Wednesday, Sept. 18, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.
THE LARGEST fall flight of ducks in more than 25 years will offer hunters a fine opportunity to introduce waterfowl hunting to family members, young people and friends.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimates this year's fall flight of ducks will be 89.5 million, 16 percent greater than last year's 77 million fall flight.
In a partnership spanning North America, government agencies and private organizations are striving to restore the continent's fall flight to 100 million in years of average environmental conditions.
"This will be the highest recorded fall flight since the USFWS began calculating the size of duck populations in 1970," said Dr. Alan Wentz, group manager of conservation programs for Ducks Unlimited.
"This marks the third consecutive season in which duck numbers have rebounded from the drought of the late 1980s and early 1990s."
The good news about overall populations may be overshadowed by news that neither pintails nor mallards produced as well as had been anticipated. The reasons why are only speculative, but production may not have been what was expected.
A large number of birds nest in both Alberta and Saskatchewan and both suffered from poor conditions last spring. Meanwhile, both blue- and green-winged teal are at record-high numbers.
Populations of canvasbacks and redheads are at or near record-high numbers. The gadwall and shoveler are also setting population records.
Disappointing, though, is the number of American wigeon and scaup produced.
American wigeon experienced a loss of ground in 1996. It is believed that the northern forest areas, in which they normally nest, were drier than normal.
Scaup numbers are also disappointing, but it's speculated the birds may have been having a hard time during dry years on the prairie. It is there that they stage before moving north to breed.
In southern Nevada, the birds may have trouble finding a spot of water on which to rest. Much of southern Nevada continues to be plagued with drought conditions as summer turns to fall.
It's possible that dry conditions will not provide birds with resting habitat, so flights across our part of the state might not be as good as they could be, based on population estimates.
Notes
* FISHING CLINIC: The Nevada Division of Wildlife will host a free fishing clinic for catfish and bluegill at 9 a.m Saturday at Floyd Lamb State Park. The clinic is open to anglers of all ages. It will focus on the catching, cleaning and preparation of game fish. For those who don't have their own equipment, rods, reels and bait will be provided. To register for the clinic, call NDOW at 486-5127.
* UTAH BIG-GAME AUCTION: The Utah Statehood Centennial Commission is hosting a "once in a hundred years auction" Sept. 26 at the Salt Lake City Marriott from 4-6 p.m. Through the contribution of Department of Wildlife Resources, permits will be auctioned for desert bighorn ram, bison, bull moose, buck pronghorn antelope, cougar, bull elk, buck deer, Rocky Mountain goat, black bear and turkey. Hunters may bid on individual permits or on the entire package. The funds raised from the auction will be used to create a wildlife habitat area at This Is The Place State Park. For more information, contact Scott Brown at the Utah Statehood Centennial Commission at (801) 531-1996 or fax, (801) 531-1997.
* HIKERS SOCIETY ON-LINE: Hikers and other trail enthusiasts can now get the information they need with just a few clicks of a button, as the American Hiking Society has announced its World Wide Web page is up and running. Browsers will find the most up-to-date information on trail legislation and other important hiking issues. To access the web site, type: http://www.orca.org.ahs/.
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