2024-2025 Official Duck Hunting Thread

[Tex21]

Our problem was just no ducks pushed down by weather. No changes in NW Oklahoma other than weather up north and it was their worst season in recent memory, even the snows showed up way late.......I hunt and have friends and outfitters all around the Salt Plains NWR and they had horrible season and had to cancel many, or most, hunts, it's season's like this that weed out the "outfitters" which doesn't bother me. You're lucky down 20% we didn't kill 10% of what we did last year and we hunt at my house and I can see the pond, and others, and there just weren't any birds on any water around that would normally hold birds. Only geese we had were resident greaters. I'm not far from Hagerman NWR and get birds from both there and Ray Roberts. Very rare we don't limit out and only did 1 of only 4 hunts this year and normally hunt twice a week. If your lease is west of Gunter there is lots of big water there that I've seen thousands of snows in years past. Opening day last year we killed 4 man limit and 8 greaters and this year I never hunted until a little over 2 weeks ago when the weather got really cold all over the country, wasn't worth getting up and dragging decoys down with no birds. Kept eye on Salt Plains NWR bird counts and it was horrible all season except for cranes which always show up in October even though I didn't need the counts I have friends there telling me how bad it was.

Some guys I know were shooting GWT in Kansas this weekend. Its never a good sign when the teal dont even make it down.

[Flyway12]

Our problem was just no ducks pushed down by weather. No changes in NW Oklahoma other than weather up north and it was their worst season in recent memory, even the snows showed up way late.......I hunt and have friends and outfitters all around the Salt Plains NWR and they had horrible season and had to cancel many, or most, hunts, it's season's like this that weed out the "outfitters" which doesn't bother me. You're lucky down 20% we didn't kill 10% of what we did last year and we hunt at my house and I can see the pond, and others, and there just weren't any birds on any water around that would normally hold birds. Only geese we had were resident greaters. I'm not far from Hagerman NWR and get birds from both there and Ray Roberts. Very rare we don't limit out and only did 1 of only 4 hunts this year and normally hunt twice a week. If your lease is west of Gunter there is lots of big water there that I've seen thousands of snows in years past. Opening day last year we killed 4 man limit and 8 greaters and this year I never hunted until a little over 2 weeks ago when the weather got really cold all over the country, wasn't worth getting up and dragging decoys down with no birds. Kept eye on Salt Plains NWR bird counts and it was horrible all season except for cranes which always show up in October even though I didn't need the counts I have friends there telling me how bad it was.

Yeah I’ve been hunting from Frisco to the river for 32 seasons now. The decline has been sad over time. We’ve always managed to get some decent water over but it gets more and more difficult each year. More and more pressure annually with the fad that duck hunting has become. I’ve been hunting the Hagerman snows for 30 years. Just don’t do it much like I used to. Had a few “outfitters” there for a couple of years that really just took the joy out of hunting them. I’ve been up around salt plains and other areas too. The birds didn’t migrate as well as they used to but the increasing pressure in those areas has shifted a lot of birds as well. We’ve also got half the population of ducks now that we had back around 2017 and the powers that be continue to allow long seasons and 6 bird limits. Birds are getting their butts handed to them by all the hunters and outfitters in Canada, and the breeding situation is horrible with historic drought up there. Weather moves birds but so do photoperiods and our photo migrators are dwindling in numbers as the continued decline happens. Hoping to see a 3-4 bird limit and a 45 days season soon. We need to back off these birds until we see a recovery on the breeding grounds. Industry seems to be running the decisions and not the resource. Weather will help but it ain’t the only problem

[DUKFVR]

Yeah I’ve been hunting from Frisco to the river for 32 seasons now. The decline has been sad over time. We’ve always managed to get some decent water over but it gets more and more difficult each year. More and more pressure annually with the fad that duck hunting has become. I’ve been hunting the Hagerman snows for 30 years. Just don’t do it much like I used to. Had a few “outfitters” there for a couple of years that really just took the joy out of hunting them. I’ve been up around salt plains and other areas too. The birds didn’t migrate as well as they used to but the increasing pressure in those areas has shifted a lot of birds as well. We’ve also got half the population of ducks now that we had back around 2017 and the powers that be continue to allow long seasons and 6 bird limits. Birds are getting their butts handed to them by all the hunters and outfitters in Canada, and the breeding situation is horrible with historic drought up there. Weather moves birds but so do photoperiods and our photo migrators are dwindling in numbers as the continued decline happens. Hoping to see a 3-4 bird limit and a 45 days season soon. We need to back off these birds until we see a recovery on the breeding grounds. Industry seems to be running the decisions and not the resource. Weather will help but it ain’t the only problem

Spot on about fewer birds and WAY too much pressure.

