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@charter.net.
 

October 30, 2008

 

Waterfowl hunt numbers drop
way off since season opener


By JIM MATTHEWS
Outdoor News Service


Fewer ducks and more hunting pressure led to low hunter averages at public hunting areas throughout Southern California’s in the second week of the waterfowl season, but weather conditions could begin pushing more birds south this week.
There are still far fewer resident birds in Southern California than last season at this point in time, and new migrants have not started arriving yet, but the forecast is for about the same number of birds in the flyway this year as last season. A winter storm was moving across the West this week, including clouds and rain starting in Southern California on Thursday which could bode well for this weekend and beyond.
Waterfowl hunters at the two most popular public hunting areas in Southern California -- the Wister Unit of the Imperial Wildlife Area and the San Jacinto Wildlife Area -- averaged two birds and one bird per hunter, respectively. This is well off from the opening day averages of 3 1/2 birds at Wister and two birds at San Jacinto.
Raahauge’s Duck Club in Prado Basin, now in full operation after being closed four years, will opens its public blind sites this weekend. All reservations are first-come, first-serve and must be made in advance by telephone this season. Junior hunters shoot free here with a paying adult.
Hunters are reminded that the Southern San Joaquin hunting zone, including the Kern National Wildlife Refuge, is closed for its split season. Waterfowl hunting will resume at Kern on November 8.


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


At the SAN JACINTO WILDLIFE AREA, there were 117 hunters last Wednesday, Oct. 22, who shot 129 ducks and 16 coots for a 1.24 average. The duck bag was made up of 35 greenwing teal, 30 wigeon, 17 gadwall, 13 shovelers, 12 cinnamon teal, nine ruddy ducks, six mallards, three pintail, three ringnecks, and one redhead. On Saturday, Oct. 25, there were 118 hunters who shot 173 ducks, 45 coots, four speckled geese, and two cackling geese for a 1.90 average. The duck kill consisted of 46 greenwings, 45 shovelers, 34 wigeon, 16 cinnamons, 14 gadwall, six ruddies, four pintail, three mallards, two scaup, one redhead, one ringneck, and one bufflehead. On Wednesday, Oct. 29, there were 96 hunters who shot 80 ducks, 19 coots, and two cackling geese for a 1.05 average. The duck bag included 25 greenwings, 19 shovelers, 12 cinnamons, 10 wigeon, five gadwall, four ruddies, two pintail, two bluewing teal, and one redhead. 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 96 hunters on Wednesday, Oct. 22, who shot 193 ducks and one whitefront goose for a 2.02 average. The duck bag was made up of 48 wigeon, 35 greenwings, 32 pintail, 31 shovelers, 20 mallards, 14 cinnamons, 11 gadwall, one ringneck, and one ruddy. On Saturday, Oct. 24, there were 138 hunters who shot 231 ducks and 10 coots for a 1.75 average. The duck take included 51 shovelers, 46 pintail, 46 greenwings, 28 wigeon, 27 cinnamons, 18 gadwall, nine mallards, five ruddies, and one ringneck. On Sunday, Oct. 25, there were 72 hunters who shot 28 ducks and four coots for a .44 average. The duck kill consisted of seven pintail, six greenwings, five mallards, five shovelers, two cinnamons, one gadwall, one wigeon, and one redhead. 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 six hunters Wednesday, Oct. 22, who shot five ducks and one coot for a 1.00 average. The duck bag was made up of two pintail, two greenwings, and one shoveler. On Saturday, Oct. 25, there were 10 hunters who shot 19 ducks for a 1.90 average. The duck kill included seven greenwings, three gadwall, three cinnamons, three shovelers, two ruddies, and one pintail. On Sunday, Oct. 26, there were three hunters who shot a single greenwing for a .33 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 10 hunters from Monday, Oct. 20 through Sunday, Oct. 26 who shot a total of 14 ducks for a 1.40 average. The duck bag was made up of seven greenwings, four shovelers, and three cinnamons. 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 57 hunters last Wednesday, Oct. 22, who shot 147 ducks and two coots for a 2.61 average. The duck bag consisted of 45 gadwall, 34 shovelers, 20 ringnecks, 15 pintail, 12 mallards, 10 wigeon, five greenwings, five redheads, and one cinnamon. On Saturday, Oct. 25, there were 55 hunters who shot 99 ducks and five coots for a 1.89 average. The duck kill included 33 gadwall, 20 shovelers, 16 wigeon, 10 pintail, seven mallards, five cinnamons, five ringncks, two redheads, and one ruddy. 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, there were a total of 72 hunters at BARRETT LAKE on Wednesday, Oct. 22, and Saturday, Oct. 25, this past week. They shot a total of 89 ducks and 18 coots for a 1.49 average. The duck bag was made up of 52 ruddies, 10 mallards, seven greenwings, six ringnecks, five wigeon, five gadwall, three redheads, and one pintail. At SUTHERLAND RESERVOIR on last Thursday, Oct. 23, and Sunday, Oct. 26, there were a total of three hunters who shot two greenwing teal for a .67 average. Reservations are still available for Barrett for all Wednesday shoot days from November through January and for all shoot days at Sutherland. For more information and to request a hunting information packet, hunters should call the lake’s office at 619-668-2050 or e-mail ssmith@sandiego.gov.
RAAHAUGE'S DUCK CLUB in PRADO BASIN opens this weekend to public hunters who make reservations in advance by telephone. No walk-ons this year for the public blinds. This past week, on the club side, there were 15 hunters on Wednesday, Oct. 22, who shot 67 ducks and nine coots for a 5.07 average. The duck bag was made up of 32 cinnamon teal, 21 mallards, nine shovelers, two wigeon, two ringnecks, one ruddy and one redhead. On Saturday, Oct. 25, there were 24 hunters who shot 36 ducks and 15 coots for a 2.13 average. The duck kill consisted of 19 cinnamons, 11 mallards, nine greenwings, five wigeon, and one gadwall. On Sunday, Oct. 26, there were eight hunters who shot 26 ducks and two coots for a 3.50 average. The duck bag included 15 mallards, four cinnamons, four greenwings, and three wigeon. Public blinds are available for a daily fee and junior hunters shoot free with paying adult. For information, call Raahauge’s at 951-735-7981.

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

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