There are plenty of ducks in the Pacific Flyway to make for a good hunting season this fall and winter.
What hunters could really use are some major wind and rain storms, followed by a dose of cold weather, maybe with snow.
Duck season opens Saturday in Washington. Hunting will be allowed Saturday through Wednesday, then Oct. 24 through Jan. 31. It’s a long season with a liberal limit of seven birds a day, reflecting the abundance of ducks.
However, it takes more than birds to make for good hunting.
“In-season weather is really important in determining the harvest,’’ said Don Kraege, waterfowl program manager for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. “Storms, with winds, at frequent intervals would help.’’
Overall, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services pegs the North American duck population at 49.5 million birds, with the highest estimates on record for mallards and greenwing teal.
However, bird numbers in the eastern portion of North America are boosting those numbers, with the picture not quite as rosy in the West.
Washington’s duck numbers are up 9 percent from 2014 and 11 percent better than the three-year average, Kraege said. Washington’s mallard population appears about the same as 2014 and up 3 percent from the three-year average.
Elsewhere in the West, the numbers are not as good, according to the federal Fish and Wildlife Service’s “Waterfowl Population Status, 2015.’’
Duck numbers are down 3 percent in the Alaska, Yukon Territory and Old Crow Flats, a huge wetlands complex north of the Arctic Circle and south of the Beaufort Sea in the northern Yukon.
Southern Alberta is up 1 percent, but Oregon is down 11 percent and California is down 30 percent.
The drought has taken a big toll on waterfowl habitat in California, said Kraege.
Here are some additional bits of information from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife’s 2015 hunting-season prospects package:
Cowlitz-Wahkiakum-Lewis counties — The reduced duck harvest over the past two seasons reflects the mild fall weather during 2013-14 and 2014-15.
Hunting success often depends on the severity of fall/winter weather, with more severe conditions generally producing better duck hunting.
Skagit-Whatcom counties — Duck hunting should continue to rebound if good rainfall is present early in the hunting season.
Early-season hunting opportunities are generally much more favorable on the saltwater marshes. Boat access greatly improves hunting options and prospects.
Grant County — The early parts of the season will be significantly better than the last five years.
Yakima County — Another El Nino winter is predicted for 2015, which usually means above average temperatures and duck numbers.
The boreal forest (northern Canada) typically freezes early and there is less water available in the potholes. This could mean more birds arriving early in Washington.
Benton, Franklin counties — As ducks begin to move, there should be ample opportunities for duck hunters.
After the season opening, hunter success will likely taper off as the local ducks get educated and restrict their daytime movements to local reserves and sanctuaries.
At that point, hunters will likely have to wait for the northern migrants to arrive in the mid -to late- season.
