the first few times he flew. I don't think he had flown a lot in a small plane before this job. That first day wasn't too good to him. I was in the back seat keeping an eye on him. He was fighting to keep it down. I thought to myself, "Man, this poor guy has three more years of this ahead of him." By the end of the first year he was back to eating breakfast before going up. Those blue bird days right after the front moves through are the best.

[pintail10]

Thank you Scott! Im sorry about the ppl (people) thing I though I was chatting for a minute. Hey I apprciate the info, just a question I had.
hey do you have the number i can call? I can tell ya i think we have 2 birds in this part of the state, 1s a coot the other a crane. Boy this Baptist Preacher needs a good hunt!

[SB]

Call 662-327-2142 and ask for a wildlife biologist. They have a few biologist, so you'll have to ask for the one that flew the survey.

[Wingman]

Slow down below 80 and open the window...that cold, fresh air does wonders for a queezy stomach!

I've been looking before and in such turbulent air over woods, that my head actually hit the ceiling...ouch.

Decoys always looked more white to me than ducks...and the fact that the water was so still around decoy spreads.

Glad y'all are doing these counts, Scott. Thanks for the hard work.

Wingman