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Old 09-23-2020, 11:01 AM
Drewski Canuck Drewski Canuck is offline
 
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Default Waterfowl numbers in the Peace River Area

Have been looking at the local duck and goose numbers in the Edmonton area.

Birds did move down in early September, but have been passing through, so these are probably local birds.

Trouble is, weather is now warm and there apparently are no further waves of birds coming down, and if the amount of crop standing around Edmonton is an indication, there probably is plenty of crops to hold the birds in the Peace Country.

Can anyone from the Peace River - Manning area tell me what the Duck and Geese numbers are up north right now?

In years past, the birds held up north well into October when a snow storm finally pushed them south.

Not wishing bad weather on the farmers who still are scrambling to get their crops in, but wishing that the birds would finally move south!

Drewski
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Old 09-23-2020, 11:46 AM
Hawkhills Hawkhills is offline
 
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North of Manning,geese are there in huge numbers.Mallards not so much.20200915_093809.jpg

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  #3  
Old 09-23-2020, 11:49 AM
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Justfishin73 Justfishin73 is offline
 
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I'm looking forward to a longer season--hunting has been great, slow and steady, but yes, the warmer weather has slowed them right down
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Old 09-25-2020, 04:54 AM
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KegRiver KegRiver is offline
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I'm north of Manning.

Our local geese moved south already.
Right now there are lots of wavies around and a few Canada's have moved in to join them but so far the big flocks have not showed. Yet.

It's been such a strange year I don't know what to expect. With all the rain a lot of fields have yet to be harvested. Most of the pea crops got root rot and didn't produce. Several are unharvested as they weren't worth harvesting.
Even the birds are ignoring them.

The wavies showed up way earlier then normal, and they stayed while the Canadians moved south already. So what is coming our way is anyone's guess.

We may see big flocks yet or they may fly right over us.

The one bright light this year is almost no outfitters. That is a huge bonus since they usually tie up the best fields, even the ones they don't intend to hunt.

From my point of view it's the best hunting I've seen in thirty years. I prefer wavies for the table anyway and with no outfitters I have a real chance at getting a few this year.
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Old 09-25-2020, 06:42 AM
canishunter22-250 canishunter22-250 is offline
 
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Im just on the BC side. There were a ton of geese and mallards in the area very early this year but it seems like they've almost all moved on already. Normally I don't even get revved up until the first of Oct but I'm starting to think I've missed it. The crops are definitely poor foraging. We had a couple spectacular mallard shoots a few weeks ago in a summer-fallowed field. They were picking away at last year's waste wheat which is a pretty good indication of how hard up they were for options. Last weekend they all disappeared overnight.
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Old 09-25-2020, 09:06 AM
Offwork Offwork is offline
 
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North of grande prairie.

Our goose hunting started off ok but has definitely slowed down as feed supply is disappearing. Due to excess moisture the Pea crops Were poor and most fields have been disced or heavy harrowed immediately after harvest. Peas have pretty much all been harvested and those fields that are not worked up the geese Only feed on for a day or two. occasionally geese here feed on wheat stubble, but it is not their fields of choice.

We did see more spec’s this year, and early on had big numbers of local greater Canada’s, but last couple shoots The majority geese bagged were lesser Canada’s & specs.

To give you an idea of the poor foraging available Have a shoot lined up on geese grazing on silaged oats field, hopefully they come in small flocks.

Usually the sky’s are full of geese this time of year, but currently very quiet. Not sure if the main migration is yet to come, or they have passing Us by. Cranes went by here a couple weeks ago.

No frost and weather has been quite warm & dry.
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Old 09-25-2020, 09:45 AM
Drewski Canuck Drewski Canuck is offline
 
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Just checked the weather at Inuvik, NWT. 2 - 7 C daytime highs, nights above zero.

Not quite what we need to kick the birds down to Alberta by far.

This weather is great for farmers who had late crops due to the wet summer. For the guys doing malt barley or seed that need to do swaths, again, the weather is fantastic for them.

Trouble is, when the birds get down here at the middle or end of October, for alot of hunters the focus changes to big game.

This makes for great late season hunting, but the birds are not sticking around for long if November turns cold and snowy.

Drewski
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Old 09-25-2020, 05:46 PM
270person 270person is offline
 
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Lots and lots of specks in the Guy, Fahler, Girouxville area earlier in the week.
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Old 09-28-2020, 02:06 PM
tfm00 tfm00 is offline
 
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hunted this weekend just south of Girouxville on the other side of the smokey and didn't see a spec. Canada's there and had 3 good days but also didn't see any ducks.
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