Waterfowl Numbers...

[Edward Smith]

Many Avalon hunters are saying that duck numbers are low this season, and that they are seeing a lot of juvenile birds. But, on the other hand Goose numbers, by many accounts, are up!

 

What are the bird number like in your area?

Please State the area and number of birds your seeing in each area. You Do not have to give specific hunting areas just the number and location as listed below:

1) Avalon

 

2) Central

 

3) Western

 

4) Northern Peninsula

 

5) South Coast

 

6) Coast Labrador

 

7) Inland Labrador

 

 

[John Lundrigan]

1 avalon.
Not very familiar with geese populations but in one trip saw 12, heard more.  Seems to be no shortage.  Two trips for ducks saw only one bird, not even any in sky at a distance.   May be off topic but shocked to walk 15 k in good partridge country dog never flushed one.  Coyotes??

[Tyson Skinner]

5 South coast

Saw a good few birds in the area. Most were pond divers and seemed to be young birds. Also they seemed very skiddish but a good population. As for black ducks, I saw 3 in 11 days hunting. This is very low because in other years I usually see that many in one pond.

1 Avalon

Saw a few flocks of birds so far. One had between 10-15 black ducks and the other had a few pond divers. The teal duck population seems to be low considering I havent saw 1 yet the year. As for geese I saw 8 which is good cause I usually dont see many.

[Brendan Kelly]

1 Avalon.

Last year and this year so far have been the worst hunting season for waterfowl ive ever seen.
I was out almost every weekend last season and got 1 black duck. And that was the olny one i seen. I have been hunting ponds that look like amazing duck habitat but just no ducks.This opening day i seen one teal from a far going 200km per hour..
We have hunted ponds at sun rise and at sun set but still just not seeing birds.Ive tryed decoys and calling.stocking the ducks and trying every place people have told me to go and get a meal of ducks
But im not seeing any ducks. I wouldent mind missing them or EVEN seeing them.Its getting nuts.
Im shocked at how low the duck numbers are here on the avalon and how high the hunter numbers are.
I think NL waterfowlers as a group should loby the goverment to manage the waterfowl number better. Weather that needs to be bringing in more ducks or limiting hunter numbers.

Hope everyone eles is having a better season !!

[Ben Scaplen]

From about 5 mornings and 5 evenings of looking around:

Ducks:

20 - Central (Terra Nova area) - bagged one juvenile scaup, most of them seemed to be divers, also a few mallards. 

20 - Avalon (near Town) - mostly blacks, a couple of pintails. As a group we've bagged 8 blacks, 1 pintail.

Geese:

6 - Central (Terra Nova area) - bagged narn - lots of sign, but I think they were flushed from the area on opening day. lol.

[Stephen Way]

 

Central:

Have only been around here so far, and to sound like a broken record, the bird numbers so far are poor.  Overall black ducks are a little better than last year, geese also are somewhat improved, but both are still way way below what it used to be.  GW teal are almost non existant and same for the Ringnecks - prob due to the cold spring.  A scatter merganser here and there plus the odd scaup in some ponds.  Goldeneye still on small ponds for the most part - too early to tell on them.  Conversely it seems the hunting pressure on the birds are up.  Be great to see the numbers come back to even what it was 10 years ago..... 

[Grant]

Walking 15 km without seeing a ptarmigan is the rule, not the exception.

 

Burin and Avalon:

I only really got into hunting last year, but I'd say goose are up and ducks are down since then.

[Stefan Davis]

Northern Peninsula:

Good numbers of Mergansers on the move, a conservative estimate would be 500-600 during the 2 days I hunted. Didn't see many drakes, most were hens, and no overabundance of juvies; shot 9 hens and 1 drake. Saw a few Blacks, but not while hunting. I hunted saltwater so I can't comment on Teal, I've only ever seen them in freshwater up there. Geese numbers seem healthy; saw one company of a couple hundred, followed by another company a while later that was roughly the same size....those were some HUGE V's haha. Nothing in shot though, they were a mile up. Eiders are doing well from what I've heard. A friend made a trip up the Labrador coast and he said it may have been the most birds he's seen in a number of years, let's just hope the ice pushes them down this way.

[Rosa]

1

low as  normal   unless u can find the special ponds that some people have............

2

ducks were low this year only seen a few flocks of maybe 5 or 6 where usually would be 30 or more  in a flock, have to say geese were way up in my mind  in the area we hunt  seen  the most i have seen in 10 yrs  this  year  , any luck Steve  water was down not like the igor weekend lol

[Jamie Hunt]

Hunted on the northeast avalon opening day and shot 1 black and 1 teal.  Didn't see many more ducks opening day but seen about 100 geese flying around in several flocks - too far for a shot.  Went away twice after that and didn't see a bird.  Poor numbers.  Last year was only slightly better.  Not sure if its because there are no birds or if its because I don't know whwre to go.  I've only been hunting this area a few years.

[craig payne]

northern peninsula.I live on the shore of an inlet.When I looked out my window this morning March 10,there was a nice flock of blacks just off from my house.I counted 61 blacks and one goose with the spy glasses.I don't know where these black ducks were this past hunting season,because they were scarace then.I guess spring is just around the corner,the geese are starting to return.Have a great area for geese here.between 300-400  each fall.Quite a few merganzers here to this winter.the inlet stays open all winter and offers good feeding for them.Don't bother to hunt them during open season,don't like the taste.When the geese starts to return  I start daydreaming about the fall waterfoul hunting season,geese are my number one bird to hunt.Thats it for now.   Craig

[Erica Summers]

1. Avalon

Most of what I have seen has been in residential areas.

When ive been hunting, the most ive seen at a time are small groups of 2-4. Numbers don't seem to be very high this season.