Migration Alert: Kansas Duck and Goose Hunters Search for Opportunities

With waterfowl numbers below peak levels and weather conditions impacting bird behavior, Kansas hunters are having to search for ways to bag December ducks and geese. Here’s a look at where hunters are finding opportunities for success.

The middle of December tends to be a prime time for memorable hunts for waterfowl hunters in Kansas, especially when places like North Dakota and South Dakota have received the type of weather needed to send ducks and geese south, but that is not necessarily proving to be the case this season. Throw in a full moon, periods of warm temperatures, hunting pressure, and Kansas hunters have the makings of a December to forget.

“Overall, it has been an odd season,” explains Matt Farmer, manager of the Kansas Department of Wildlife & Parks’ Jamestown Wildlife Area. “The migration has been very sporadic, and the birds that have shown up seem to be really smart by the time they get here, going nocturnal almost the day they arrive. And I am a bit surprised at the lack of mallards and large Canada geese in this area, which are typically our top targets for this time of the year.”

A survey of recent waterfowl reports compiled by Kansas wildlife area staff suggests that the north-central part of the state is not the only place combating less-than-ideal hunting conditions. Low water levels, heavy hunting pressure, ducks feeding at night, low waterfowl numbers – all are issues hunters are facing across the state of Kansas.

Finding success has meant being more selective on when and where to hunt, says Mossy Oak Pro Staff Member Jeremy Romain.

“We’ve really been cherry picking our days, watching the temperatures swings very closely, and we’ve really had some decent hunts when the ice goes out and birds follow the thaw back into an area,” says Romain. “The same goes for those rare days this season when we’ve had a bigger weather event. You see that change in the weather coming, and you know you need to be out there.”

Romain, who hunts primarily in eastern Kansas, is surprised by the lack of ducks he is seeing, noting that specific properties that historically have been very good in December for mallards, are virtually void of ducks this year.

“Birds will show up, spend a couple of days in the area, then disappear. These are places that should be wall-to-wall with mallards, and there isn’t a duck on them,” Romain says. “It’s one of those seasons that has you scratching your head.”