Last week in review
October 17 — October 25, 2026
Weather
We had cold, windy weather for opening weekend before settling into the mildest October we have seen in a long time. For most of the week, highs were in the 60s and lows were in the mid-40s, with virtually no wind or precipitation.
Waterfowl Abundance
We had around 12,000 birds in the refuge before opening day and saw a good push of pintails arrive Friday night before the opener. Since then, daytime refuge numbers have plummeted to 4,000-5,000 birds. Presumably, many of our ducks are loafing in Canadian waters of Lake St. Clair, as we are seeing a lot of ducks arrive to feed at last light. Buckwheat is also being fed out around the area.
Hunting Conditions
Water levels are at or near normal levels. We will add more water to most zones by Nov. 1. Zones 24-27 are lower than normal and will remain so until we get rain. With pump 3 out of commission, we have pumped as much water as possible from our main refuge pump into these units. However, our third refuge unit is now at maximum capacity, and we cannot push any more water into zones 24-27 from there.
West Side Corn (Zones 1-18): Crops have done very well in these zones. This year, sandhill cranes left zones 11, 13 and 14 alone and were concentrated in the northern zones. Zones 2, 3 and 4 sustained extreme damage from cranes, followed by additional browsing pressure from deer. Replanted sorghum has done exceptionally well in zones 3 and 4, but zone 2 will have very limited cover. No corn was planted in zone 18, which was managed for moist-soil plants. Additional millet and buckwheat were planted on the highest ground in the unit.
East Side Corn (Zones 21-27): Conditions are exceptional, with virtually no crane damage and very limited goose and deer damage.
Bottom Corn Fields (Zones 28-30): Apart from some deer damage at the southern end of zone 28, these three zones look better than they have in many years. Our goose-repellent flagging was very successful in zone 30 this year, and cranes left these zones almost entirely undisturbed. Both the small grains and the fallow moist-soil fields in between have grown very well.
West Marsh (Zones 60s and 70s): The west marsh was shallow again this summer, though conditions were not as extreme as in summer 2025. We brought water levels back to normal through August and early September in anticipation of the early waterfowl seasons. Conditions should be normal in this unit this season.
East Marsh (Zones 30s and 40s): The east marsh remains far below normal water levels. It is strongly recommended that hunters enter these zones only with a mud motor, paddles or a push pole. An outboard motor will struggle to reach any zones other than zone 31.
Hunter Numbers
We filled all 35 spots for every reserved hunt during the reserved hunt weekend except for the youth hunt. We had 12 leftover applicants on opening morning and 15 on Sunday morning. As expected, hunting participation was very low throughout the week, with most drawings having fewer than 20 parties and a low of only 10 parties on the afternoon of Oct. 22. We had good participation Saturday and Sunday mornings, with 50 parties each, but afternoon participation was much lower. During the first nine days of the season, we recorded a total of 1,070 hunter trips.
Waterfowl Harvest
Hunters harvested 1,349 ducks and 25 geese during the first nine days of the season. Of those ducks, 742 were taken during the first two days, meaning only 607 ducks were harvested over the following seven days. During opening weekend, we averaged 1.75 ducks per trip. Over the next seven days, we recorded 647 hunter trips, averaging 0.94 ducks per trip. Season totals, including the September seasons, stand at 1,431 ducks and 47 geese across 1,184 hunter trips, averaging 1.21 ducks per trip.
What to Expect This Week
The forecast remains extremely mild through the weekend, with a slight chance of rain and somewhat stronger winds. Until there is a major change in the weather pattern, I expect hunting to remain slow.
Other Comments
The youth priority hunt will take place during the afternoon hunt on Nov. 7. St. Clair Flats Waterfowlers will provide lunch, giveaways and raffle prizes for youth hunters.
The veterans priority drawing will take place on Nov. 11, Veterans Day. You must have a veteran or active-duty service member in your party to hunt on Nov. 11.