WATERFOWL

OUTDOOR CALENDAR: Banquets and “Bombing of the Big Bog,”

List of upcoming outdoor banquets and events.

By Herald Staff Report , January 20, 2013

OUTDOOR NOTES: Waterfowl hunters had good 2012 season

Minnesota waterfowl experts are pleased with the outcome of last fall’s duck and goose hunting seasons. According to the Department of Natural Resources, an earlier season opener, regulation changes that created more opportunity and some timely help from Mother Nature all combined to make 2012 a noteworthy season... and more.

By Herald Staff Report , January 20, 2013

OUTDOOR FACTOIDS: Predator trapping continues to be an effective tool for improving waterfowl

Collection of outdoor facts and notes

By Herald Staff Report , December 16, 2012

IN THE FIELD: Ryan Schuster albino goose

Ryan Schuster, a senior at Red River High School, shot what appears to be a Canada goose with albino characteristics, Sept. 23 near Drayton, N.D. “I know this bird gave us an early look at our decoys,” Ryan’s dad, Tom (background), writes. “He came back later in the morning for a closer look and Ryan made a nice shot.” He said the goose is being mounted. Mike Johnson a migratory bird biologist for the North Dakota Game and Fish Department in Bismarck, said he receives several inquiries about geese with similar appearances. “The bird in the photo is not a true or complete albino, because it has some black feathers and some coloration,” Johnson writes. “Albinism is genetic mutation that suppresses all color pigments in feathers, and soft body parts. True albinos have pink eyes. If it is a Canada-type bird, which I can’t tell from the photo, it is most likely a hybrid with a domestic goose.”

September 30, 2012

Fall duck forecast is rosy, but ominous trends loom on the horizon

As reported across the state earlier this week, North Dakota’s fall duck flight is expected to have twice as many birds as last year. Results from the annual mid-July waterfowl production survey showed the duck index was up 16 percent from 2011 and 112 percent higher than the long-term average.

By Brad Dokken , August 12, 2012

Feds propose late-season waterfowl hunting frameworks

The Service on Friday announced a 74-day season in the Central Flyway — with an additional 23 days in the High Plains areas — and a 60-day season in the Mississippi Flyway. North Dakota is in the Central Flyway, and Minnesota is in the Mississippi Flyway.

By Herald Staff Report , July 29, 2012

Continental duck population hits new record

According to the annual Waterfowl Breeding Population and Habitat Survey, North America’s duck population is 48.6 million birds. That’s a 7 percent increase from 45.6 million ducks in 2011.

By Herald Staff Report , July 08, 2012

OUTDOORS NOTEBOOK: Sandhill crane survey, Trumpeter swan presentation etc.

The sandhill crane survey, which covers an area from Crookston north through Thief River Falls to the Canadian border, will count both nesting pairs and nonbreeding cranes in the Minnesota hunting zone to better monitor breeding populations.

By Compiled by Brad Dokken , May 13, 2012

Record waterfowl in N.D. midwinter survey

A mild, dry fall and an unseasonably warm winter have resulted in a record number of ducks and geese wintering in North Dakota.

By Associated Press , February 03, 2012

One of 7 oil companies agrees to plead guilty in North Dakota migratory bird deaths

Under a plea agreement filed in federal court Monday, Slawson Exploration Co. Inc., of Wichita, Kan., would pay $12,000 to a nonprofit wildlife group.

By Associated Press , October 24, 2011

The Devils Lake story

Devils Lake has risen 32 feet in the past 18 years. It’s inundating highways, swallowing country roads and forcing residents to take the long way around to visit each other. It’s also gobbling up farmland and threatening to flood towns such as Devils Lake and Minnewaukan, N.D.

By Sam Cook , October 23, 2011

Devils Lake is where the ducks are for this waterfowl crew

These moments before legal shooting hours are filled with the sweet anticipation of the coming hunt. A teal comes slicing over the decoys and disappears down the lake. Mallards quack somewhere in the endless cattails behind us, discussing the day’s feeding destinations. The hushed banter of the hunters circulates from boat to boat as they ready guns and survey the sky.

By Sam Cook , October 23, 2011

N.D., Minnesota waterfowl season previews

Lack of ducks shouldn’t be a problem in North Dakota, depending on the weather and how it affects migration. The Game and Fish Department’s annual spring breeding duck survey showed an index of 4.1 million birds, down 9 percent from last year but 85 percent above the long-term average and the ninth-highest on record.

By Herald Staff Report , September 18, 2011

Feds propose late-season waterfowl hunting frameworks

The proposed frameworks also include a full season on pintails with a two-bird daily bag limit nationwide and a full season on canvasbacks with a one-bird daily limit nationwide.

By Herald Staff Report , July 31, 2011

Flood's temporary restoration of old Missouri River function may aid protected birds, fish

The great Missouri River flood could leave behind a more natural habitat than the area's native species have seen in decades. "The former function of the river is being restored in this one-year event," said Greg Pavelka, a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers wildlife biologist. "In the short term, it could be detrimental, but in the long term it could be very beneficial."

By James MacPherson , June 06, 2011