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SOCAL WATERFOWL ROUNDUP -- ONS Jim Matthews -- 10dec03
Greenwing teal continue to dominate bag
By JIM MATTHEWS, Outdoor News Service
Greenwing and cinnamon teal continued to make up the bulk of the bag at public duck hunting locations throughout Southern California -- from the Wister Unit of the Imperial Wildlife Area on the Salton Sea to the Kern National Wildlife Refuge in the southern San Joaquin Valley.
The first wave of new migrant greenwings arrived in this region two weeks ago and more and more birds have flooded into the region since then. At the San Jacinto Wildlife Area, greenwings accounted for 132 of the 211 birds taken over the two shoot days last week. At Wister, greenwings and cinnamon teal accounted for 146 of the 298 ducks taken, and even Kern -- which generally has a wide variety of ducks -- there were 110 greenwings and 104 cinnamons in the 546 ducks taken this past week.
Overall, averages at public hunting areas have been from one to two birds per hunter. When windy or rainy weather has coincided with new flights of birds, the averages have jumped to three or 3 1/2 birds per hunter. Kern had a 3 1/2 bird average last Wednesday and the two hunters at Lake Perris last Wednesday had a great shoot day, bagging three mallards, three greenwings, and a pintail.
Raahauge's Duck Club in Prado Basin saw averages above two birds per hunter each of its three shoot days this past week, and greenwing teal made up the bulk of the bag there, too, at 40 of the 148 ducks taken.
Barrett Lake, one of the San Diego City Lakes, has moved into its late-season form with good numbers of diving ducks -- ringnecks and ruddies -- providing good shooting. Hunters averaged 3.2 birds per hunter over the two shoot days this past week and six limits were logged in. Eugene Hanson, Bonito, and George Hanson, San Diego, hunted the No. 8 blind in the Hauser Arm and shot eight ringnecks, two canvasback, two gadwall and a wigeon last Wednesday. On Saturday, Rick Bongiovanne, Lemon Grove, and Steve Claunch, San Diego, hunted the No. 7 blind in Hauser and bagged five ringnecks, four wigeon, two shovelers, two canvasbacks, and one greenwing.
Henshaw also opened up to hunting this past week with fair to good shooting, most hunters getting one or two birds.
The goose hunting has remained pretty consistent at Wister this past week with 113 snows and Ross' geese taken. Wednesday was the best shoot day with 60 light geese in the bag, better than a half-bird per hunter.
What follows is the area-by-area breakdown for public hunting areas opening weekend:
At the SAN JACINTO WILDLIFE AREA, there were 65 hunters last Wednesday who shot 90 ducks for a 1.38 average. The bag consisted of 57 greenwing teal, 10 shovelers, seven cinnamon teal, five pintail, four bufflehead, two wigeon, two ringnecks, one mallard, one gadwall, and one ruddy duck. On Saturday, there were 78 hunters who shot 121 ducks for a 1.55 average. The bag was made up of 75 greenwings, 18 shovelers, 14 cinnamons, four gadwall, three pintail, three canvasback, two bluewing teal, one ringneck, and one bufflehead. San Jacinto 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, contact the wildlife area at (909) 928-0580.
At LAKE PERRIS STATE RECREATION AREA, there were just two hunters last Wednesday who shot three mallards, three greenwings, and one pintail for a 3.5 average. On Saturday, there were 13 hunters who shot 13 ducks for a 1.0 average. The bag was made up of six gadwall, four greenwings, and three mallards. Hunting is allowed until noon on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Only hunters with boats and motors can hunt the area, and the check-in station is at parking lots 11 and 12 at the jet ski launch ramp. Perris is open on a first-come, first-serve basis each shoot day. For more information, contact the San Jacinto Wildlife Area at (909) 928-0580.
