WATERFOWL REPORT FOR JANUARY 4, 2006
Updates will appear after noon on
January 16, 25, February 8, 22 and March 8, 22.

NORTHWEST

Canton:  Lake level is 1.48 ft. below normal.  Habitat conditions are fair.  Winter wheat is fair to poor due to low rainfall.  Row crops have been harvested and are in fair condition with fair waterfowl use on them.  Duck numbers are low,  mostly mallards with  some gadwalls, wigeons, and other species.  Goose numbers are low.  Hunter activity is low, with fair success on ducks.  The Corps of Engineers started a draw down on Canton Lake last Friday which will lower lake levels approximately 2 ft.   Some of the waterfowl hunting portions of the lake will be difficult to access.  The boat ramp west of  the WMA headquarters will be usable but accessing the lake (exiting the cove) may be difficult.

Ft. Supply: Lake level is 0.3 ft. below normal.   Habitat conditions around the lake are fair.  Local wheat crops are in fair to good condition and native food sources around the lake are poor.  Duck numbers are low.  Goose numbers are low.  Hunter activity is low.  Bird movement is low.

Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge:  Lake level is normal.  Food conditions are fair.  Duck numbers:  common merganser 14,000; mallard 1,550; pintail 320; shoveler 155; gadwall 130; bufflehead 68; green-winged teal 46; unidentified 100.  Goose numbers:  small Canada 11,765; large Canada 660; snow/blue 405.  Sandhill crane 2,085.

SOUTHWEST

Ft. Cobb: Lake level is 0.37 ft. above normal.  Habitat condition is good.  Winter wheat is fair and peanut residue is poor.  Duck numbers are fair with mostly mallards.  Goose numbers are fair.  Hunter activity is high, with fair success.  Birds numbers have decreased in the last couple weeks.

Hackberry:  Approximately 400 acres of wetland units are flooded, and continuing to flood additional units.  Habitat condition is good, with good flooded native vegetation, winter wheat, milo and Japanese millet.  Duck numbers are fair.  Goose numbers are good.  Hunter activity is moderate, with low success.  Hackberry Flat WRP is closed to all activity from October 15 to January 31.

Mtn. Park: Lake level is 4.63 ft. below normal.  Habitat condition is fair to good.  Winter wheat is poor to fair, with some milo and millet within the WDU.  WDU is 60 % flooded.  Duck numbers are poor.  Goose numbers are fair.  Hunter activity is low, with fair success.  Bird numbers have decreased in the last couple weeks.

NORTHEAST

Copan: Lake level is 0.4 ft. below normal.  Lake level is currently not flooding terrestrial vegetation.  Soybeans cut, milo uncut, and wheat is on WMA.  Duck numbers are low, with only 5 mallards observed.  Goose numbers are low, with only 39 large Canadas observed.

Eufaula: Lake level is 6.3 ft. below normal.  Current habitat condition is poor due to lake level, but habitat potential is excellent.  Very little farming in the vicinity.  Very few ducks, mainly mallards. Goose numbers low, with 72 Canadas present.  No significant bird movement observed.

Ft. Gibson:  Lake level is 0.3 ft. above normal.  Habitat condition is fair, with   smartweed, barnyardgrass, bidens, cut soybeans, corn, milo, and wheat in the area.  Duck numbers are low.  Goose numbers are low to fair.  Hunter activity is slow to moderate with moderate success.  Bird movement is slow in the area.

Hulah: Lake level is 0.5 ft. below normal.  Lake level is currently not flooding terrestrial vegetation.  Corn, soybean, and milo are cut, with wheat still up.  Duck numbers are low, with 122 mallard and 4 pintail observed.  No geese observed.

Kaw: Lake elevation is at 1012.81.  Habitat condition is good, with a good supply of millet that is mostly flooded.  Duck numbers are fair, mostly mallards.  No geese observed.  There are fair numbers of ducks mostly mallards rafting up between bear and coon creeks during the day. Warm temperatures have slowed waterfowl movements. Colder temperature should improve hunting conditions.

