# Big Push Comin?



## Pate55 (Dec 29, 2015)

So I'm 36 and have never experienced a winter this warm.
              Most every reply on this forum to the question of  why do we have low numbers this year  has been *No cold=No ducks*. 
            It looks like the North is finally gonna get some cold weather...... So do all the old timers predict a mass migration of millions of ducks flying South at once

 or do they think that the year is a wash?


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## BigSwole (Dec 30, 2015)

Some old man yesterday said something about the gov and if they would extend duck season....

Has that ever happened before? Is that a possibility?


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## MudDucker (Dec 30, 2015)

My understanding is that there is a North American treaty which only allows duck hunting in the US until the last day of January.  Biologist say pairing begins in February.


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## king killer delete (Dec 30, 2015)

heat,heat, weather, heat= no ducks


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## king killer delete (Dec 30, 2015)

it is seasons like this that will test your metal.


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## creekrocket (Dec 30, 2015)

Only "big push" in Ga is from all the good food from the holidays...


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## steelshotslayer (Dec 30, 2015)

You can just about hang this season up.


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## bonecollector (Dec 30, 2015)

it aint looking good that's fer sure but ive had deer,turkey,and dove seasons the same. Love the hunt and love to hunt . Happy new year to all and be safe


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## dom (Dec 30, 2015)

creekrocket said:


> Only "big push" in Ga is from all the good food from the holidays...



feel it coming right now.


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## g0nef1sshn (Dec 30, 2015)

Only push round here is my boat in and out of the garage till theres a motor on it i seen more woodys at work and flying over my house then i have on the water tryin shoot them this season.


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## Southernhoundhunter (Dec 30, 2015)

Al Gore predicted  this!!! Bahaha 
We've got a woodie hole that has always produced regardless, been too busy deer hunting too shoot it but twice this year. Gonna try it tonight and see if they come in by the hundreds like they did thanksgiving


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## GSURugger (Dec 30, 2015)

El Niño years are always like this.  This El Niño pattern is particularly strong.  There may be a mass push in February or so, but I suspect it will be a trickle through the end of the season. The jet stream over the eastern US still hasn't dipped far enough to allow any meaningful arctic air this far south


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## tradhunter98 (Dec 30, 2015)

BigSwole said:


> Some old man yesterday said something about the gov and if they would extend duck season....
> 
> Has that ever happened before? Is that a possibility?



The season runs later this year then ever, it's as far back now as the Feds will allow it.


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## krazybronco2 (Dec 30, 2015)

word at work is Ga power put out to all the power plants to review the inclement weather policy because around jan 15th and after we will have a chance for ice storms like we had 2 years ago. might make for a good end of the season if they are right.


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## Bubba_1122 (Dec 30, 2015)

My little hole has just been a mud pit. Lower than I've ever seen it.

Now have a little water - just no ducks. 

Times getting short.


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## Gaducker (Dec 30, 2015)

Pate55 said:


> So I'm 36 and have never experienced a winter this warm.
> Most every reply on this forum to the question of  why do we have low numbers this year  has been *No cold=No ducks*.
> It looks like the North is finally gonna get some cold weather...... So do all the old timers predict a mass migration of millions of ducks flying South at once
> 
> or do they think that the year is a wash?



Its a WASH OUT.  The only "PUSH" You will see will be after the season closes.


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## hoytslanger87 (Dec 30, 2015)

Yep, I figure we'll be in the numbers about the second week of February.


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## Nitram4891 (Dec 30, 2015)

hoytslanger87 said:


> Yep, I figure we'll be in the numbers about the second week of February.



How do you figure that?  Out of curiosity.


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## steelshotslayer (Dec 30, 2015)

Nitram4891 said:


> How do you figure that?  Out of curiosity.



Cause the birds always seem to pour in the first or second week after the season goes out.  I sometimes see more birds the first week of Feb.  than I do all season long.


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## sjrwinder (Dec 30, 2015)

What is the problem the season still has 31 days thats half. A lot can happen in just a few days. Right now me and my brother are sitting on 53 ducks for the season but I was driving to Illinios 768 miles one way every weekend from Oct 29th till Dec 14th more miles on the truck then then the hole rest of the year. I my or may not see ducks here in Georgia but I'll be out there as much as I can.
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL and ALL BE SAFE.


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## FowlPlay1 (Dec 30, 2015)

sjrwinder said:


> What is the problem the season still has 31 days thats half. A lot can happen in just a few days. Right now me and my brother are sitting on 53 ducks for the season but I was driving to Illinios 768 miles one way every weekend from Oct 29th till Dec 14th more miles on the truck then then the hole rest of the year. I my or may not see ducks here in Georgia but I'll be out there as much as I can.
> HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL and ALL BE SAFE.



I'm with you winder. Get after it as much as I/we can.


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## g0nef1sshn (Dec 30, 2015)

sjrwinder said:


> What is the problem the season still has 31 days thats half. A lot can happen in just a few days. Right now me and my brother are sitting on 53 ducks for the season but I was driving to Illinios 768 miles one way every weekend from Oct 29th till Dec 14th more miles on the truck then then the hole rest of the year. I my or may not see ducks here in Georgia but I'll be out there as much as I can.
> HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL and ALL BE SAFE.



Iwould be down for 12 hour drives easy if:

I wasnt married or;

I was married to a wife that didnt mind and hunted also or;

didnt have a two kids under 4.

(the censored block got me so edit) = "shoot" man Id love to take off every weekend like that!  but I would just go 7 hours south to FL mostly I think.


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## sjrwinder (Dec 30, 2015)

(





> Iwould be down for 12 hour drives easy if:
> 
> I wasnt married or;
> 
> ...


