Here we are over halfway into the season and so far this has been one of the more disappointing seasons that I can remember....yes, even more of a letdown than last year, which at the time, I thought was one of the worst seasons in a long time. Similar to last year, we've had a "perfect storm" of events working against us as we are still attempting to recover from a historic drought.
Although our wetlands are more lush and "ducky" this year than they ever have (with the exception of no flooded timber due to lack of water to pump from in the river), it hasn't been enough to overcome the after affects of the drought. The corn crop through much of the state of Missouri was abysmal, much of it burning up and never putting on any ears. There were some successful stands scattered throughout our area, but the dry conditions allowed the farmers to harvest the crops and work the soil over, leaving no waste grain for the ducks to feed on.
Also as a result of the drought, there is very little water in the area on both developed and natural wetlands that rely on rain and runoff to fill up. We were fortunate enough to get a couple timely rains that allowed us to flood our two fields, but not enough to flood our timber.
The local conservation areas around us have been holding plenty of ducks throughout the year, but beings that there isn't much for food and water in the area, they don't have much reason to move. To top it off, temps have been unseasonably high, which again, gives no reason for the ducks to move. We are just coming off of the first week in December where temps have been in the 60's and 70's....unheard of!
That's all my theory, and I'm sticking to it!
All is not lost though....yet, at least. Recent surveys to the north revealed that there were 750,000 ducks in South Dakota along the Missouri River Valley, and another 500,000 along the Illinois River Valley this past week. Well over 1 million ducks that have yet to pass through, and the forecast is actually showing a glimpse of hope right now. The Dakota's were hit with some snow yesterday, and there's more to come through the weekend. Parts of the states are forecasted to see "blizzard-like" conditions over the weekend, and the mercury will be dropping here in Missouri as well. We should finally see some "ducky" weather for the first time since the push we had on November 11th and 12th.
We're all still not getting our hopes up with the poor food and water conditions in our area, but some new ducks in the area and colder temps are just what we've been needing. Would be nice to get a good rain also but that ain't gonna happen anytime soon....but hey, at this point we will take what we can get!
Although our wetlands are more lush and "ducky" this year than they ever have (with the exception of no flooded timber due to lack of water to pump from in the river), it hasn't been enough to overcome the after affects of the drought. The corn crop through much of the state of Missouri was abysmal, much of it burning up and never putting on any ears. There were some successful stands scattered throughout our area, but the dry conditions allowed the farmers to harvest the crops and work the soil over, leaving no waste grain for the ducks to feed on.
Also as a result of the drought, there is very little water in the area on both developed and natural wetlands that rely on rain and runoff to fill up. We were fortunate enough to get a couple timely rains that allowed us to flood our two fields, but not enough to flood our timber.
The local conservation areas around us have been holding plenty of ducks throughout the year, but beings that there isn't much for food and water in the area, they don't have much reason to move. To top it off, temps have been unseasonably high, which again, gives no reason for the ducks to move. We are just coming off of the first week in December where temps have been in the 60's and 70's....unheard of!
That's all my theory, and I'm sticking to it!
All is not lost though....yet, at least. Recent surveys to the north revealed that there were 750,000 ducks in South Dakota along the Missouri River Valley, and another 500,000 along the Illinois River Valley this past week. Well over 1 million ducks that have yet to pass through, and the forecast is actually showing a glimpse of hope right now. The Dakota's were hit with some snow yesterday, and there's more to come through the weekend. Parts of the states are forecasted to see "blizzard-like" conditions over the weekend, and the mercury will be dropping here in Missouri as well. We should finally see some "ducky" weather for the first time since the push we had on November 11th and 12th.
We're all still not getting our hopes up with the poor food and water conditions in our area, but some new ducks in the area and colder temps are just what we've been needing. Would be nice to get a good rain also but that ain't gonna happen anytime soon....but hey, at this point we will take what we can get!
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