Week in review
October 3rd – October 9thWeather
For the opening weekend of our general waterfowl season, temps ran near average with highs in the mid to upper 60’s. As the week progressed temps trended upwards with highs mid-week reaching into the upper 70’s. We were stuck in a rather stagnant weather pattern for most of the week, albeit gorgeous weather, it was not ideal for waterfowl hunting. Winds did remain on the stronger side ranging from the mid-teens to upper twenties. Wind flows were primarily from the south, ushering in warm air.Waterfowl abundance
The refuge counts this week remained steady, gaining a few birds but no large numbers. Green-winged teal numbers were noticeably higher this week, with the remainder of the count comprised of mallards, wigeon, gadwall, and a few black ducks. Only a few divers were present this week in the refuge. Canada goose numbers did increase slightly. Overall refuge numbers were in the 4,500 range.Hunting conditions
North:
2–3 corn cover averages 8 feet tall; zone is mostly dry with flooding in progress
4–6 corn cover averages 8 feet tall; water depth varies 4–8 inches with most of the water in zone 6
7 corn cover 6-8 feet tall; water depth varies from 4-6 inches
8 corn cover 5-8 feet tall; planted in two blocks; shortest on north end, water depth varies 12-14 inches
Middle:
10–12 corn cover averages 8 feet tall; zone 10 is driest at the north end of the zone, 8-12 inches in zones 11-12
13–15 corn cover averages 8 feet tall; water depth varies 12-14 inches
16-18 corn cover averages 8 feet tall; water depth varies 12-24 inches
19–20 corn cover averages 8 feet tall; water depth varies 18-24 inches
South:
21–22 corn cover averages 8 feet tall; water depth varies 4-12 inches with zone 21 being driest at the north end
23 corn cover averages 8 feet tall; water varies 6-12 inches
24 corn cover 6-8 feet tall; water depth varies 8-24 inches
25 corn cover averages 8 feet tall; water depth varies 4-12 inches
26 sparse corn cover at south end of zone, 5–8 feet tall; water depth varies 12–24 inches
Marshes:
The north marsh will remain at low pool or drawn down again this season. A burn was completed during the spring of 2026, but more work is planned for winter 2026 – 2027 and into summer of 2027. Water has been added to the east marsh, and more water will be added after field flooding nears completion. All marshes will be near full pool levels apart from the north marsh.
Hunter numbers
For the opening weekend reserved drawings participation was about average for the area. Opening morning (10/03) saw 23 of the 25 reserved parties with 7 parties in the standby drawing. Opening day PM draw, which was the youth priority, saw 19 parties with no standby parties. For the second day (10/04) at the AM draw we had 22 parties with 4 parties present for the standby drawing, at the PM draw we had 20 parties with no parties present for the standby drawing. For the week we had 625 hunter trips, this reflects a 4% increase over the 2025 season. That brings hunter trips for the season (from September 1st) to 715 trips.
Waterfowl Harvest
Hunters harvested 755 ducks opening week, this reflects a 5% decrease in harvest over the 2025 season. Canada goose harvest for the week was 14 birds; this is a 21% decrease over from the 2025 season. Harvest totals for the season thus far are 853 ducks and 26 Canada geese. Mallards, wood ducks, green-winged teal, and pintails made up the majority of the harvest for the week.
What to expect this week
The weather forecast is finally shaping up going into this next week. To start the week temps are forecasted to be in the upper 70’s to near 80 degrees. A strong cold front is forecasted to pass over the area Monday into Tuesday. Temps appear to drop nearly 20 degrees with some light rain expected. Winds look to be on the stronger side with some lulls mid-week. All of this will hopefully aid in hunters’ success!
Other comments
We will continue to add water to the hunting fields in the coming weeks. The south field (21-26) and middle field (10-20) are near full pool levels. The north field (2-8) is still slightly behind in flooding, but good progress was made this week. There is a youth priority draw coming up on October 24th for the PM draw.