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Overview And Outlook For 2009 Season
11.25.09
 Illinois duck hunters experienced a good hunting season last year harvesting the seventh
most ducks recorded since state estimates began in 1981. Of the 14 states in the Mississippi
Flyway, only Arkansas and Missouri harvested more mallards than Illinois. The Canada goose
harvest was again the highest in Illinois history. This was accomplished despite below
average reproduction on the MVP (Mississippi Valley Population) Canada goose breeding grounds in 2008.
Increasing giant
Canada goose populations in our flyway may have contributed to this high harvest.Well that's
enough about last year. Let's take a look at what is in store for us this fall.
You will find a great deal of information about our upcoming waterfowl seasons in the
paragraphs below. Conditions on the duck breeding grounds were generally very good this
year. There were 6.4 million ponds in prairie Canada and northern U.S. breeding areas. This
was 45% above last year and 31% above the long term average of 4.9 million ponds. A record
number of ponds in the U.S. was 108% above last year and 87% above the long term
average.
This is the 13th year in a row we have been offered a 60-day duck season. We
anticipate a fall duck flight larger than last year's due to greatly increased water levels over a
large portion of the breeding grounds. MVP Canada goose breeding numbers are down from
last year due to a late spring and a late spring snowstorm and production is expected to be
poor this year.
However, giant Canada geese are doing well in our flyway and should provide
good hunting despite poor MVP production.
In closing, we encourage each of you to take a new young hunter along with you this season.
Remember, hunters who come to appreciate and value wildlife at an early age are the foundation upon which the future of wildlife will be built.
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