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 20, 2008

 

Teal, wigeon boost averages
at San Jacinto Wildlife Area


By JIM MATTHEWS
Outdoor News Service


While duck and goose hunting results tanked across Southern California’s public waterfowl hunting over the weekend thanks to unseasonably hot weather and Santa Ana winds, an influx of birds early in the week really jumped the averages at the San Jacinto Wildlife Area.
On Wednesday, the duck average jumped to 3 1/2 birds per hunter with 165 greenwings and 54 wigeon in the bag. This is two birds per hunter better than the previous Wednesday and 1 1/2 birds more than Saturday.
Over the hot days last week, San Jacinto held up better than the Wister Unit of the Imperial Wildlife Area, but neither were good. The wigeon started coming in at San Jacinto late last week, and that helped boost the duck average to nearly two birds per hunter on Saturday, while Wister and the Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge both had averages of less than a bird per hunter, and only a handful of geese taken all three shoot days last week.
Averages at the Kern National Wildlife Refuge have fallen steadily from nearly four birds per hunter when it reopened Saturday. Nov. 8, after its mid-season split, to just over 1 1/2 birds per hunter on Wednesday this week.


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


At the SAN JACINTO WILDLIFE AREA, there were 81 hunters on Wednesday, Nov. 12, who shot 99 ducks and 29 coots for a 1.58 average. The duck kill included 34 shovelers, 19 greenwings, 13 wigeon, nine pintail, seven gadwall, four cinnamons, four bufflehead, four ruddies, two mallards, one redhead, one ringneck, and one goldeneye. On Saturday, Nov. 15, there were 114 hunters who shot 215 ducks and seven coots for a 1.95 average. The duck bag consisted of 53 wigeon, 43 shovelers, 30 greenwings, 24 gadwall, 13 bufflehead, 12 ruddies, 11 redheads, nine pintail, seven cinnamons, five ringnecks, four scaup, three mallards, and one bluewing teal. On Wednesday, Nov. 19, there were 89 hunters who shot 313 ducks and seven coots for a 3.60 average. The duck bag was made up of 165 greenwings, 54 wigeon, 32 shovelers, 16 cinnamons, 13 pintail, seven ruddies, seven gadwall, five mallards, four redheads, four bufflehead, three ringnecks, two scaup, and one wood ducks. 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 78 hunters on Wednesday, Nov. 12, who shot 69 ducks, six coots, and four snow geese for a 1.01 average. The duck bag consisted of 26 wigeon, 11 greenwings, 11 shovelers, nine pintail, five gadwall, four mallards, and three ruddies. On Saturday, Nov. 15, there were 126 hunters who shot 73 ducks, 12 snow geese, five Ross’ geese, five coots, and one Canada goose for a .76 average. The duck kill was made up of 28 shovelers, 15 pintail, 12 wigeon, eight greenwings, five gadwall, three ruddies, two ringnecks, one cinnamon, one scaup, and one white wing scooter. On Sunday, Nov. 16, there were 50 hunters who shot 11 ducks, seven snow geese, and one coot for a .38 average. The duck bag included three greenwings, two mallards, two gadwall, two pintail, one wigeon, and one shoveler. 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 10 hunters Wednesday, Nov. 12, who shot seven ducks for a .70 average. The duck bag was made up of six cinnamons and one shoveler. On Saturday, Nov. 15, there were 41 hunters who shot 17 ducks for a .73 average. The duck kill was made up of four greewnings, three ruddies, two mallards, two gadwall, two cinnamons, two goldeneye, one pintail, and one ringneck. On Sunday, Nov. 16, there were nine hunters who shot two Ross’ geese and one snow goose for a .33 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 a total of 11 hunters from Monday, Nov. 10 through Sunday, Nov. 16 who shot a total of 25 for a 2.27 average. The duck bag was made up of six shovelers, six ruddies, five greenwings, three wigeon, three gadwall, one pintail, and one cinnamon. 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 87 hunters on Wednesday, Nov. 12, who shot 257 ducks for a 2.95 average. The duck kill was made up of 51 cinnamons, 49 shovelers, 40 gadwall, 36 mallards, 24 greenwings, 20 ringnecks, 10 bufflehead, nine pintail, eight redheads, six wigeon, three ruddies, and one wood duck. On Saturday, Nov. 15, there were 83 hunters who shot 123 ducks for a 1.48 average. The duck kill included 26 gadwall, 23 greenwings, 23 shovelers, 21 cinnamons, 14 mallards, three redheads, three wigeon, three bufflehead, two pintail, two ringnecks, two ruddies, and one wood duck. On Wednesday, Nov. 19, there were 68 hunters who shot 109 ducks and six coots for a 1.69 average. The duck kill included 40 gadwall, 21 shovelers, 13 mallards, 13 cinnamons, nine greewings, five wigeon, five pintail, one ringneck, one bufflehead, and one unidentified duck. 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 28 hunters at BARRETT LAKE on Wednesday, Nov. 12, and Saturday, Nov. 15, this past week. They shot a total of 44 ducks for a 1.57 average. The duck bag was made up of 11 ruddies, nine ringnecks, seven shovelers, five bufflehead, four mallards, three greenwings, two gadwall, one wigeon, one cinnamon, and one wood duck. At SUTHERLAND RESERVOIR on last Thursday, Nov. 6, and Sunday, Nov. 9, there were no hunters. 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.
At RAAHAUGE'S DUCK CLUB in PRADO BASIN, there were 29 hunters over the three shoot days, Wednesday, Nov. 12, Saturday, Nov. 15, and Sunday, Nov. 16, who shot a total of 126 ducks, 20 coots, and one Canada goose for a 5.07 average. The duck bag included 43 wigeon, 22 gadwall, 22 mallards, 21 greenwings, 11 shovelers, three ruddies, two pintail, and two cinnmamons. Public blinds are available for $200 per day for a two-person blind. An adult with a junior hunter is just $100. All reservations must be made in advance by telephone. No walk-ons this year for the public blinds. For information, call Raahauge’s at 951-735-7981.

 

Reader Story:

By Rodion Butyrski of Glendale

My friend Phil and I were hunting in one of the Walker blinds after our sweat line pick. A group of 7-8 specs were working the Walkers in the early morning but it was 9:00 when they finally decided to come down. We let them slowly work down until one of the nearby blinds took a shot and managed to bring one down.
After he shot one spec the group started coming straight toward us and we unloaded our duck loads on the specs at 35 yards. We managed to sail two down. One was finished off by another blind and the one you see in the picture took his last breath 100 yards away from the blind.

We did not have any goose decoys.
Everyone let the geese work on their own and didn't take any 100 yard shots, and largely because of this, 3 out of 4 blinds each got a spec.

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

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