The waterfowl report is published each week during the waterfowl hunting season on this site, usually updated on Monday afternoons. We encourage hunters to send photographs and updated information to augment this report. Our goal is to make this report the most comprehensive waterfowl hunting report available for Southern California hunters -- with all of the information in a single place. Updates, photographs, and comments should be e-mailed to Jim Matthews at odwriter@earthlink.net.
 

January 15, 2008

Waterfowl bag slumps everywhere but
Kern NWR as season draws to a close

As we edge to the end of the waterfowl season later this month, waterfowl bags have slumped everywhere on public hunting areas except the Kern National Wildlife Refuge in the southern San Joaquin Valley.
While most public hunting areas have dropped down into the one-bird-per-hunter range, Kern hunters continue to bag over three birds each.
The added water from the last big storm has really helped Kern, with walk-in hunters on area 2 averaging four or more ducks both shoot days last week, and the whole refuge average was 3.46 and 3.50 those two days. Greenwing teal are making up the bulk of the bag, with 261 of the speedsters shot last week. Gadwall are the number two bird in the bag at 214 and then spoonies at 138.
In San Diego County, Lake Henshaw hunters reported taking five limits last Wednesday with an average of over four birds per hunter, but the kill dropped less than a bird per hunter on Saturday. Eric and Mike Lovelace, Wildomar, had double limits Wednesday which included seven mallards, four gadwall, two wigeon, and one cinnamon teal. Bill Kohl, Warner Springs, also knocked down seven birds for his limit, which consisted of three shovelers, two cinnamons, a wigeon, and a mallard. Temecula hunter Dennis Zamora, shot seven cinnamon teal for his limit.
Hunters at the San Jacinto Wildlife Area average two birds each last Wednesday thanks to a flurry of action on northern shovelers, but the bag slumped to just over a bird again by Saturday. Another Canada goose was also taken at San Jacinto last Wednesday.
Goose hunting has continued tough at the Wister Unit of the Imperial Wildlife Area and the Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge. The bag from the two areas was 53 snows and Ross’ geese this past week, up seven from the previous week, this is still less than half the number of birds taken when the birds are using both areas heavily and there are fresh migrants that decoy more readily.
The duck hunting at the south end of the Salton Sea, which had been good until this past week with averages from two to three birds, also went in the tank with the average falling to 1.3 birds per hunter at Wister on both Saturday and Sunday.

What follows is the area-by-area breakdown for public hunting this past week:

