Migration Alert: Wisconsin Waterfowlers Off to a Strong Start

Wisconsin waterfowlers have plenty of hot spots to choose from, including the vast pools of the upper Mississippi River in the west and the lengthy Lake Michigan coastline in the east, as well as an incredible number of inland lakes, rivers and marshes. As one can imagine, the Badger State offers plenty of habitat for migrating waterfowl, but it also raises an impressive number of ducks and geese.

Thus, it’s no surprise that Wisconsin waterfowl hunters often do just fine even when warm weather stalls the migration. Despite what appears to be a trickle of new birds migrating into the state, hunting success has been good for many waterfowlers this season.

“Reports have been pretty solid since the opener, especially for teal and other puddlers,” says Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) Game Bird Ecologist Taylor Finger. “Wood ducks seem to be a little harder to come by now, but there were a lot of them early. We’ve definitely seen a drop in their numbers over the past two weeks.” 

“Some divers have moved into Green Bay and on the Mississippi River, and colder weather will hopefully bring in more birds,” Finger adds. “Unfortunately, we are still looking at warm weather going into Halloween. The bottom line is we haven't seen a ton of new birds in the interior of the state, but with the next big cold front, we should see a large, rapid migration.”

On some traditional migration areas, the flight has been spotty, and hunters are still waiting for a good push of birds to arrive. “We have been really balmy up here, with a lot of 70-degree days and sunny skies,” says Dave Heath, owner and guide with Heath Outdoors at Washington Island. “We have seen some small groups of redheads and longtails, but the migration really hasn’t started yet. We need cooler weather for a push.”

Similar reports are coming from Horicon Marsh. “As of last week, overall waterfowl numbers, particularly of dabbling ducks, appear similar to 2022, which is far below what we saw in 2023,” says WDNR wildlife biologist Eric Kilburg. “The exceptionally high numbers at Horicon in 2023 are believed to have resulted from birds concentrating on available water during the drought and due to abundant food following a summer drawdown. Goose numbers also appear lower this year. That said, hunters are reporting fair success. We still have some blue-winged teal in the area and recently saw a large increase in ruddy ducks. Overall, I think it is fair to speculate that the migration is somewhat behind what we saw in recent years.”

While temperatures currently remain above average in the Great Lakes region and much of the Upper Midwest, cool nights and impending colder weather are on the horizon. Waterfowl hunters throughout the region, including in Wisconsin, should remain vigilant and be in rapid-deployment mode. With any luck, the migration is imminent.