HUNT WRITE UP BY TIM TONGUE

The Great Lakes state, surrounded by big open bodies of water Michigan offers many different water fowl opportunities. Lake Superior and the upper peninsula are the first to see birds on their migration south. This is considered the north zone, which is great for dabbler ducks and divers. Then the birds work south to the middle zone where you have Lake Huron and Lake Michigan which mallards and wood ducks pile in the potholes of rivers and small lakes. Meanwhile the diver ducks get pushed around by the November gales. Old squaw raft off the shores of Lake Michigan and a mix of species find bays to raft in on Lake Huron.

As the weather worsens they continue their migration to the south zone of Michigan. The interior of Michigan has fresh cut agricultural field’s that attract massive flocks of Canadian geese. The diver ducks start to raft up in Saginaw bay and Lake Saint Clair. Then we have Lake Erie, the last big water stop to rest up before chasing warmer conditions south to finish out their migration. New rafts tend to stick around in Lake Erie for 3-10 days as the gorge on the lake bed. The mallards will enjoy the ponds and small inland lakes until Mother Nature glasses over the lakes with ice forcing the birds to the shores of Lake Erie or south to continue their migration. This beautiful waterfowl state will see most of the 41 species of fowl that America has to offer.

If you are fortunate enough to have hunted this state you know that weather plays an important roll in the speed at which the birds migrate. If the weather remains warm the birds will remain up in Canada until the freeze forces them south. The mallard hunters however do not want the inland lakes to freeze and the big water diver hunters pray for ice cold November winds..