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.
 

October 29, 2007

More and more waterfowl arriving at
Southern California’s hunting areas

Scott Sewell and Tom Trakes, both Department of Fish and Game staff at San Jacinto Wildlife Area were working on the area Sunday morning and Trakes spotted what appeared to be a dark, wispy cloud high overhead. When he looked harder, he realized they were ducks.
“Tom’s got great eyes to be able to spot those birds,” said Sewell on Monday. “There must have been 5,000 ducks up there -- all new birds coming into the valley. Then I was out on one on the ponds this morning and there must have been at least 200 widgeon whistle over my head and land. All new birds.”
Sewell said the wildlife area has continued to shoot well since opening day. The average both last Wednesday and Saturday was over three birds per hunter, with shovelers and widgeon making up the bulk of the bag. There has also been a good showing of bigger diving ducks this past week with 35 redheads, eight bluebill, and five canvasbacks taken during the two shoot days mostly “off our big reservoir ponds,” said Sewell.
Site B2 continues to be one of the best-shooting and most-desired blind sites on the area. On Saturday, Steve Turigliatto of San Diego, a hunting partner and two junior hunters, all shot limits from B2.
Sewell himself hunted last Wednesday as an afternoon walk-on, picking up site B3 and shooting three spoonies, two wigeon, and a bluebill.

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

At the SAN JACINTO WILDLIFE AREA, there were 101 hunters last Wednesday, Oct. 24, who shot 316 ducks and 14 coots for a 3.27 average. The duck bag consisted of 107 shovelers, 51 wigeon, 37 cinnamon teal, 33 pintail, 33 greenwing teal, 13 ringnecks, 12 redheads, 11 gadwall, six mallards, five bufflehead, four ruddy ducks, two canvasbacks, and two scaup. On Saturday, Oct. 27, there were 136 hunters who shot 414 ducks, 11 coots, and one cackling goose for a 3.13 average. The duck kill included 199 shovelers, 62 wigeon, 35 pintail, 23 redheads, 18 ruddies, 13 gadwall, 11 cinnamons, nine bufflehead, six scaup, five greenwings, three canvasbacks, and one mallard. San Jacinto is open to waterfowl and pheasant 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 waterfowl, and Mondays for pheasants during the pheasant season. 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 90 hunters last Wednesday who shot 178 ducks and two snow geese for a 2.00 average. The duck bag was made up of 52 greenwings, 47 wigeon, 30 shovelers, 29 pintail, nine cinnamons, four mallards, three gadwall, two redheads, one canvasback, and one ringneck. On Saturday, there were 194 hunters who shot 389 ducks, two coots, and one snow goose for a 2.02 average. The duck kill consisted of 106 greenwings, 88 shovelers, 63 wigeon, 51 pintail, 20 ringnecks, 17 redheads, 15 gadwall, 10 cinnamons, seven scaup, six ruddies, and six mallards. On Sunday, there were 84 hunters who shot 114 ducks, three coots, and one snow goose for a 1.40. The duck kill included 52 greenwings, 19 wigeon, 11 cinnamons, nine ringnecks, eight redheads, six pintail, six shovelers, and three 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 two hunters this past Wednesday who shot three shovelers, a pintail, and a cinnamon teal for a 2.50 average. On Saturday, there were eight hunters who shot four cinnamons, one gadwall, and one shoveler for a .75 average. On Sunday there were two hunters who shot one greenwing, one cinnamon, one redhead, and one canvasback for a 2.00 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 13 hunters from Monday through Sunday this past week who shot 22 ducks for a 1.69 average. While 12 of the ducks were not identified, hunters shot seven greenwing teal and three 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 43 hunters last Wednesday who shot 121 ducks and 12 coots for a 3.09 average. The duck bag was made up of 41 gadwall, 18 shovelers, 14 cinnamons, 13 pintail, 12 mallards, eight wigeon, seven redheads, seven ringnecks, and one greenwing. On Saturday, there were 60 hunters who shot 86 ducks and two coots for a 1.47 average. The duck kill consisted of 30 gadwall, 13 shovelers, 10 mallards, 10 pintail, six greenwings, four ruddies, three canvasback, three ringnecks, two wigeon, two cinnamons, two redheads, and one scaup. 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, waterfowl season will start next week at BARRETT LAKE and SUTHERLAND RESERVOIR by reservation only. Barrett is open to waterfowl hunting on Wednesday and Saturday starting Nov. 7. There are still openings available for Jan. 23. Sutherland is open on a Thursday and Sunday schedule starting Nov. 8. There are still openings for all shoot days. For information on the City Lakes waterfowl program, call (619) 668-2060.

Reader's Update - Imperial Valley - October 29

I went down this last weekend to the Mecca Area on a new Wilderness Unlimited property and wow it was crazy with ducks. I bet I saw over 3,000 ducks each day. My son Mike and I shot 26 ducks on a two-day hunt and I shot over seven different kinds of ducks. It was unbelievable how great it was. We shot mallards, redheads, canvasbacks, teal, spoonies, wigeon, and bluebill. I would say the ducks are really starting to move down with that last full moon we had last week.

Ed Rister, Hesperia

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

The waterfowl report is copyrighted and any use or reposting of the report, or portions of the report, is prohibited without written permission. Posting of links to the fish report on the Outdoor News Service web site is allowed.