The waterfowl report is published each week during the waterfowl hunting season on this site, usually updated on Monday afternoons. We encourage hunters to send photographs and updated information to augment this report. Our goal is to make this report the most comprehensive waterfowl hunting report available for Southern California hunters -- with all of the information in a single place. Updates, photographs, and comments should be e-mailed to Jim Matthews at odwriter@charter.net.
 

November 5, 2008

 

First snow geese show at Wister, but
waterfowl hunting still mostly slow


By JIM MATTHEWS
Outdoor News Service


In spite of unseasonably warm weather at the Wister Unit of the Imperial Wildlife Area on the south end of the Salton Sea, the first light geese of the season were taken on Saturday.
Hunters bagged 19 snows and two Canada’s that day and then two Ross’ and a snow on Sunday. There were also six light geese taken those two days on the federal refuge. While light goose numbers are still low, refuge staff say more and more birds are coming in every day this week, thanks to cool weather to the north driving birds south.
Overall, duck hunting remained pretty dismal at public hunting areas in the southern part of the state, with averages of less than a bird per hunter at both Wister and the San Jacinto Wildlife Area.
In San Diego County, Sutherland Reservoir has also been dismal for the handful of hunters setting out decoys on the Thursday and Sunday hunts, but this past Sunday Mike Macias, Brea, shot a snow goose at Sutherland from blind No. 4. It was the only bird taken either shoot day.
Hunters are reminded that the Southern San Joaquin hunting zone, including the Kern National Wildlife Refuge, is closed for its split season until this Saturday, Nov. 8.


What follows is the area-by-area breakdown for public hunting this past week:


At the SAN JACINTO WILDLIFE AREA, there were 96 hunters on Wednesday, Oct. 29, who shot 80 ducks, 19 coots, and two cackling geese for a 1.05 average. The duck bag included 25 greenwings, 19 shovelers, 12 cinnamons, 10 wigeon, five gadwall, four ruddies, two pintail, two bluewing teal, and one redhead. On Saturday, Nov. 1, there were 110 hunters who shot 69 ducks and 39 coots for a .98 average. The duck bag was made up of 20 shovelers, 14 wigeon, 11 greenwings, seven bufflehead, six gadwall, five pintail, one mallard, one cinnamon, one redhead, one ringneck, one scaup, and one ruddy. San Jacinto is open to waterfowl and pheasant 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 until 2 p.m. Shoot days are Wednesday and Saturday for waterfowl, and Mondays for pheasants during the pheasant season. For more information, contact the wildlife area at 951-928-0580.
At the WISTER UNIT of the IMPERIAL WILDLIFE AREA on the Salton Sea, there were 52 hunters on Wednesday, Oct. 29, who shot 49 ducks and two coots for a .98 average. The duck bag was made up of 11 pintail, 11 shovelers, 10 greenwings, six wigeon, five cinnamons, three gadwall, two ringnecks, and one ruddy. On Saturday, Nov. 1, there were 138 hunters who shot 57 ducks, 19 snow geese, and two Canada geese for a .57 average. The duck kill included 17 pintail, 14 cinnamons, 10 greenwings, nine wigeon, five shovelers, one mallard, and one bufflehead. On Sunday, Nov. 2, there were 76 hunters who shot 50 ducks, two Ross’ geese, and one snow goose for a .70 average. The duck bag was made up of 23 pintail, six cinnamons, five wigeon, five greenwings, four gadwall, three mallards, three shovelers, and one scaup. 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 four hunters Wednesday, Oct. 29, who shot three greenwing teal for a .75 average. On Saturday, Nov. 1, there were 23 hunters who shot 16 ducks and one snow goose for a .74 average. The duck bag was made up of four shovelers, three cinnamons, two mallards, two pintail, two greenwings, two ruddies, and one redhead. On Sunday, Nov. 2, there were nine hunters who shot 20 ducks, three Ross’ geese, and two snow geese for a 2.78 average. The duck kill included five mallards, five shovelers, five ruddies, four greenwings, and one pintail. 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 a total of 10 hunters from Monday, Oct. 27 through Sunday, Nov. 2 who shot a total of 21 ducks for a 2.10 average. 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 was no hunting this past week during the split season break. Hunting resumes this Saturday, Nov. 8. Kern 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, call 661-725-2767 or the comprehensive hunter's hotline at 661-725-6504, normally updated after each hunt day.
At the SAN DIEGO CITY LAKES, there were a total of 21 hunters at BARRETT LAKE on Wednesday, Oct. 29, this past week. They shot a total of nine ducks for a .43 average. The duck bag was made up of three greenwings, three ringnecks, two ruddies, and one wigeon. No numbers were available for the Saturday hunt. At SUTHERLAND RESERVOIR on last Thursday, Oct. 30, and Sunday, Nov. 2, there were a total of three hunters who show a single snow goose for a .33 average. Reservations are still available for Barrett for all Wednesday shoot days from November through January and for all shoot days at Sutherland. For more information and to request a hunting information packet, hunters should call the lake’s office at 619-668-2050 or e-mail ssmith@sandiego.gov.
RAAHAUGE'S DUCK CLUB in PRADO BASIN opened this past weekend to public hunters who make reservations in advance by telephone. No walk-ons this year for the public blinds. There were 14 hunters on Wednesday, Oct. 29, who shot 37 ducks and six coots for a 3.07 average. The duck bag was made up of 13 cinnamons, nine wigeon, six mallards, six greenwings, two gadwall, and two wood ducks. On Saturday, Nov. 1, there were 10 hunters who shot 36 ducks and six coots for a 4.20 average. The duck kill consisted of 10 mallards, nine wigeon, six cinnamon teal, three greenwings, two shovelers, two redheads, a gadwall, a ruddy duck, a pintail, and a bufflehead. On Sunday, Nov. 2, there were 10 hunters who shot 37 ducks and 10 coots for a 4.7 average. The duck bag included 15 cinnamons, 14 mallards, three wigeon, two greenwings, two gadwall, one pintail, one ruddy, and one merganser. Public blinds are available for $200 per day for a two-person blind. An adult with a junior hunter is just $100. For information, call Raahauge’s at 951-735-7981.

Hunters who would like to contribute information and photographs to this report should e-mail the information to Jim Matthews at odwriter@charter.net.

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