[150class]

Yeah I’ve been hunting from Frisco to the river for 32 seasons now. The decline has been sad over time. We’ve always managed to get some decent water over but it gets more and more difficult each year. More and more pressure annually with the fad that duck hunting has become. I’ve been hunting the Hagerman snows for 30 years. Just don’t do it much like I used to. Had a few “outfitters” there for a couple of years that really just took the joy out of hunting them. I’ve been up around salt plains and other areas too. The birds didn’t migrate as well as they used to but the increasing pressure in those areas has shifted a lot of birds as well. We’ve also got half the population of ducks now that we had back around 2017 and the powers that be continue to allow long seasons and 6 bird limits. Birds are getting their butts handed to them by all the hunters and outfitters in Canada, and the breeding situation is horrible with historic drought up there. Weather moves birds but so do photoperiods and our photo migrators are dwindling in numbers as the continued decline happens. Hoping to see a 3-4 bird limit and a 45 days season soon. We need to back off these birds until we see a recovery on the breeding grounds. Industry seems to be running the decisions and not the resource. Weather will help but it ain’t the only problem

Pretty solid summary in my book.

• Less birds
• Way more hunters
• Way more efficient hunters
• less food (farming in general and more efficient harvesting practices) and habitat (development and removal of farming land in general
• More food and money dumped into the Mississippi valley stopping the birds from needing to go further south

Through in some some par weather and droughts in areas that birds pot hole their way down and it adds up to us way down here not doing very well. Even with the freezes the last 2 weeks I would imagine they were to late and the birds already know they are going to be headed north soon so why burn all the calories just to pop down here for a few weeks or so to just turn around and go to the breeding grounds.

We will be making some changes on our frequency of hunting next year to provide less pressure and will probably even look at limiting our total hunting footprint and leave a field or two as a loafing or relaxing spot for the birds with no hunting. We will see how that does but it'll be tough know all the outfitters and guides around the property that probably wont change much but hopefully I am mistaken.

[DUKFVR]

Pretty solid summary in my book.

• Less birds
• Way more hunters
• Way more efficient hunters
• less food (farming in general and more efficient harvesting practices) and habitat (development and removal of farming land in general
• More food and money dumped into the Mississippi valley stopping the birds from needing to go further south

Through in some some par weather and droughts in areas that birds pot hole their way down and it adds up to us way down here not doing very well. Even with the freezes the last 2 weeks I would imagine they were to late and the birds already know they are going to be headed north soon so why burn all the calories just to pop down here for a few weeks or so to just turn around and go to the breeding grounds.

We will be making some changes on our frequency of hunting next year to provide less pressure and will probably even look at limiting our total hunting footprint and leave a field or two as a loafing or relaxing spot for the birds with no hunting. We will see how that does but it'll be tough know all the outfitters and guides around the property that probably wont change much but hopefully I am mistaken.

Those outfitters will not change. They gotta pay for those high dollars leases they have tied up. Only way they will let up is if they don't have parties to take. It's all about the dollar.

[friscopaint]

We didn't kill a single teal and normally are covered in them. In NW Oklahoma decades of drought have moved the birds east towards Enid and I-35 where there is much more water. Nothing but that has changed in that area. Now closer to the refuge the outfitters are all over the place, you can't drive down a dirt road without meeting trucks scouting for birds. They pay the farmers $50 per gun and bring 10 or so hunters so that's a nice bonus.....around here where I live the corporations have bought up tons of land and won't allow any hunting whatsoever. Friend farms 5-6000 acres and he told me in his lease agreements that is clearly stated and used to he would let me or other friends hunt anything he had. They are afraid of being sued. Friend that has lived here his whole life, 70 years, couple years back he and grandson were dove hunting and kid broke his leg crossing the fence. Health insurance company called and wanted the landowners name and information, he told them he didn't know.......assuming they were going to try and sue for cost's....lot's of things factoring in to the equation on dwindling hunting ground. Nephew hunts with a group in Arkansas and it's incredible what the rich guys that own the place pay for leases but they crush the ducks, recent veteran group hunt killed 18 man limits, nephew takes dogs and helps out. These guys lease up areas and they don't outfit just hunt themselves and friends or clients.........

