"Spring and summer weather proved to be almost perfect," Fish Point wildlife biologist Tim Gierman said about the 2006 season. "The corn crop was planted by mid-May and buckwheat by mid-June. These crops produced good food and cover everywhere except the north field."

With ample food and cover, hunting was excellent at Fish Point in 2006, and early indications are that planting was on schedule this year. But weather is always a factor in waterfowling success.

"The month of October had a series of northerly storm systems that produced excellent hunting," Gierman said. "As the season progressed into November, the weather got milder and there were only a few days of good duck hunting the rest of the season."

Population estimates showed upward of 20,000 ducks using the Fish Point refuge from Oct. 16-27. Fish Point waterfowlers logged 7,447 hunter trips, up from 6,285 in 2005, and killed 8,624 ducks compared with 5,297 in 2005. The ducks per hunter average of 1.16 was the best in the last five years. The 2006 harvest was slightly better than the five-year average of 7,360. Mallards made up 56 percent of the kill, accounting for 4,868 birds. Green-winged teal and black ducks were the second and third most commonly harvested birds.

Even with a December closing, waters remained open throughout the season, and good numbers of divers remained through November on popular venues like Portage, Manistee, Hamlin and Pere Marquette lakes.

In giving an overview of the season at Fish Point, Gierman said, "Food and cover were abundant everywhere except zones 20-32. This, combined with perfect weather in October, made for good hunter success. Opening one week earlier and no ice forming late in the year also helped push up success and harvest numbers. Throughout November, hunter success decreased and greater numbers of birds fed in private fields. A bit of snowy weather in December caused things to pick up some at the very end."

For information on waterfowl hunting opportunities at Fish Point Wildlife Area, call (989) 674-2511.

Located three miles north of Linwood, Nayanquing Point Wildlife Area has been offering managed waterfowl hunting for 31 years. The area is extremely popular with hunters from the Tri-Cities area. The area encompasses 1,505 acres of diked agricultural units, marsh and uplands. Like other managed waterfowl units, Nayanquing Point had great crop production and cover in 2006, higher duck numbers and harvest, and better than average hunting.

"Mallards began staging the first week in October after the Middle Zone waterfowl season opened, and peaked at the Oct. 13 refuge count (4,800)," said Nayanquing Point Wildlife Area manager Don Avers. "The most ducks observed was the Oct. 22 refuge count (7,950), with good numbers of widgeon, mallards and green-winged teal in the area. The largest noticeable migration of ducks and swans into and out of the Saginaw Bay area was during a nine-day period from Oct. 27 to Nov. 4."

Overall, hunters logged 3,259 trips and killed 3,685 ducks, which is slightly above the five-year average at Nayanquing. Avers pointed out that hunting success was much better during the first half of the season. During the first 30 days of the season at Nayanquing, hunters dropped 2,700 ducks in 2,154 trips. The last 30 days of the season produced only 974 ducks for 1,097 days of hunting. Obviously, the harvest figures were indicative of the great waterfowling weather and bird numbers during the early season and unusually mild conditions in November and early December.

According to Nayanquing's Avers, "Mallards dominated the harvest with 58 percent of the total kill. Mallard harvest was back up over 2,000 for the first time since 2002. Shovelers were down significantly from a 30-year high of 125 in 2005 to 24 in 2006. A 30-year record low number of only 27 blue-winged teal were shot in 2006. Widgeon numbers were up significantly to 156, the highest number since 1988."

For more information on hunting opportunities at Nayanquing Point Wildlife Area, call (989) 697-5101.

The 9,758-acre Shiawassee River State Game Area 10 miles southwest of Saginaw continued to be one of the most popular managed waterfowl areas in the state in 2006. Unlike other managed areas, which enjoyed near-perfect growing conditions, SRSGA didn't fare quite as well. "Last year proved to be a trying year at Shiawassee," lamented Victor Weigold, area wildlife technician. Crops failed or flooded, dikes broke and pumps were a major headache at Shiawassee last year. However, in spite of the problems, hunters enjoyed a good season, and the prospects for 2007 are much better.