MIKE BRAUN Waterfowl forecast: lots more ducks

The forecast from all the experts this year is that the 2003-04 waterfowl season should be one that hunters usually only dream about.
A special report in the current issue of Ducks Unlimited magazine outlined just how good the season should be.
The DU report showed how most predictions early on were that dry conditions in the areas where ducks breed -- the prairies of Canada and the Great Plains of the United States -- would lead to significant reductions in waterfowl limits this year.
Changed conditions
However, unless you've locked yourself in a closet since this spring, you know just how much those dry conditions have changed.
Heavy rains in these areas, known as the North American "duck factory," dramatically changed the waterfowl situation this year.
"Breeding waterfowl populations increased significantly on the prairies in response to the dramatic improvement on water conditions," the DU report stated.
That news is making waterfowl experts happy after they were concerned about three straight years of a drought in the main habitat area and a decline in duck numbers.
Several exceptional years for ducks and waterfowl in the mid-1990s spoiled a lot of waterfowls, and a decline set in by 2000 that settled in until this spring, according to statistics from the United States Fish & amp; Wildlife Service.
Another forecast, this one published in the October edition of Field & amp; Stream, concurs with the DU assessment.
Duck jump
The Field & amp; Stream report cites a 16 percent jump in the breeding duck population found by a U.S. F & amp;WS and Canadian Wildlife Service survey in the main duck breeding area.
"In fact, all 10 of the species monitored in the midcontinent survey posted increases," stated the Field & amp; Stream report, written by T. Edward Nickens. The report also said that figure was 9 percent better than the 1955-2003 average.
The bottom line is, waterfowlers should find plenty to be happy about in the 2003 duck season.
And don't forget that waterfowl hunting is only part of the bargain. Conservation efforts don't stop in good times. DU and other waterfowl organizations need your continued support through banquets and other fundraisers.
braun@vindy.com