At RAAHAUGE'S DUCK CLUB in PRADO BASIN, there were 26 hunters last Wednesday who shot 55 ducks and two coots for a 2.19 average. The bag consisted of 21 greenwings, 10 wigeon, eight gadwall, five shovelers, five pintail, three mallards, two ringnecks, and one redhead. On Saturday, there were 23 hunters who shot 61 ducks and three coots for a 2.78 average. Included in the kill were 15 greenwings, 10 gadwall, nine mallards, eight shovelers, six wigeon, five ruddies, one cinnamon, one ringneck, one redhead, and one merganser. On Sunday, there were 14 hunters who shot 32 ducks for a 2.29 average. The bag included seven mallards, six shovelers, five pintail, four greenwings, four wigeon, three ruddies, one cinnamon, one gadwall, and one wood duck. Hunting is allowed Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday and there are public blinds available each shoot day. For more information, call the club at (909) 735-7981 or check the club's web site at http://www.raahauges.com.
At the WISTER UNIT of the IMPERIAL WILDLIFE AREA on the Salton Sea, there were 104 hunters last Wednesday who shot 117 ducks, 59 snow geese and one Ross' goose for a 1.70 average. The duck bag included 35 greenwings, 30 pintail, 21 wigeon, 16 cinnamons, six gadwall, three mallards, two shovelers, two bufflhead, one ruddy, and one merganser. On Saturday, there were 196 hunters who shot 132 ducks, 32 snow geese, and one Ross' goose for a .84 average. The duck kill was made up of 44 greenwings, 35 cinnamons, 25 pintail, 11 shovelers, six mallards, six gadwall, three wigeon, one redhead, and one ringneck. On Sunday, there were 109 hunters who shot 49 ducks, 20 snow geese, and one coot for a .64 average. The duck bag was made up of 11 mallards, 10 greenwings, nine wigeon, eight pintail, five shoveler, three gadwall, one cinnamon, one redhead, and one bufflehead. 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 nine hunters last Wednesday who shot five ducks and a Ross' goose for a .67 average. The duck kill was made up of one each on the mallard, gadwall, pintail, greenwing, and shoveler. On Saturday, there were 22 hunters who shot 18 ducks and three Ross' geese for a .95 average. The duck bag included six greenwings, four shovelers, three gadwall, two mallards, one pintail, one bufflehead, and one merganser. On Sunday, there were 17 hunters who shot three greenwings and two snow geese for a .29 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 25 hunters from Monday through Sunday last week who shot 20 ducks and one Canada goose for a .84 average. Of the ducks taken, 15 were not identified, but there were two greenwings, two shovelers, and one mallard. 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 88 hunters last Wednesday who shot 303 ducks and three Ross' geese for a 3.45 average. The duck bag included 82 greenwings, 61 shovelers, 52 gadwall, 41 cinnamons, 30 mallards, 14 redheads, 10 wigeon, five ringnecks, three canvasback, two scaup, two bufflehead, and one ruddy. On Saturday, there were 141 hunters who shot 243 ducks for a 1.72 average. The bag was made up of 63 cinnamons, 39 gadwall, 39 shovelers, 30 mallards, 28 greenwings, 19 pintail, eight wigeon, eight redhead, three ringnecks, three bufflehead, and three ruddies. For more information, call (661) 725-2767 or the hunter's hotline at (661) 725-6504, which is normally updated after each hunt day.
At the SAN DIEGO CITY LAKES, BARRETT LAKE had 33 hunters its two shoot days this past week who shot 106 ducks, including six limits, for a 3.21 average. The bag was made up of 39 ruddies, 36 ringnecks, eight wigeon, seven gadwall, six canvasback, five shovelers, three mallards, one scaup and one greenwing. At SUTHERLAND LAKE, there were seven hunters its two shoot days who shot a 12 ducks for a 1.71 average. The duck bag included five gadwall, two mallards, two wigeon, one bufflehead, one ringneck, and one ruddy. Barrett is open Wednesday and Saturday, while Sutherland is open Thursday and Sunday. Reservations are still available for Sutherland but Barrett is sold out. For information on the City Lakes waterfowl program, call (619) 668-2060.
