Local hatch

[Nershi]

How is the hatch looking in everyone’s area?

It is looking pretty bleak in the areas I have been. I have only see a couple duck broods. Most of the hens I have seen have been getting chased by drakes and hopefully there will be some successful second hatches.

Geese are not looking good either. Lots of pairs with no goslings and the ones that do seem to be small numbers of goslings.

Doesn’t sound good on the prairie nesting grounds north of us. Hopefully ducks pushed up to the boreal and do okay.

[Drunk_Dynasty]

Lots of ducklings and goslings in the metro, although I don’t think that means sh!t in the larger picture unfortunately.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[Hansen]

I think the match will suck overall. Few wetlands, ducks competing with honkers and swans for prime nesting locations. I’ve not see much, a few wood duck broods.

[lickmyvowels]

Plenty of goslings in the Alex area....haven't seen chit for ringers that are normally on this lake.

[img]

IMG_20210625_181133625.jpg

[/img]

[Fish Felon]

Geese broods---good, at least average compared to the past five years, probably above average.

Ducks broods---necxt to non-existent. I've seen one hen mallard on Mille Lacs that had four ducklings, and that's the extent of the ducklings I've seen.

I'm in the highest density wood duck production area on the continent. The habitat is plentiful and stable. Being plowed under isn't a risk....severe drought isn't a risk. Up until 7-8 years ago wood ducks always proliferated here.

One of my spots that I hunt on opener most years would have 500-1000 ducks on it when I scouted it the day before, mainly wood ducks. Two years ago I baited it for two weeks, which I'd never done before, and there was a grand total of a dozen the day before when I scouted it the day before.

There's something going on with duck production in central MN, possibly any area of the state that overlaps with the grouse range. I say this because West Nile has been confirmed in grouse in MN. Unfortunately there has been very little research on it in terms of production. They did what I gather is an annual hunt for the ruffed grouse society by either Grand Rapids or Ely, i forget, and they didn't shoot many. The ones they shot were all adults.

I'm seeing the same thing in ducks especially in wood ducks. It used to be out of ten maybe one or two would be adults. I've only seen a couple juvenile wood ducks shot over the past several years.

This isn't a DA rant.....the issue isn't hunting or habitat related. It's something else. I used to jump several hundred wood ducks in a single flush when jump shooting....now a dozen across my entire float "isn't bad."

[lickmyvowels]

Geese broods---good, at least average compared to the past five years, probably above average.

Ducks broods---necxt to non-existent. I've seen one hen mallard on Mille Lacs that had four ducklings, and that's the extent of the ducklings I've seen.

I'm in the highest density wood duck production area on the continent. The habitat is plentiful and stable. Being plowed under isn't a risk....severe drought isn't a risk. Up until 7-8 years ago wood ducks always proliferated here.

One of my spots that I hunt on opener most years would have 500-1000 ducks on it when I scouted it the day before, mainly wood ducks. Two years ago I baited it for two weeks, which I'd never done before, and there was a grand total of a dozen the day before when I scouted it the day before.

There's something going on with duck production in central MN, possibly any area of the state that overlaps with the grouse range. I say this because West Nile has been confirmed in grouse in MN. Unfortunately there has been very little research on it in terms of production. They did what I gather is an annual hunt for the ruffed grouse society by either Grand Rapids or Ely, i forget, and they didn't shoot many. The ones they shot were all adults.

I'm seeing the same thing in ducks especially in wood ducks. It used to be out of ten maybe one or two would be adults. I've only seen a couple juvenile wood ducks shot over the past several years.

This isn't a DA rant.....the issue isn't hunting or habitat related. It's something else. I used to jump several hundred wood ducks in a single flush when jump shooting....now a dozen across my entire float "isn't bad."

I had west Nile back when it first showed up in MN. Worst headache known to man with joint pain and cold sweats. That chit sucked donkey balls. I can imagine how bad that would affect young birds.

Sent from my moto g power (XT2041DL) using Tapatalk

[Fish Felon]

I think it not only kills young birds but it'll stop a hen from even nesting.....I think it probably kills a fair amount of the adults.

They checked ruff grouse for west nile by getting samples from hunters in MN, WI, and MI. First off, they wanted 1500 and had a hard time getting half that....so that right there is troubling. MN grouse tested at a positivity rate of 12.5%, MI about the same, and WI was at 28.5% with it showing up in the heart tissue of quite a few (they turned in blood samples along with heart tissue samples).

Now 12.5% might not sound that alarming, but that's from a sample of grouse shot in the fall....when mosquito season has wound down and completely over when those birds were sampled.

The study just verified that the virus is widespread in the grouse population, and keep in mind only the grouse that lived were part of the population. The study shed no light on how many birds didn't make it, how many never nested, nested but had all of some of their offspring die, etc.

12.5% in the birds in the fall in my opinion means it could be as high as 60%, 70%, 80%, who knows how high in the population two to three months before that with a severe mortality rate.

What kind of floors me is how nonchalant the DNR has been and how they haven't sounded the alarm and put some boots on the ground to try to find out what the actual impact this is having on grouse....

...not to mention ducks.

It affects different bird species differently. It's been brutal on crows while doing nothing to robins for instance. They think grouse are middle of the spectrum as far as how badly west nile affects them. On wood ducks? Who knows?

All I know is that if the link for it being transmitted is mosquito exposure.....

....your average MN would duck is going to be more exposed to it than a grouse and that this is something the people in charge of monitoring their populations need to take a close look at. I was going to say a "closer look" but as far as I know they've yet to even look.

[Fish Felon]

I've now seen more merganser "ducklings" than actual ducklings for the year.

Geese numbers are looking good.....lots of geese on the lake this year. There's at least one other group 40-50 strong on the lake, probably a couple single families that didn't want to group up too.

[Drunk_Dynasty]

If I guess what lake you live on, will you tell me if I’m right?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[emptymag]

Seems like some of the ducks on the pond in back of the house are disappearing. If I remember right my highest count was around 79 one night. I’ll have to tryn count them again