The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) has completed its 2025 waterfowl breeding population survey. The results of the annual survey show that, when compared to 2024 numbers, both mallard and total duck species have increased.
The North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s 78th-annual spring breeding duck survey conducted in May showed an index of about 2.66-million birds, down from 2.9 million in 2024 and 3.4 million in 2023.
Skyfall’s flooded timber, swampy oak thickets, 20-acre lake and adjacency to the Trinity River is as attractive to ducks as it is to hunters. Add to that the deer and hog hunting, tactical shooting ranges and incredible instructors, and you’ll be wishing there were more than 24 hours in a day.
Few experiences in a hunter’s life compare with acquiring an over-the-counter tag for an emperor goose, or hunting a flock of 80,000 brant or any other of the myriad waterfowl that live on the Alaska Peninsula. And the fishing here—fuggedaboutit. This is a wingshooting and fishing paradise.
The fourth quarter of duck season is the toughest time to kill educated, pressured birds. But paying attention to three details and making sensible adjustments can turn tough days into big wins.