Photo by Kenny Bahr.

Waterfowl hunters along the East Coast have enjoyed some very good shooting in recent years. Part of the reason is that some seasons are more liberal, giving hunters a lot more days in which to hunt. According to recent surveys, while some waterfowl populations have showed slight declines, the overall health of most duck and goose populations is very good.

The waterfowl populations that have shown a decline are a result of development in stopover and wintering spots along their flyways, and habitat conditions in their breeding areas. While mid-continent populations of waterfowl rise and fall relative to the amount of precipitation that falls in wetland habitat, habitat conditions in eastern North America have been comparatively stable in recent years.

For the last several years, hunting regulations in the Atlantic Flyway have been based on the Adaptive Harvest Management (AHM) approach, which in turn is based on the status of eastern mallards.

In 2004, 1,110,700 mallards were estimated in the eastern survey area, which is consistent with the long-term average. In 2005, that average dropped to 1,047,000. The 2006 breeding season saw a significant drop in numbers to 899,200.

Since the study began in 1990, the highest estimated number of mallards was 1,131,500 in 1996. The lowest number surveyed in the same period was 855,800 mallards in 1990, during the first year of the survey.

By and large, the drop in numbers is not a serious concern. After six straight years of over a million mallards being counted, the number dropped to 890,000 in the year 2000, then rebounded to over 1 million for another five years before the drop in 2006. Most often, these drops in numbers for a year or two are due to weather and conditions in the birds' breeding areas, which impact on the survival rate of hatchlings.

Most other waterfowl like geese, brant, teal and others are also showing the same type of trends. This is mainly due to adverse habitat conditions in the birds' breeding areas, as well as the impact that weather patterns exert on the amount of forage available for the birds during their migrations.

NEW JERSEY
For the last several years, Garden State sportsmen have seen consistent numbers of Atlantic Flyway birds stopping over on their state's plentiful marshes. In addition, populations of resident Canada geese have continued an upward trend, providing waterfowl hunters with some good shooting.

The Division of Fish and Wildlife (DFW) has done a good job at protecting the state's marshes and wetlands. Even with continued development, waterfowl habitat has remained fairly stable, especially in the central and southern portions of the state. And the number of resident hunters taking to the marshes, rivers and coastal wetlands has remained between 10,000 to 12,000 sportsmen.

Like other mid-Atlantic states along the flyway, New Jersey has both freshwater and saltwater marshes. With extensive bays, small rivers and streams along its 100-plus mile coastline, along with the tea-stained water of the Pine Barrens, it's easy to understand why New Jersey is a major stopover along the Atlantic Flyway for ducks and geese.

When you combine these numerous wetlands with the plethora of small parks, golf courses, corporate centers and other areas off-limits to hunters, it's easy to see why the resident Canada goose population is estimated at over 100,000 birds.

Even with a September and January season on these birds, their numbers are being held in check only by hunters. If you add in between 150,000 and 275,000 migrating birds and the estimated 100,000-plus snow geese that make New Jersey their annual winter home, Garden State water- fowlers have between 350,000 and 450,000 big birds to shoot at every year.

When it comes to smaller ducks, the state has an inventory of mallards, black ducks, blue-winged and green-winged teal. It's also a stopover for about 75 percent of the migratory brant population along the Atlantic Coast.

Both mallard and black duck populations have remained stable over the last several years. Recent surveys show good numbers of green-winged teal (between 2,500 and 3,000 birds) available to hunters during October and into November, depending on the conditions in any given year.

As mentioned, New Jersey's saltwater marshes are the wintering grounds of the largest brant population along the Atlantic Coast. Brant populations peaked in the early 1990s and have been seeing up and down numbers for the last several years.

Dix Wildlife Management Area
New Jersey has numerous public hunting grounds that are prime waterfowl hunting areas, and one of the best is the Dix Wildlife Management Area. Located on the shores of Delaware Bay in the lower western portion of the state, this Cumberland County WMA is located south of the Cohansey River, about six miles west of Fairton on Back Neck Road.