Greenwing teal continue to dominate bag
By JIM MATTHEWS, Outdoor News Service
Greenwing and cinnamon teal continued to make up the bulk of the bag at public duck hunting locations throughout Southern California -- from the Wister Unit of the Imperial Wildlife Area on the Salton Sea to the Kern National Wildlife Refuge in the southern San Joaquin Valley.
The first wave of new migrant greenwings arrived in this region two weeks ago and more and more birds have flooded into the region since then. At the San Jacinto Wildlife Area, greenwings accounted for 132 of the 211 birds taken over the two shoot days last week. At Wister, greenwings and cinnamon teal accounted for 146 of the 298 ducks taken, and even Kern -- which generally has a wide variety of ducks -- there were 110 greenwings and 104 cinnamons in the 546 ducks taken this past week.
Overall, averages at public hunting areas have been from one to two birds per hunter. When windy or rainy weather has coincided with new flights of birds, the averages have jumped to three or 3 1/2 birds per hunter. Kern had a 3 1/2 bird average last Wednesday and the two hunters at Lake Perris last Wednesday had a great shoot day, bagging three mallards, three greenwings, and a pintail.
Raahauge's Duck Club in Prado Basin saw averages above two birds per hunter each of its three shoot days this past week, and greenwing teal made up the bulk of the bag there, too, at 40 of the 148 ducks taken.
Barrett Lake, one of the San Diego City Lakes, has moved into its late-season form with good numbers of diving ducks -- ringnecks and ruddies -- providing good shooting. Hunters averaged 3.2 birds per hunter over the two shoot days this past week and six limits were logged in. Eugene Hanson, Bonito, and George Hanson, San Diego, hunted the No. 8 blind in the Hauser Arm and shot eight ringnecks, two canvasback, two gadwall and a wigeon last Wednesday. On Saturday, Rick Bongiovanne, Lemon Grove, and Steve Claunch, San Diego, hunted the No. 7 blind in Hauser and bagged five ringnecks, four wigeon, two shovelers, two canvasbacks, and one greenwing.
Henshaw also opened up to hunting this past week with fair to good shooting, most hunters getting one or two birds.
The goose hunting has remained pretty consistent at Wister this past week with 113 snows and Ross' geese taken. Wednesday was the best shoot day with 60 light geese in the bag, better than a half-bird per hunter.
What follows is the area-by-area breakdown for public hunting areas opening weekend:
At the SAN JACINTO WILDLIFE AREA, there were 65 hunters last Wednesday who shot 90 ducks for a 1.38 average. The bag consisted of 57 greenwing teal, 10 shovelers, seven cinnamon teal, five pintail, four bufflehead, two wigeon, two ringnecks, one mallard, one gadwall, and one ruddy duck. On Saturday, there were 78 hunters who shot 121 ducks for a 1.55 average. The bag was made up of 75 greenwings, 18 shovelers, 14 cinnamons, four gadwall, three pintail, three canvasback, two bluewing teal, one ringneck, and one bufflehead. San Jacinto 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, contact the wildlife area at (909) 928-0580.
At LAKE PERRIS STATE RECREATION AREA, there were just two hunters last Wednesday who shot three mallards, three greenwings, and one pintail for a 3.5 average. On Saturday, there were 13 hunters who shot 13 ducks for a 1.0 average. The bag was made up of six gadwall, four greenwings, and three mallards. Hunting is allowed until noon on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Only hunters with boats and motors can hunt the area, and the check-in station is at parking lots 11 and 12 at the jet ski launch ramp. Perris is open on a first-come, first-serve basis each shoot day. For more information, contact the San Jacinto Wildlife Area at (909) 928-0580.