[friscopaint]

Pretty solid summary in my book.

• Less birds
• Way more hunters
• Way more efficient hunters
• less food (farming in general and more efficient harvesting practices) and habitat (development and removal of farming land in general
• More food and money dumped into the Mississippi valley stopping the birds from needing to go further south

Through in some some par weather and droughts in areas that birds pot hole their way down and it adds up to us way down here not doing very well. Even with the freezes the last 2 weeks I would imagine they were to late and the birds already know they are going to be headed north soon so why burn all the calories just to pop down here for a few weeks or so to just turn around and go to the breeding grounds.

We will be making some changes on our frequency of hunting next year to provide less pressure and will probably even look at limiting our total hunting footprint and leave a field or two as a loafing or relaxing spot for the birds with no hunting. We will see how that does but it'll be tough know all the outfitters and guides around the property that probably wont change much but hopefully I am mistaken.

There is one area where we hunt in around Jet Oklahoma and has a huge lake on it and they won't allow any hunting and literally thousands of ducks pour into it, doesn't translate in to better hunting surrounding areas.....I don't believe in just leaving a spot and never hunting it or they will just go there and stay but do believe in rotating and not hunting too much. We hunt here at my house twice a week and most the times in years past I think it's new birds.....divers and teal early then goes to gadwall and mallards and we didn't kill a single teal or gadwall this year and normally stack them up......

[Slew]

Pretty solid summary in my book.

• Less birds
• Way more hunters
• Way more efficient hunters
• less food (farming in general and more efficient harvesting practices) and habitat (development and removal of farming land in general
• More food and money dumped into the Mississippi valley stopping the birds from needing to go further south

Through in some some par weather and droughts in areas that birds pot hole their way down and it adds up to us way down here not doing very well. Even with the freezes the last 2 weeks I would imagine they were to late and the birds already know they are going to be headed north soon so why burn all the calories just to pop down here for a few weeks or so to just turn around and go to the breeding grounds.

We will be making some changes on our frequency of hunting next year to provide less pressure and will probably even look at limiting our total hunting footprint and leave a field or two as a loafing or relaxing spot for the birds with no hunting. We will see how that does but it'll be tough know all the outfitters and guides around the property that probably wont change much but hopefully I am mistaken.

2 of the best places I’ve hunted both had refuge areas they let the birds rest in. Neither place will drive through the area much less hunt it. Both those places refuges are loaded up right now and they hunt birds coming and going on the edges. Takes a lot of land to have areas like that to set aside but it sure works.

[Flyway12]

Those outfitters will not change. They gotta pay for those high dollars leases they have tied up. Only way they will let up is if they don't have parties to take. It's all about the dollar.

That’s the sad part. Those jokers don’t realize they’re literally putting themselves out of business. Adaptive harvest management has become a joke. Used to be seasons were set based on that years numbers. Now it’s a two year delay. “Well the ducks are in bad shape, let’s change it in 2 seasons”.

I know industry doesn’t make as much money with lower limits and shorter seasons but can they make a living at all if people get fed up with how bad it’s getting other than a few select places?

I don’t think we’ve reached the lows of the late 80’s but we are headed there.

[HUNTIN HARD]

Deer lease ponds that I usually have had many birds on didn’t have a single bird this year. I drive a lot of back roads for work and several ponds I always stop and look at birds there were absolutely none. I haven’t even heard any geese like years past. Idk what is going on.

[Duckologist]

Last hunt for me yesterday was a fun one. 6 man limit in 15 mins. Mostly green wings, a few blue wings and 1 woody.

[Greenheadless]

If I was to guess, lack of snow coverage in the plains/mid west was the icing on the cake for all the other issues. There has been little if none this year from what I am hearing.

Few guys from that direction and even north of the border were teasing the S Louisiana guys I was with this weekend, that they had more snow last week than all the northerners have had this year.

[Duckologist]

If I was to guess, lack of snow coverage in the plains/mid west was the icing on the cake for all the other issues. There has been little if none this year from what I am hearing.

Few guys from that direction and even north of the border were teasing the S Louisiana guys I was with this weekend, that they had more snow last week than all the northerners have had this year.

Plus ders no ducks

[Gmann]

Plus ders no ducks

#duckseliminated

[hopedale]

Just saw this and thought I'd share here. Seven people killed in the plane\helicopter collesion were duck hunters comeing home from a trip -

https://x.com/TexasRepublic71/status/1886111290583650533