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September
Overall, September was very warm, with normal precipitation throughout the month.
Waterfowl numbers on the refuge increased steadily throughout September, reaching 3,000 to 5,000 birds by the end of the month. We are holding large numbers of wood ducks, mallards and green-winged teal, along with regular sightings of northern shovelers, American wigeon, northern pintails and a few gadwalls. Several groups of hooded mergansers have also been observed in ditches around the area.
Goose numbers remained very low on the managed area and surrounding flats throughout September. However, numbers have started to increase as we enter October.
Crop conditions are good to very good across the area and we expect flooding to proceed on schedule. Two-thirds of the refuge is flooded, with the remainder set to receive water after we harvest our buckwheat and millet seed. Hunting zone ditches are topped off and we will begin spilling water into the crops over the next week.
West Side Corn (Zones 1-18): Crops have done very well in these zones. This year, sandhill cranes left Zones 11, 13 and 14 largely undamaged and concentrated in the northern zones. Zones 2, 3 and 4 sustained severe crane damage 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 that 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): Aside from some deer damage at the southern end of Zone 28, these three zones are in their best condition in many years. Goose-repellent flagging was very successful in Zone 30 this year and cranes left these zones almost entirely undamaged. 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 restored water levels to normal throughout August and early September in preparation for the early waterfowl seasons. Conditions should be normal in this unit this season.
East Marsh (Zones 30s and 40s): Water levels in the east marsh unit will be lower than normal, though not as low as last season. The primary water control structure retaining water in this unit failed midseason last year, resulting in extremely low water levels by late October. A new, improved structure is being installed. The existing structure will be crushed to help retain water in the meantime.
A draw was held Sept. 1 for an all-day permit for the opening day of teal season. We had 11 parties and 22 hunters on opening day. From Sept. 2-9, we recorded an additional 59 hunter trips.
We recorded only 31 hunter trips during youth and veteran weekend, along with just a handful of hunter trips during the final 10 days of goose season. Goose numbers were very low and temperatures remained high. We have recorded a total of 112 hunter trips so far this season.
A total of 82 ducks and 30 geese were harvested during September.
We have been adding water to most units, raising ditch levels and preparing to spill water into the corn zones. We will harvest our buckwheat and millet seed this week, after which we will begin flooding the zones in earnest. We aim to reach opening-day water levels five to seven days before the opener.
Construction to replace Pump 3 is ongoing and is expected to continue until the week before the opener.
Our preseason open house is Wednesday, Oct. 14, at 6 p.m.
Reminder: Opening weekend is our reserved waterfowl hunt. Check your application status in the app or online. Call the office or email darlingj@michigan.gov to confirm your status for opening weekend.
Open draws will begin Monday, Oct. 19.
