Tue May 16, 2017 8:56 am
Last year the spring started out with low water levels. 200 returning juvenile swans landed on the lake at ice out and stayed. This year there is a noticeable increase in nesting pairs in the area. In addition, geese used the lake regularly.
This spring, with the water levels high, swans stopped for a couple of days and geese only fly by.
Since the first fall the pumps have turned on there's been ebb and flow in the bird counts and bird species using the lake. The first year draw down made the lake in accessible except to anyone will to slog 200 yards through loon chit. This included the Blue Bloods and other private land owners. I was in the group that slogged the mud (we hunt the public access/motorized area on the South end). That chit is different than any mud I've encountered in a slough anywhere in the state. Needed pressure washers to clean off boats and decoys and it seemed like it would jump off waders and cover anything not already muddy. It was like Star Trek mud.
Anyway, with the water level that low the puddler numbers were through the roof and only redheads and ringers showed for divers. Maybe a can or two were shot, but nothing much.
As the lake level has fluctuated the numbers and types of birds have as well. The next two years the water was higher and the only thing that came back were coots. 10's of thousands of coots. It was insane. Hunting sucked as the coot rafts sucked any bird over to them. Also, North of the no motor line and free from shore or rushes, rafts of divers mass. Any bird that's been around for a day finds them, quickly. There is also an open area on the West end of the motor zone that is wide open and not hunt able. This is tends to raft Cans.
The days the weather cooperated last year the hunting was good to excellent. It's not as easy as just parking in the rushes and tossing out blocks. It's still work. And if the skies are clear and calm, good luck. But I saw more birds last fall than other season. In the evening the rafts would break-up in 4+ flights of a couple thousand birds each. It was hard to know/tell which birds were the same day to day, in the evening there'd be as many birds flying into the lake as out of the lake. Mostly you'd get a merganser to come with in range on those days.... I hate Mergs, but not enough to let one pass the plate on a ductless hunt. I ate too many Mergs last year.
Based on what I've observed the last few years, the lake needs to average 1.5'-2' lower than where it is at right now. The area watershed into the lake is large, and it all heads down to the Minnesota River via Pomme de Terre. Fixing the lake would be easy: pull the damn. But that won't fly with down stream property owners. hell, there were people on Pelican (first lake to receive Christina water) complaining that Chirstina water being clear was messing up their fishing spots and their sandy areas were covered in snail shells..... apparently algae bloom, when you like it, is a good thing.
I would imagine the Blue Bloods have some pull, a lot of it with DU. However, DU is more interested in the lake for it's systemic affects in the total area and each dollar spent will have the most return as compared to doing small WPA/WMA type projects. The hunting in the whole area is better when Christina is roosting birds. The inbound flight at sunset starts in late August and runs through freeze-up. In the morning, the teal/mallards/etc. launch out and feed locally, returning that evening. I have no idea how far they fly from when they come in, but it's freaking amazing how many birds you can see in last light.
Christina is a flash-point for sure. But it's more about social anticipation than it is about ducks. Having been in the area actively the last 5 years (I work out of Fergus Falls about 50% of the time) I've been amazed at the changes. I don't know how to value one project from another, but based on what I've seen there is much more success going on than my personal bag limit might show.
I won't disagree, how much coin is needed. But if they can get the deal done to keep the lake lower, and current trends continue, the biological success will be there.
