Joe Robinson (center) and friends wait for birds during the annual youth duck hunt. Photo by Tracy Breen.

Waterfowl hunting in Michigan hasn't been very successful recently. There are several factors that contribute to the success or failure of a waterfowl season.

Many hunters love to blame a poor duck season on the DNR because they are the ones who control the waterfowl season dates. Many hunters believe the season should open later in the year because warm fall weather has decreased the success of the first few weeks of hunting season.

The spring hatch also influences the season. When water levels are high, mallards, wood ducks and blue-winged teal have plenty of places to build nests and raise a brood. However, when water levels are down, finding good nesting habitats can be difficult, which makes it tough for waterfowl to escape from nest robbers like raccoons.

The number of hunters hunting also plays a role. The more hunters there are, the tougher the hunting can be, especially when bird numbers are down. Even though hunting hasn't been the best, hunters are still out in force. The 2006 waterfowl survey indicated that more than 50,000 hunters pursued waterfowl, pumping $21.7 million into the Michigan economy. Therefore, even though many are dissatisfied with waterfowl hunting in Michigan, they are still hunting and trying to bag a few birds.

In the fall, there are few places in Michigan where the skies are black with ducks like they were decades ago, but Joe Robinson, a waterfowl specialist for the Michigan DNR, believes 2008 could shape up to be one of the best waterfowl seasons in history. Robinson is a biologist and an avid waterfowl hunter. He enjoys the sound of whistling wings in the fall. Every spring, he can be found peering from the window of a small plane flying at treetop level counting waterfowl. He believes that what he saw this spring should result in a great waterfowl season.

"We had a lot of snow in the winter and a fair amount of spring rain," he explained. "These two factors together result in a good spring hatch because there is a lot of water. While flying over key areas, we saw water and waterfowl in areas that have been dry for years. Lots of places that were previously dry had small potholes of water that are perfect for nesting habitat."

The 2007 waterfowl surveys aren't available yet, but Robinson believes he saw better duck numbers than four or five years ago and he expects the numbers to rise.

"I have talked to many duck hunters, and although some believe the hunting could be better, many thought 2007 was a pretty good year for waterfowl hunting. Hunters who invested their time harvested many ducks and it should continue to improve," Robinson explained.

Muskegon hunter Dave Utzinger enjoyed last year's hunting. Many of the local lakes and potholes held a decent amount of water and provided good hunting opportunities.

"The weather has been fairly warm the last few years, which doesn't always help hunting, but as the season progressed, the hunting seemed to pick up," he said. "It was a much better year for ducks and divers. We saw more large rafts of divers in the late season. They can be tough to hunt, but when it works out, they can provide lots of shooting opportunities."

According to Robinson, mallard numbers have been down the last few years.

"Mallard numbers have been down, but our spring survey showed mallard numbers are on the rise," he said. "We don't have all of our data in yet, but in my opinion, mallard numbers are climbing."