# Where's the flyway



## FireDoc (Jan 21, 2010)

Where is or where does the flyway exist in GA? As I'm hunting southeast GA very close to savannah all I'm seeing is woodies. Further south from me other ducks are being killed. I know there is different ducks than woodies on the LOWER savannah river but just haven't been fortunate enough to see any. I keep seeing post of you guys up in north, western and even southwestern GA killing mallards, gadwalls, spoons, ringnecks, teal, etc, etc... 

I'm curious as to why those species of birds to readily fly over my way and tend to stick to ya'lls parts. Any ideas? Or do they carry a gps on their winged console?


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## FireDoc (Jan 21, 2010)

Nobody knows?


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## GSURugger (Jan 21, 2010)

The atlantic flyway runs down the coast.


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## FireDoc (Jan 21, 2010)

Yes Yes I know that. My question is specifically for GA and not the atlantic flyway.
Why do bigger birds tend to be in and around northern to western Ga and mostly only woodies in far east ga?


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## GSURugger (Jan 21, 2010)

its all about food.  ive killed mallard, grays, teal, redhead, and spoonies all in east GA.


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## GSURugger (Jan 21, 2010)

and you have smaller, less known, and less constant flyways down major river drainages...such as the savannah.


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## thompsonsz71 (Jan 21, 2010)

most are al local birds in my opinion.... we dont see a whole bunch of migrators


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## PaulD (Jan 21, 2010)

FireDoc said:


> Yes Yes I know that. My question is specifically for GA and not the atlantic flyway.



Uuuuhhhhhhhh........I'm just going to avoid stating the obvious here.

There's a great flyway on the ga/al line. Try there or Juliette.


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## Public Land Prowler (Jan 21, 2010)

Evidently it has alot to do with terrain.Swampy coastal Ga is perfect for woodies,and hooded mergansers.Along the coast you get some migrators,but from what some of my long time duck hunting friends have told me,most of the birds on the atlantic flyway tend to fly straight from NC to Fla because it is a straight path.My friend told me a good NE wind can push some of those birds over the big water to the coast line.And sometimes a good NW push can bring birds from west ga.I think in central ga,and west ga you get birds following the agriculture,and the terrain is different than here.I know guys who hunt just 50 miles in almost any direction of us that gets a mixed bag,the AL/GA line gets some canvasbacks,but I don't think we get many here.I think it Just basically boils down to our swampy,thick,hardwood terrain is not suitable for them,and I guess they don't like onions,cotton,tobacco,and peanuts..lol


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## FireDoc (Jan 21, 2010)

Public Land Prowler said:


> Evidently it has alot to do with terrain.Swampy coastal Ga is perfect for woodies,and hooded mergansers.Along the coast you get some migrators,but from what some of my long time duck hunting friends have told me,most of the birds on the atlantic flyway tend to fly straight from NC to Fla because it is a straight path.My friend told me a good NE wind can push some of those birds over the big water to the coast line.And sometimes a good NW push can bring birds from west ga.I think in central ga,and west ga you get birds following the agriculture,and the terrain is different than here.I know guys who hunt just 50 miles in almost any direction of us that gets a mixed bag,the AL/GA line gets some canvasbacks,but I don't think we get many here.I think it Just basically boils down to our swampy,thick,hardwood terrain is not suitable for them,and I guess they don't like onions,cotton,tobacco,and peanuts..lol



Best explination I've heard yet, thanks PLP. You must be from the coastal empire?


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## GSURugger (Jan 21, 2010)

there are no ducks in east GA


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## PaulD (Jan 21, 2010)

The flyway is like the gulfsteam. It heads offshore from north carolina and comes back in around florida. Actually the flyway follows the stream. If you get offshore about 60 miles there are ducks everywhere.


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## Public Land Prowler (Jan 21, 2010)

FireDoc said:


> Best explination I've heard yet, thanks PLP. You must be from the coastal empire?


I'm 40 miles off the coast..lol..but prowl all over here..


