Kern NWR 2021/22 Season Opener Will be Delayed

[fish dog]

Kern NWR 2021/22 Season Opener Will be Delayed - Now opening on November 20th...

Kern NWR 2021/22 Season Opener Will be Delayed

I’ll just quote the Kern NWR website (nothing more to say)… 2021-2022 Waterfowl Season Update: Due to extreme drought conditions, Kern National Wildlife Refuge was allocated significant…

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[Aeon]

Going to be a rough year...

 

[ilovesprig]

Going to be a rough year...

Billy,

Yolo is also closed up north with others that will probably follow...Walked Henshaw this morning...Almost zero food and the lake is very low...

May be a late season road trip up north or even Utah...Trust me...I will find them...........

 

[Designed2Hunt]

@ilovesprig
I would like to see CWA do an educational piece/state of the Cal Waterfowl at the banquet. Happy to help make this happen. Drought would have been a great topic this yr.

Drought is a natural cycle and is not all that bad for waterfowl. Seeing way too many ppl calling for more restrictive changes to AHM framework who have no clue on the science. This is not the 80s and population are above long term averages. Droughts promote nutrient cycling in unproductive habitats. Drought reduces predator population. Etc.

Hope I'm preaching to the choir

 

[GUNDOGLOVER49]

They call it a drought and it may well be so, but, where Southern California is concerned, we live in a desert, only man has made it what it is today and just because that is so, Mother Nature just don't care.

 

[duck-boy]

Should be a banner year for waterfowl and waterfowl hunters I'm hearing from the experts, I thought different but what do I know. I thought ducks need water but I think too basic.....

As designed2hunt pointed out, I am looking at short term effects. Hopefully in the long term there are benefits to this drought....

 

[Aeon]

so... did some digging and last time we were in water trouble i had a epic year. Not sure how it will work out trying to figure out ducks is like trying to pick the right lotto numbers. Just keep trying and eventually you will be right

 

[Designed2Hunt]

so... did some digging and last time we were in water trouble i had a epic year. Not sure how it will work out trying to figure out ducks is like trying to pick the right lotto numbers. Just keep trying and eventually you will be right

What year?

 

[ilovesprig]

Should be a banner year for waterfowl and waterfowl hunters I'm hearing from the experts, I thought different but what do I know. I thought ducks need water but I think too basic.....

As designed2hunt pointed out, I am looking at short term effects. Hopefully in the long term there are benefits to this drought....

Ron,

There's plenty of water in SoCal for migrating ducks...Unfortunately, we can't hunt about 90% of it...Just think about how many parks, ponds, lakes, rivers, golf courses, and private property that hold birds (especially widgeon)...We have public spots, San Jacinto WA, Wister WA, Salton Sea (barely), Barrett Lake, Henshaw, a few ducks clubs, Colorado River, Owens Valley, canals, and various "secret" spots.

The ducks will be fine...The duck hunters, maybe not so much.

 

[duck-boy]

I hope so...this was my year for KNWR. Maybe not so much now. One of these years I would like to see Kern with lots of huntable water like back in the day....

 

[Aeon]

What year?

06-09 were epic good for me, widgeon were thick. 2011-2014 were just as good. I had changed hunting areas to adapt to the lack of water in the old area. what is hard to factor in is the drought in the duck producing areas. Dry here does not mean dry there. https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/maps/maparchive.aspx North America is dry dry dry. will that mess it up here???? What i cant find is what the duck factory areas were like in that time period.

 

[ilovesprig]

06-09 were epic good for me, widgeon were thick. 2011-2014 were just as good. I had changed hunting areas to adapt to the lack of water in the old area. what is hard to factor in is the drought in the duck producing areas. Dry here does not mean dry there. https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/maps/maparchive.aspx North America is dry dry dry. will that mess it up here???? What i cant find is what the duck factory areas were like in that time period.

My Alberta friends had good production in the Parklands (honkers, gadwalls, mallards, mostly) and have had consistent rain this summer.

 

[Duckfan]

Kern was only allocated 45% of its full water this year.

Given that reduction, Kern will delay hunt opener until Nov 20th.

They propose having a hunter quota of 15 hunters for that opener, and 46 hunter quota by Jan, 2022 - including the junior and vet hunts).

Any further water cuts will reduce hunter opportunity.

No hunter clean up day this year.
Of course watch their web site for more info as it becomes available.

NOTE: When they do open, ONLY 1A zone, AP2 and ADA blind will be open.

 

[Designed2Hunt]

Kern was only allocated 45% of its full water this year.

Given that reduction, Kern will delay hunt opener until Nov 20th.

They propose having a hunter quota of 15 hunters for that opener, and 46 hunter quota by Jan, 2022 - including the junior and vet hunts).

Any further water cuts will reduce hunter opportunity.

No hunter clean up day this year.
Of course watch their web site for more info as it becomes available.

NOTE: When they do open, ONLY 1A zone, AP2 and ADA blind will be open.

I cant wait to see if the ALDS will block out the dates that refuges/WA's are closed, or if they will let people buy draws with no change for success.