Keystone: Lake level is 5.2 ft. below normal.  Poor amounts of Japanese millet at Cottonwood Creek WDU.  Habitat conditions on the mudflats, sloughs, potholes, and lower elevation portions of wetland units are all very poor due to summer water storage in the lake.  Duck numbers are low.  Goose numbers are low.  Hunter activity is moderate at Cottonwood Creek WDU, low everywhere else on the lake.

Oologah: Lake level is 2.64 ft. below normal.  Current habitat conditions are poor. Very little flooded millet and native plants on the lake.  Ag fields are in fair condition with both milo and wheat harvested.  Duck numbers are poor, with mallards, gadwalls, buffleheads, and ring-necks observed.  Goose are poor.  There is no water at Overcup Bottoms units due to it being under renovation the next few weeks.  Upper Verdigris has no reports of waterfowl and both units under 20% of water capacity.

Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge:  Lake level is below normal.  Food conditions in the area are excellent.  Duck numbers:  mallard 11,124; green-winged teal 1,160; gadwall 2,143; pintail 340; wigeon 52.  Goose numbers:  snow/blue 8,351; Canada 401.

Webber Falls:  Lake level is 2.45 ft above normal.  Habitat condition is fair, with  smartweed,  barnyardgrass,  bidens, cut soybeans, corn, milo and wheat in the area.  Duck numbers are low.  Goose numbers are low to fair.  Hunter activity is slow to moderate, with moderate success.  Bird movement in the area is slow.

SOUTHEAST

Hugo:  Lake level is 3.4 ft. below normal.  Habitat condition is poor, due to low water and severe drought.  Duck numbers are good.  Goose numbers are low, with a good number of snows.  Bird movement in the area is good.  Some ruddy ducks have also moved into the area.  Hunting activity is low, with good success.

Little River National Wildlife Refuge:  Water level across the refuge is low.  Food conditions are good.  Duck numbers:  gadwall 125; wood duck 100; mallard 70; ring-necked 20; wigeon 10.  No geese observed.

Grassy Slough:  Slough area is low, mainly beaver ponds.  All wetland units are dry.  Habitat conditions are fair.  Duck numbers: mallard 85; gadwall 53; green-winged teal 5.    No geese observed.

Red Slough: Teal Lake and Ward Lake are both low, with the wetlands unit dry.  Habitat conditions are fair, with a lot of wetland units either disked or burned.  Large planting of Milo in unit #16 is headed up nicely, and wild forage is fair.  Duck numbers: green-winged teal 108; mallard 25; shoveler 2.  No geese observed.

Texoma: Lake elevation is 614.75.  Large amounts of native plants including smartweeds, millet grasses, pigweed and nutsedge.  No Japanese millet was planted this year due to the lake level, but a small amount of volunteer Japanese millet is present.  Duck numbers are low, with some green-winged teal, mallards, and pintails.  Goose numbers are poor.  Hunter activity is light, with fair success.  Birds in the area are widely dispersed due to fair weather and low lake level.

Wister:  Lake level is 4 ft. below normal.  Habitat condition is poor.  Acorns and sedges both fair in the area.  Very low duck numbers.  Very low goose numbers.  Very little waterfowl movement through the area, with none staying.

Status Summary of Waterfowl Development Areas

Planning an outing? Here's the weather

Responsible waterfowl hunters and the U.S. Department of the Interior have been working together for years in gathering information about waterfowl movements and natural histories. One of the ways they have been doing this is through reporting of harvested birds with leg-bands. Here is an easy way for you to help. When you bring to bag a teal, duck, goose or any migratory bird with a leg band, call 1-800-327-BAND or report over the internet to www.pwrc.usgs.gov/bbl . A certificate of appreciation will be sent to all hunters who report the bands.

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