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## across the river (Jan 21, 2010)

It all depends on the habitat you are hunting, not where you are located in the state.   There are plenty of "bigger " birds killed off of the Savannah all the way down, but most of them are killed in oxbow lakes, ponds, or flooded areas off of the river.  You don't typically see much in the river itself, because they don't want to fight the current and they can't eat mud.


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## thar31321 (Jan 21, 2010)

PaulD said:


> The flyway is like the gulfsteam. It heads offshore from north carolina and comes back in around florida. Actually the flyway follows the stream. If you get offshore about 60 miles there are ducks everywhere.



I have seen some huge rafts offshore. There's some big towers that you can hunt off too.


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## chundafied (Jan 21, 2010)

The main flyway in GA is about 500 miles West of GA.


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## mizzippi jb (Jan 21, 2010)

chundafied said:


> The main flyway in GA is about 500 miles West of GA.


DING DING DING .....we have a winner!


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## GSURugger (Jan 21, 2010)

chundafied said:


> The main flyway in GA is about 500 miles West of GA.



this is the best answer so far


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## kyhunter (Jan 21, 2010)

GSURugger said:


> this is the best answer so far



I concure Ga sucks to the west and Blows to the east


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## Jaker (Jan 21, 2010)

If you hunt woody type areas, you kill woodies. Excluding land that is nowhere near any large rivers, you can always find a few different species if you look in the right places. just my thought...


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## MudDucker (Jan 22, 2010)

Having duck hunted in Georgia for nearly 50 years, I can tell you that the Atlantic flyway was manipulated by man.  Back in the late 60's and early 70's Castro was killing ducks by the thousands on fields in Cuba for fertilizer.  The US's response was to create feeding ponds in Virginia to short stop the ducks.  This is no "legend".  I have actually witnessed the operation.  Tons of corn shot out into holding ponds.  This stopped several years ago, but it had its intended result, the ducks imprinted to stop their southward flow.  Until this, we saw all species of ducks in Georgia.  Since this, we have minor migrations of those ducks not imprinted by the feeding ponds.   Today we see woodies, both local and migratory and ring necks as our primary species with a spattering of teal which usually come through long before the season opens.


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## MustangMAtt30 (Jan 22, 2010)

GSURugger said:


> there are no ducks in east GA




There are no ducks in West Georgia either.


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## FireDoc (Jan 22, 2010)

MudDucker said:


> Having duck hunted in Georgia for nearly 50 years, I can tell you that the Atlantic flyway was manipulated by man.  Back in the late 60's and early 70's Castro was killing ducks by the thousands on fields in Cuba for fertilizer.  The US's response was to create feeding ponds in Virginia to short stop the ducks.  This is no "legend".  I have actually witnessed the operation.  Tons of corn shot out into holding ponds.  This stopped several years ago, but it had its intended result, the ducks imprinted to stop their southward flow.  Until this, we saw all species of ducks in Georgia.  Since this, we have minor migrations of those ducks not imprinted by the feeding ponds.   Today we see woodies, both local and migratory and ring necks as our primary species with a spattering of teal which usually come through long before the season opens.



I had no idea the fed did this. Man, they're capable of anything. Sonny Perdue needs to lobby to make that happen in Georgia, just kidding. D.U. has done enough to sabotage hunting by themselves we definately don't need the feds envolved more than they already are. I had no idea that there were that many ducks in GA in yrs past.


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## D-up (Jan 22, 2010)

FireDoc said:


> Yes Yes I know that. My question is specifically for GA and not the atlantic flyway.
> Why do bigger birds tend to be in and around northern to western Ga and mostly only woodies in far east ga?



Could someone be more specific on the location of these big birds in North West Ga. I cant seem to find them.


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## Georgiaboy83 (Jan 22, 2010)

FireDoc said:


> I had no idea the fed did this. Man, they're capable of anything. Sonny Perdue needs to lobby to make that happen in Georgia, just kidding. D.U. has done enough to sabotage hunting by themselves we definately don't need the feds envolved more than they already are. I had no idea that there were that many ducks in GA in yrs past.