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## g0nef1sshn (Dec 30, 2015)

Im with ya winder, just wishin I could do the same!


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## BigSwole (Dec 30, 2015)

As of about 4:30 pm as I'm driving back to GA. Going through bama. I get a phone call followed by pictures. Thousands upon thousands upon thousands of mallards flying around Stuttgart. Whoever is headed out this weekend should be in for a good time. 

P.S. anyone have extra room for 1.


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## across the river (Dec 30, 2015)

Pate55 said:


> So I'm 36 and have never experienced a winter this warm.
> Most every reply on this forum to the question of  why do we have low numbers this year  has been *No cold=No ducks*.
> It looks like the North is finally gonna get some cold weather...... So do all the old timers predict a mass migration of millions of ducks flying South at once
> 
> or do they think that the year is a wash?




While some species and individual birds will migrate south earlier than others, the majority of birds are only going to move South if they have to.  That means either all the water is frozen up and/or the ground is so covered in snow they can't find any food.  If you look the current snow cover map, there is very little snow, even in Canada, in the Eastern  half of the U.S.   Look at the great lake map and most of the water is still in the 40's will very little ice cover.  There is no reason for the birds to leave eastern Canada, much less fly all the way to Georgia.  If you were hunting Nevada or Southern California, you would likely be into pretty good numbers.  In Georgia, it is a struggle.   As far as a mass migration, you only get that if a major cold front and snow storm comes through and freezes up the Northeast.  As others have said, it is very doubtful that that will happen before the end of January.


http://wx.weather.com/maps/activity/ski/uscurrentsnowcover_large.html
http://coastwatch.glerl.noaa.gov/glsea/cur/glsea_cur.png


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## hrstille (Dec 30, 2015)

If you want a big push, you will need to leave the state of Ga. Even on a good year, birds don't pile into Ga. We get strays. Sorry to disappoint everyone but I can't stand to see another thread about migration to Ga.


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## mmcdani (Dec 30, 2015)

heres you a link to the ducks unlimited migration map. During cold weather you will see a bigger push than what we are getting this year. 
http://www.ducks.org/migrationmap


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## MudDucker (Dec 30, 2015)

Its my fault, I bought a new boat.  Jinxed the season.


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## Pate55 (Dec 30, 2015)

hrstille said:


> If you want a big push, you will need to leave the state of Ga. Even on a good year, birds don't pile into Ga. We get strays. Sorry to disappoint everyone but I can't stand to see another thread about migration to Ga.



I understand we are in GA.......This is GON .....by saying "big push" I mean in relation to the Georgia Duck Hunting in seasons past. We just shot a bird that was banded in NC mountains in August of this year. So we do have a Migration, just not as big as other states


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## across the river (Dec 31, 2015)

hrstille said:


> If you want a big push, you will need to leave the state of Ga. Even on a good year, birds don't pile into Ga. We get strays. Sorry to disappoint everyone but I can't stand to see another thread about migration to Ga.



Outside of early wood ducks, hooded mergansers, residents geese, feral mallards, and the occasional black bellied whistling duck, anything you see is migratory.   Though it isn't anywhere near the numbers of other flyways overall, they do migrate to Georgia from up North, typically the eastern half.   While birds nowadays don't get to sit down long enough on public water to tuck their wings, I have seen  private holes pick up hundreds and in a some cases thousands of birds over the course of a day or two.  I would argue that those birds aren't "strays", but birds that are returning year to year because they got to sit down for long enough to imprint on the place before someone messed with.   Many years  ago it was pretty common to see groups of hundreds of ducks on some public water in Georgia, but that was before they were constantly getting harassed.   I would agree that most of the birds on public water are probably "strays" nowadays, but there are a lot of birds that fly to private land that know exactly where they are going.   You could have a "mass migration" if you want to call it that on those places.   The migration from North to South  occurs for the same reasons regardless of what flyway you are talking about.


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## rnelson5 (Dec 31, 2015)

Ducks are south already. They may not be in GA, but i promise you there are birds in the south


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## krazybronco2 (Dec 31, 2015)

across the river said:


> Outside of early wood ducks, hooded mergansers, residents geese, feral mallards, and the occasional black bellied whistling duck, anything you see is migratory.   Though it isn't anywhere near the numbers of other flyways overall, they do migrate to Georgia from up North, typically the eastern half.   While birds nowadays don't get to sit down long enough on public water to tuck their wings, I have seen  private holes pick up hundreds and in a some cases thousands of birds over the course of a day or two.  I would argue that those birds aren't "strays", but birds that are returning year to year because they got to sit down for long enough to imprint on the place before someone messed with.   Many years  ago it was pretty common to see groups of hundreds of ducks on some public water in Georgia, but that was before they were constantly getting harassed.   I would agree that most of the birds on public water are probably "strays" nowadays, but there are a lot of birds that fly to private land that know exactly where they are going.   You could have a "mass migration" if you want to call it that on those places.   The migration from North to South  occurs for the same reasons regardless of what flyway you are talking about.



i agree with this! i can go scout every possible place i can get to and see a few birds, on the drive home i check a pond you can see from a bridge and that pond is almost always COVERED in birds. last time i checked it there a pile of ring necks. i love just going there and seeing how birds are working how they are setting up and just little things like that.


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## Gaducker (Dec 31, 2015)

rnelson5 said:


> Ducks are south already. They may not be in GA, but i promise you there are birds in the south



You seen em??


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## mizzippi jb (Dec 31, 2015)

rnelson5 said:


> Ducks are south already. They may not be in GA, but i promise you there are birds in the south



By ducks I hope you mean "some" and not the usual numbers.


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## Gaducker (Dec 31, 2015)

mizzippi jb said:


> By ducks I hope you mean "some" and not the usual numbers.




A lot......


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