For more information, contact the Waterloo Wildlife Office at (517) 522-4097.

Since recent Michigan autumns have been very warm, flight ducks haven't always arrived as quickly as many waterfowlers would prefer. Nothing ruins hope for a good day of duck hunting like T-shirt weather does. Robinson and Utzinger agree that serious duck hunters find the late season is often the best time to hunt. Hunters have a better chance of seeing flight birds and divers from the north and will likely encounter fewer hunters.

"For some reason, many hunters focus their efforts on opening weekend and don't hunt much after that," Utzinger said. "With the weather being the way it has been recently, some of my best hunting occurred toward the tail end of the season when most hunters are sitting in a deer stand."

Robinson said with water levels being up this year and duck numbers on the rise, hunting should be good this fall.

"Waterfowl hunting success often depends on weather conditions. If it isn't a cold fall, hunters won't see as many northern birds as they would if there was a lot of cold air coming from the north," he said. "The later into the season, the better chance hunters have of encountering large numbers of flight birds."

Michigan has offered a two-day late season the last several years. Some years when most lakes are frozen over by early January, hunters can harvest ducks by cutting a hole in frozen lakes and hunting next to the hole. Hunters can harvest a few local mallards during this late-season hunt when it's not as cold. Either way, hunting during the late part of the regular season or the two-day late season will give hunters a better chance of harvesting plenty of ducks instead of sitting at home on the couch.