Memo to duck hunters determined to go out for Saturday’s opening of the second-season segment in eastern Colorado: Take along a good book.
The lack of anything remotely resembling waterfowl weather, coupled with an elevated education level among local birds, bodes ill for anyone looking for a duck dinner – at least any that requires a multiple place setting.
“My sense is that we have fewer birds and most are a little more educated than during the first split,” Division of Wildlife biologist Todd Sanders said. “I know that sounds pessimistic, but that’s what I’d expect.”
Predictions of continued mild weather through the week translate to little prospect for any new migrants. This means hunters essentially will be trying to trick the same birds they missed during the October season.
“A lot of the ducks by now have figured where to go to get away from the guns,” added Jim Gammonley, DOW’s waterfowl chief.
The best strategy, Sanders advised, is to target shallow wetlands or small ponds.
“There’s no reason for birds to be using the river yet,” he advised hunters who gravitate to the numerous state wildlife areas along the South Platte. “In our experience, only a small percentage will be on the river.”
This second segment remains open through Dec. 4 in the Central Flyway portion of the state. The season finale runs Dec. 11-Jan. 22.
The Pacific Flyway, west of the Continental Divide, reopens today and extends through Jan. 29 for ducks and geese. Goose season in the east will be Nov. 19-Feb. 12.
“We have a long second split. I predict we’ll have a push of migratory birds coming through at some point,” Gammonley said.
Big game down
This same siege of relatively warm weather is blamed for a lagging deer and elk harvest at the halfway point of the rifle season.
Based purely on anecdotal evidence, hunters have struggled to develop a winning strategy for animals that remain scattered across the state’s forests.
“Things are slower than we thought,” area wildlife manager Pat Tucker said of the second season in the area around Glenwood Springs. “The 70-degree temperature the first five days certainly made conditions drier and hunting more difficult.”
Hunters in the area extending from Gunnison west through Montrose and Dove Creek generally complained of T-shirt weather that lasted until snow and rain finally arrived Saturday and Sunday. The deer-rich Gunnison Basin produced plenty of good bucks, but elk generally remained difficult to pin down.
“Sporadic” was the word Steve Yamashita used to describe results in northwest Colorado, where he is assistant regional manager. Yamashita told of visiting several camps south of Rifle where numerous bull elk and several deer were hanging.
“But then we went to the next drainage and nobody had seen anything,” he said.
Bill deVergie, area manager at DOW’s Meeker office, reported good results during the first split season, then a second split that yielded a good harvest of deer and lagging success on elk.
“Animals are distributed everywhere,” deVergie said, describing the typical elk reaction to hunting pressure. “Hunters who went to the hard-to-get-to areas did well. Those on the general forest didn’t.”
Heavy rain, with snow at higher elevation, made travel difficult last weekend across much of the mountain country. More rain and snow is predicted for Friday, extending into Saturday’s opening of the third split, perhaps prompting desired movement by both deer and elk.
Tucker predicts the third season, which runs through Nov. 11, will bring improved prospects. Looking toward the start of the deer rut, deVergie foresees good things for the fourth segment Nov. 16-20.