You see that DU isn't really making much of a change in your area but what you don't know is all the improvement that they are doing in Florida to allow more birds to winter and hints use the flyway trough Georgia. Not trying to toot DU's horn by no means I don't agree with allot of stuff they do, but they have there ups and down.

I am the chair of the Delta Waterfowl chapter just started in South Georgia, we meet in Valdosta and I think you should look into Delta a little. Delta allows there local chapter to keep funds to do projects in there local areas. Things like wood duck box projects, youth hunts, or even youth fun days.


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## MustangMAtt30 (Jan 22, 2010)

I'm of the opinion that just because DU doesn't do a whole heck of lot for Ga. they still are doing things for the greater good of waterfowling.  Especially when it comes to helping to preserve nesting areas for returning birds in the spring which is good for all of us.


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## schreck_1 (Jan 22, 2010)

DU and Delta are both good orgs and both do things I like and dislike.  Don't get down on them because there is a policy you don't agree with.  Overall they have both contributed positively to duck hunting, even if it is only by sponsoring waterfowl research.  Mustang Matt hit the nail on the head, you can benefit GA duck hunters by never doing a darn thing in GA.  The key word here is MIGRATORY.  
Since that is what started this post, there is a minor migration route that comes off the mississippi flyway and enters the northwest corner of GA.  Of course its not much of a route or there would be outfitters all over this part of the state, but I think it does bring a few ducks.  the problem with minor migration routes is that they are easily influenced by weather systems, availability of open water, and availability of food.


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## MustangMAtt30 (Jan 22, 2010)

schreck_1 said:


> Since that is what started this post, there is a minor migration route that comes off the mississippi flyway and enters the northwest corner of GA.  Of course its not much of a route or there would be outfitters all over this part of the state, but I think it does bring a few ducks.  the problem with minor migration routes is that they are easily influenced by weather systems, availability of open water, and availability of food.



That is the "Southern Flyway" that leads to a very pressured area.


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## FireDoc (Jan 22, 2010)

When I lived in DeWitt, Arkansas my grandfather was the chairman for Riceland foods along with the southeast arkansas DU commitee. That was back in the early 80's when hunting was good and brought in alot of $. There were ducks everywhere, in every direction then. DU came in after he died in the early 90's and started all there "rest area's" on private & public land and the FEDS with there CRP program which put alot of people out of there farms and on their butts. DU has bought up alot of huntable land that we used to hunt on that is no longer huntable. You can't even walk on most of this land. Alot of the area the DU has bought is further west than the Mississippi flyway which in turn for the past few decades (as I've said before) has shifted west to texas. No one ever heard of shooting birds in texas until somewhere around the mid 90's. Ironically, Louisiana has not really been effected. On top of that problem, the ducks just don't come south of Illinios until it freezes up there which has been getting later & later in the season. Heck, the birds with bright orange feet don't even REALLY get down to Arkansas until towards the end of the season. The brown legged ducks are either shot up or very educated by then.


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## JWF III (Jan 22, 2010)

> The main flyway in GA is about 500 miles West of GA.



The main migration route (for waterfowlers) in Georgia is I-20 West. It has off shoots that head NW to Memphis and beyond. Others land in Mississippi and Louisianna. Some of the migrators find their way all the way to Coastal Texas.

The other migration routes, that some of us would like to see shut down (though they do bring in some money), are I-75 and I-85, both southbound. Many of these migrators find their way all the way to S.Fl., and migrate back through in the spring. Others tend to get lost in metro ATL. and never leave. I-95 also sees some migrators, but they're almost always just fly-overs, and seldom set root. (Atleast in GA.)

Wyman


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## MustangMAtt30 (Jan 22, 2010)

Refuges and "rest areas" are a good thing.  Ducks needs a place to go where they aren't getting continuously shot in the mouth.


