Spring Duck Production Forecast | ep. 63

Welcome back to The Voice of the Duck Hunter podcast. I’m your host, Joel Brice.

In today’s episode, we’re going to “read the tea leaves,” so to speak, by taking a biologist’s approach to forecasting spring duck production—a key factor in the quality of hunting seasons—by analyzing breeding habitat conditions, current weather patterns, last year’s breeding population, and more. We’ll focus on the prairie pothole region, a key source of continental duck production, while also covering key contributors to the Atlantic and Pacific Flyways.

It may seem too early to be breaking out our crystal balls, but mid-to-late March conditions go far toward setting the stage for early nesting in April, peak nesting in May, and late-season re-nesting in June.

For a second consecutive podcast, I’m joined by two Delta colleagues…this time Mike Buxton and Jim Fisher.

As you may recall from our last episode, Mike a key member of our duck  production team. In addition, he produces those exceptional breeding habitat conditions maps you see in the Delta Waterfowl magazine, online and in social media. He’ll share insights on some of the intel that goes into producing these maps for us duck hunters, plus current wetland conditions he’s tracking across Delta’s Predator Management sites and beyond, and what they signal for duck production.

Jim Fisher, Delta’s VP of Canadian policy, is a leading voice for ducks, duck hunters, and the conservation of small, duck-producing wetlands. He will help us break down habitat conditions across Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba—key breeding grounds that can greatly impact duck numbers and hunting success across the continent.

 Ready to talk ducks? Let’s get started!

Host: Joel Brice, Chief Conservation Officer

Guest: Mike Buxton, Waterfowl Programs Director

Guest: Jim Fisher, VP of Canadian Policy

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