At RAAHAUGE'S DUCK CLUB in PRADO BASIN, there were 26 hunters last Wednesday who shot 55 ducks and two coots for a 2.19 average. The bag consisted of 21 greenwings, 10 wigeon, eight gadwall, five shovelers, five pintail, three mallards, two ringnecks, and one redhead. On Saturday, there were 23 hunters who shot 61 ducks and three coots for a 2.78 average. Included in the kill were 15 greenwings, 10 gadwall, nine mallards, eight shovelers, six wigeon, five ruddies, one cinnamon, one ringneck, one redhead, and one merganser. On Sunday, there were 14 hunters who shot 32 ducks for a 2.29 average. The bag included seven mallards, six shovelers, five pintail, four greenwings, four wigeon, three ruddies, one cinnamon, one gadwall, and one wood duck. Hunting is allowed Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday and there are public blinds available each shoot day. For more information, call the club at (909) 735-7981 or check the club's web site at http://www.raahauges.com.
At the WISTER UNIT of the IMPERIAL WILDLIFE AREA on the Salton Sea, there were 104 hunters last Wednesday who shot 117 ducks, 59 snow geese and one Ross' goose for a 1.70 average. The duck bag included 35 greenwings, 30 pintail, 21 wigeon, 16 cinnamons, six gadwall, three mallards, two shovelers, two bufflhead, one ruddy, and one merganser. On Saturday, there were 196 hunters who shot 132 ducks, 32 snow geese, and one Ross' goose for a .84 average. The duck kill was made up of 44 greenwings, 35 cinnamons, 25 pintail, 11 shovelers, six mallards, six gadwall, three wigeon, one redhead, and one ringneck. On Sunday, there were 109 hunters who shot 49 ducks, 20 snow geese, and one coot for a .64 average. The duck bag was made up of 11 mallards, 10 greenwings, nine wigeon, eight pintail, five shoveler, three gadwall, one cinnamon, one redhead, and one bufflehead. 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 nine hunters last Wednesday who shot five ducks and a Ross' goose for a .67 average. The duck kill was made up of one each on the mallard, gadwall, pintail, greenwing, and shoveler. On Saturday, there were 22 hunters who shot 18 ducks and three Ross' geese for a .95 average. The duck bag included six greenwings, four shovelers, three gadwall, two mallards, one pintail, one bufflehead, and one merganser. On Sunday, there were 17 hunters who shot three greenwings and two snow geese for a .29 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 25 hunters from Monday through Sunday last week who shot 20 ducks and one Canada goose for a .84 average. Of the ducks taken, 15 were not identified, but there were two greenwings, two shovelers, and one mallard. 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 88 hunters last Wednesday who shot 303 ducks and three Ross' geese for a 3.45 average. The duck bag included 82 greenwings, 61 shovelers, 52 gadwall, 41 cinnamons, 30 mallards, 14 redheads, 10 wigeon, five ringnecks, three canvasback, two scaup, two bufflehead, and one ruddy. On Saturday, there were 141 hunters who shot 243 ducks for a 1.72 average. The bag was made up of 63 cinnamons, 39 gadwall, 39 shovelers, 30 mallards, 28 greenwings, 19 pintail, eight wigeon, eight redhead, three ringnecks, three bufflehead, and three ruddies. For more information, call (661) 725-2767 or the hunter's hotline at (661) 725-6504, which is normally updated after each hunt day.
At the SAN DIEGO CITY LAKES, BARRETT LAKE had 33 hunters its two shoot days this past week who shot 106 ducks, including six limits, for a 3.21 average. The bag was made up of 39 ruddies, 36 ringnecks, eight wigeon, seven gadwall, six canvasback, five shovelers, three mallards, one scaup and one greenwing. At SUTHERLAND LAKE, there were seven hunters its two shoot days who shot a 12 ducks for a 1.71 average. The duck bag included five gadwall, two mallards, two wigeon, one bufflehead, one ringneck, and one ruddy. Barrett is open Wednesday and Saturday, while Sutherland is open Thursday and Sunday. Reservations are still available for Sutherland but Barrett is sold out. For information on the City Lakes waterfowl program, call (619) 668-2060.