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## schreck_1 (Jan 22, 2010)

FireDoc said:


> When I lived in DeWitt, Arkansas my grandfather was the chairman for Riceland foods along with the southeast arkansas DU commitee. That was back in the early 80's when hunting was good and brought in alot of $. There were ducks everywhere, in every direction then. DU came in after he died in the early 90's and started all there "rest area's" on private & public land and the FEDS with there CRP program which put alot of people out of there farms and on their butts. DU has bought up alot of huntable land that we used to hunt on that is no longer huntable. You can't even walk on most of this land. Alot of the area the DU has bought is further west than the Mississippi flyway which in turn for the past few decades (as I've said before) has shifted west to texas. No one ever heard of shooting birds in texas until somewhere around the mid 90's. Ironically, Louisiana has not really been effected. On top of that problem, the ducks just don't come south of Illinios until it freezes up there which has been getting later & later in the season. Heck, the birds with bright orange feet don't even REALLY get down to Arkansas until towards the end of the season. The brown legged ducks are either shot up or very educated by then.



You make some interesting observations that I can agree with at least in part.  CRP and DU likely did have some negative effect on duck hunting in AR, but hunting was probably so good back then because the ducks had so few places to go. I would guess that although hunting success is reduced in AR, it is improved overall in the US due to the efforts of DU.  It is especially important to have lots of "refuge" areas in years of low reproduction to make sure there are ducks to shoot in the next year.

2 more points to think about:
1. CRP was and still is a volontary program, the FED did not force farmers out of buisness, grain, diesel, and fertilizer  prices did because it made financial sense to farmers.
2. Hunting access is tougher now that it was in the 80's in every state on every type of land, not just marshes in AR.


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## Timber Cruiser (Jan 22, 2010)

You have to remember that DU is in it for the greater good.  Most DU money is spent on breeding grounds which, like Matt pointed out, is good for all of us.  Should "Cougars Unlimited" spend money on cougar conservation in Georgia when there's like 1 or 2 of them in the whole state?  Once DU sees a project through, it's usually turned over to the state.  The few DU projects completed in Georgia have only wasted away because of the states negligence in maintaining them.  I could give an example but I like hunting there!


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## MustangMAtt30 (Jan 22, 2010)

Timber Cruiser said:


> Once DU sees a project through, it's usually turned over to the state.  The few DU projects completed in Georgia have only wasted away because of the states negligence in maintaining them.  I could give an example but I like hunting there!




I'm watching a dam erode away on one of their projects I hunt on.


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## Timber Cruiser (Jan 22, 2010)

MustangMAtt30 said:


> I'm watching a dam erode away on one of their projects I hunt on.



Something else isn't it?  It's like getting a shotgun for Christmas and just letting it rust away.  Unappreciative.


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## Dustin Pate (Jan 22, 2010)

MustangMAtt30 said:


> I'm watching a dam erode away on one of their projects I hunt on.



Do they even have anything to do with it anymore?


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## redneck_billcollector (Jan 22, 2010)

From what I have read, there are several minor flyways that crisscross through Ga. I saw a map once that showed one running east - west in southern sumter c. and northern lee co.. I got permission to hunt some land up there and sure enough, I found ducks that weren't present 15 or so miles south.  They say the flint river is a minor flyway too.


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## MustangMAtt30 (Jan 23, 2010)

Dustin Pate said:


> Do they even have anything to do with it anymore?



Nope.

You know where I'm talking though Dustin.  Thankfully they let some of the water out to stop some of the erosion.


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## howl (Jan 23, 2010)

If its anywhere other than the coast, its the extreme NE corner along the SC line.


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## Dustin Pate (Jan 23, 2010)

MustangMAtt30 said:


> Nope.
> 
> You know where I'm talking though Dustin.  Thankfully they let some of the water out to stop some of the erosion.



It could be a great place to hunt if it was managed right. Just a free for all now.


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