At the SAN JACINTO WILDLIFE AREA, there were 85 hunters this past Wednesday, Jan. 9,who shot 169 ducks, four coots, and one Canada goose for a 2.05 average. The duck kill consisted of 102 northern shovelers, 20 gadwall, 14 cinnamon teal, eight wigeon, eight ruddy ducks, four bufflehead, four pintail, three mallards, three redheads, two ringnecks, and one merganser. On Saturday, Jan. 12, there were 110 hunters who shot 120 ducks and two coots for a 1.11 average. The duck bag included 50 shovelers, 20 gadwall, 11 pintail, nine wigeon, nine ruddies, six greenwing teal, five mallards, four cinnamons, four bufflehead, one redhead, and one scaup. San Jacinto is open to waterfowl hunting through the state reservation system or a daily drawing for remaining sites after all reservation holders are admitted to the area. Refills are also permitted until 2 p.m. Shoot days are Wednesday and Saturday. For more information, contact the wildlife area at (951) 928-0580.
At the WISTER UNIT of the IMPERIAL WILDLIFE AREA on the Salton Sea, there were 100 hunters last Wednesday who shot 230 ducks and eight snow geese for a 2.38 average. The duck bag consisted of 90 shovelers, 76 greenwings, 26 pintail, 15 wigeon, 13 gadwall, three mallards, two cinnamon teal, two redheads, two ruddies, and one scaup. On Saturday, there were 246 hunters who shot 326 ducks, seven snow geese, and three coots for a 1.37 average. The duck kill was made up of 134 greenwings, 105 shovelers, 30 pintail, 16 wigeon, 15 cinnamons, 12 gadwall, five mallards, five ruddies, and one each on the reaheads, ringnecks, scaup, and bufflehead. On Sunday, there were 111 hunters who shot 133 ducks and 11 snow geese for a 1.30 average. The duck bag included 50 shovelers, 43 greenwings, 16 pintail, six wigeon, six gadwall, five cinnamons, three mallards, two redheads, one canvasback, and one scaup. Wister is open to waterfowl hunting through the state reservation system and a daily drawing for sites after all reservation holders are admitted to the area. Refills are permitted. Shoot days are Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday. For more information, contact the unit at (760) 359-0577.
At the SONNY BONO-SALTON SEA NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE, there were nine hunters last Wednesday who shot 25 ducks and two Ross’ geese for a 3.00 average. The duck kill consisted of 16 cinnamons, four pintail, three wigeon, and two gadwall. On Saturday, there were 27 hunters who shot 40 ducks, four snow geese, and three Ross’ geese for a 1.74 average. The duck kill included 18 pintail, 16 cinnamons, four wigeon, one gadwall, and one mallard. On Sunday, there were 22 hunters who shot nine snow geese, nine Ross’ geese, and one each on the gadwall, wigeon, pintail, and cinnamon teal for a 1.00 average. The refuge is managed as part of the Wister Unit. For more information, contact the Wister Unit at (760) 359-0577.
At the FINNEY-RAMER UNIT of the IMPERIAL WILDLIFE AREA on the Alamo River south of the Salton Sea, there were a total of 16 hunters from Monday through Sunday this past week who shot 24 ducks and two coots for a 1.63 average. The duck bag included nine shovelers, seven greenwings, six mallards, and one cinnamon teal. Finney-Ramer is open to hunters seven days a week under a self-registration and self-reporting system. For more information, contact the Wister Unit at (760) 359-0577.
At the KERN NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE, there were 114 hunters this past week who shot 392 ducks and three coots for a 3.46 average. The duck bag consisted of 108 gadwall, 105 greenwings, 60 shovelers, four cinnamons, 27 wigeon, 23 mallards, 13 pintail, seven bufflehead, three redheads, two ringnecks, two scaup, one canvasback, and one bluewing teal. On Saturday, there were 129 hunters who shot 451 ducks for a 3.50 average. The duck kill included 156 greenwings, 106 gadwall, 78 shovelers, 41 cinnamons, 27 wigeon, 16 pintail, 12 mallards, 11 bufflehead, two redheads, and two ruddies. Kern is open to waterfowl hunting through the state reservation system or a daily drawing for remaining sites after all reservation holders are admitted to the area. Refills are also permitted throughout the shoot day. Shoot days are Wednesday and Saturday. For more information, call (661) 725-2767 or the comprehensive hunter's hotline at (661) 725-6504, normally updated after each hunt day.
At the SAN DIEGO CITY LAKES, BARRETT LAKE had 23 hunters this past Saturday who shot 30 ducks and six coots for a 1.57 average. The duck bag included 17 ruddies, five ringnecks, three mallards, one scaup, one canvasback, one gadwall, on greenwing, and one redhead. There were no hunters at SUTHERLAND RESERVOIR. Barrett is open to waterfowl hunting on each Wednesday and Saturday, and reservations are available only for Wed., Jan. 23. Sutherland is open on a Thursday and Sunday schedule. There are still openings for all shoot days. For information on the City Lakes waterfowl program, call (619) 668-2060.
At LAKE HENSHAW, there were 12 hunters this past Wednesday with 10 reporting taking 41 ducks and one Canada goose for a 4.20 average. The bag included 16 cinnamon teal, 10 mallards, six shovelers, five wigeon, and four gadwall. On Saturday, there were 19 hunters with just seven reporting back in with five ducks for a .71 average. The duck bag included two greenwings, one wigeon, one cinnamon, and one canvasback. Hunt days are Wednesdays and Saturdays. The fee is $25 for adult hunters and $10 for juniors. For more information, contact the lake at 760-782-3501.
At MIKE RAAHAUGE’S DUCK CLUB in Prado Basin, the public hunting program kicked off just before Christmas. Public blind sites are limited because flooding three winters ruined most of the ponding. Cost for a two-person blind is $175 and hunting is allowed on a Wednesday, Saturday, Sunday schedule. For information on the public hunting program here, call Raahauge’s at 951-735-7981.
The CIBOLA NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE on the Colorado River is a popular spot for goose hunters who set out large spreads of decoys in groomed goose fields. Reservations are issued through a drawing, but there is also a daily waiting line for unfilled blind sites. Hunt results from this past week were not available again. For refuge information, call 928-857-3253 or visit the web site at http://www.fws.gov/southwest/refuges/CibolaNWR/index.html.

Hunters who would like to contribute information and photographs to this report should e-mail the information to Jim Matthews at odwriter@earthlink.net.

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