Photo by R.E. Ilg

It was probably 15 years ago that I borrowed a bow from a friend of mine, thinking that I might get into bowhunting. Three years later, I still hadn't gotten any arrows. I found that there were too many other things to do in the fall. Fishing is great then. And I love upland bird hunting. Waterfowling is in my blood. Besides, I have two Labradors that I train and feed all year, so I want to spend as many days in the field in the fall as I can. But waterfowling in Michigan has been so poor the last few seasons that last year I got a bow again. And this time I got arrows, too.

"We can say with relative certainty that last year was not the best year overall in the flyway and we hope the 2005 season is an improvement," said Department of Natural Resources acting Waterfowl/Wetlands Division specialist Rex Ainslie.

Local conditions are particularly important in Michigan because the state relies so heavily on birds produced in the Great Lakes region. Fifty-four percent of the mallards killed in Michigan are produced in the region, as well as a large percentage of the wood ducks and teal. Without local birds, Michigan waterfowl hunting suffers.

One place that does see a big influx of migratory birds, particularly diving ducks, is Lake St. Clair.

"The weather (in 2004) started out very mild, but got a little better as the season went on," said wildlife biologist Ernie Kafcas, who works out of the Mt. Clemens Fisheries Research Station. "A good pattern for bluebills set up from late October on. Cans and redheads were there, but not available to hunters."

Kafcas said that the distribution of divers like redheads and canvasbacks has changed due to pressure and habitat. Where there once were one or two layout rigs on Lake St. Clair, there are now a dozen. Fishing on the lake in the fall has also gotten more popular, and birds are getting continually harassed wherever they go. Eventually, they find sanctuary in the middle of the lake where anglers and hunters don't bother them.

Another thing they can find there is food. A clearer, cleaner Lake St. Clair has resulted in vegetation growing in places where it never grew before -- like in the middle of the lake. Diving ducks now have everything they need -- food and refuge -- in the middle of the lake, and they have no reason to leave. "We're finding more and more of the diving ducks using the center of the lake during duck season," said Kafcas. Kafcas said that even the wintering patterns of divers, like cans, changed in 2004. "We saw a lot more birds wintering on the lake and less on the Detroit River."

Hunters saw fewer ducks in 2004 across the board at popular southeast Michigan waterfowling destinations like Pointe Mouillee, St. Clair Flats, St. John's Marsh and Harsens Island.

"The opener was one of the quietest in the last 10 years," claimed Kafcas. "Overall, dabbler hunting in the natural marshes was fair to poor. There were fewer mallards and green-winged teal, an average number of wood ducks, and fewer pintails and black ducks. We had good crops at the managed area, but duck numbers were down at Harsens Island, and it was reflected in the kill. Managed hunting at Harsens Island was 30 percent below average."

The lone bright spot in southeast Michigan last season was Lake St. Clair.