Jeff Smith and Carson Odegard sit down with Cory Overton, Science Director for California Waterfowl, for a preseason look at what hunters may see across the Pacific Flyway this year. Cory breaks down breeding conditions, mallard and goose numbers, an exceptional year at Klamath, and how weather could shape bird movement once the season gets underway.
Episode highlights
- Overall season outlook — despite national mallard numbers being down, Cory explains why many of the breeding areas that supply California looked considerably better and why he expects a fairly average year overall.
- Klamath had a huge year — improved water conditions produced what Cory describes as one of Klamath’s best productive years in decades, with near-record mallard banding efforts and thousands of birds handled.
- Specks are a bright spot — Pacific Flyway white-fronted geese increased again this year, while snow geese faced much tougher breeding conditions in the north.
- Southern California banding — roughly 250 birds were banded in Southern California, the most CWA has been able to mark there in a long time.
- Smart-band technology — Cory shares early results from new tracking bands, including wood ducks unexpectedly showing up around Fresno and Gilroy, and explains how hunters carrying cell phones may actually help researchers collect more location data this winter.
- Some ducks really are homebodies — one tracked shoveler stayed around the same pond for years, while a hen mallard spent roughly three months inside a hunt zone without leaving during daylight.
- The El Niño question — Cory explains why California’s winter could look dramatically different depending on where the jet stream sets up, ranging from heavy atmospheric rivers to comparatively dry conditions in the Central Valley.
- New Delta mallard research — CWA is beginning additional telemetry work on hen mallards in the Delta to better understand how birds use different California regions for nesting, brood rearing, molting, and winter habitat.
From breeding-ground conditions to the latest tracking technology, this episode gives California hunters a science-backed look at what could be coming down the flyway—and the factors that may determine how the season ultimately plays out.
🦆 Duck season is almost here. Hit Follow, leave a quick review, and share this episode with your blind crew so everybody knows what to watch for when the first birds start moving south.
