2018/2019 Season Sunrise / Sunset Recap (ah…sort of)

Since the 2010/2011 season, SoCalHunt has posted an article with pictures of the sunrises and sunset experienced throughout the season.  This season due to a series of different incidents and circumstances I only got out one time, the Wednesday after the season opener.  I’ll not bore you with the details of why, it wasn’t all bad, I got a new grandson out of it, but it wasn’t all good either.  I’m posting this basically so anybody that follows the SoCalHunt blog won’t wonder why I didn’t post as I usually do.  I’m sure you already noticed the lack of Hunting Reports during the season just past.

Well, ‘nuff said about that.

As traditional for SoCalHunt at the end of every season, here are the (no) sunrises and (1) sunset for the 2018/2019 season just past, along with the daily (no) clouds we observed during each day.

Presented for your enjoyment:

(Click on the image for a full-sized picture)

10/24/18 Sunset. (BTW – those birds aren’t ducks, just a flock of blackbirds).

Yup…that’s it.  Sorry.  Hopefully, SoCalHunt will have a bunch of pictures to post next season, along with some hunt reports to go with them during the season.

Kern National Wildlife Refuge 2018/2019 Season Long Stats

The end of the 2018/2019 waterfowl season at the Kern National Wildlife Refuge revealed some interesting stats for the number of birds harvested and the per hunter averages.  Although this is the inaugural season for SoCalHunt posting the Kern NWR hunt results we were able to obtain Kern’s season-long stats from the 2017/2018 season for comparison to this season.

2272 adult and 100 junior hunters (2372 hunters total) harvested a total of 1654 Northern Shovelers, 222 Mallards, 1318 Gadwall, 478 Widgeon, 477 Pintail, 1143 Green Wing Teal, 501 Cinnamon Teal, 414 Redheads, 25 Canvasbacks, 149 Ring Necks, 26 Scaup, 237 Bufflehead, 9 Goldeneye, 12 Blue Wing Teal, and 74 Ruddy Ducks. There were also 5 ducks listed as “other”.  In addition, there were also 1 Canada Goose, 1 Snow Geese, and 9 White Fronted Geese taken at Kern this season. 42 Coots were also checked in for the 2018/2019 season at Kern. This figured out to a total of 6926 Ducks and Geese or, with the Coots included, 6968 waterfowl taken for the season. The per gun average take for 2018/2019 season came out to 2.92 Ducks and Geese per hunter or, with the Coots added in, 2.94 waterfowl per hunter.

In comparison to last season, there were 329 fewer adult hunters this season over last and there were 21 fewer junior hunters for a total of 350 fewer hunters accommodated in 2018/2019 season compared to the 2017/2018 season. (This does not include the Junior Hunters from the Junior Hunt). As for the birds, I’ll list them with a plus by the number or a minus by the number to indicate how many more or less of each type of bird was bagged this season over last.

There were -820 Northern Shovelers, -49 Mallards, -24 Gadwall, +70 Widgeon, -82 Pintail, -147 Green Wing Teal, -396 Cinnamon Teal, -149 Redheads, -16 Canvasbacks, -92 Ring Necks, +14 Scaup, +6 Bufflehead, +9 Goldeneye (0 last season), -12 Wood Ducks (0 this season), -1 Blue Wing Teal, and +27 Ruddy Ducks.

For the Geese numbers there was no change in the Canada Geese (1 this season, 1 last season), -2 Ross’ Geese (0 this season), -2 Snow Geese, and -8 White Front Geese.

There were also -23 Coots bagged this season. This was a total of -1490 Ducks and Geese taken and, with the Coots included, -1525 waterfowl taken this season compared to last season. The per hunter averages were -0.18 Ducks and Geese or, with the Coots included, -0.18 waterfowl this season over last season.

So, there you have it, the year-long stats for the Kern National Wildlife Refuge.  As compared to last season’s stats it appears that many of the species had less bird harvested, in some cases substantially less.  That’s not to say that Kern didn’t have good averages but it did drop off somewhat from last season. Hopefully, the breeding populations will do their thing up north and we’ll get the weather needed to drive the ducks south early in the season and things will improve for next season.

Hunt Results for Kern National Wildlife Refuge, Saturday – 12/22/18 through End of Season and the Junior Hunt, Saturday, 2/2/19

(NOTE:  Due to the just past Government Shutdown Kern National Wildlife Refuge was unable to provide hunting results reports since the Wednesday, 12/19/18 hunt day.  Although, fortunately for hunters that utilize KNWR, the hunting program continued through the shutdown because the California DFW actually runs the hunting program for the Feds the stats are apparently kept by the Federal Staff at Kern. When the shutdown ended SoCalHunt was promised by the Kern Staff that once they caught up with things the hunt results would be posted.  True to their word, the missing hunting reports were put out today.  The following will cover the hunting reports from Saturday, 12/22/18 through the end of the season, including the Junior Hunt on 2/2/19.  Thanks for your patience on this and thanks to the Kern Staff for providing the information in a timely matter after the end of the shutdown.)

The average bag of waterfowl at the Kern National Wildlife Refuge dropped back somewhat from Wednesday’s outstanding averages. Gadwall jumped into first place for number of ducks taken with Green Wing Teal sliding back into the second spot.  The Kern NWR Staff reported that the results for Saturday, 12/22/18 were as follows:

101 adult and 9 junior hunters checked in with 49 Shovelers, 23 Mallards, 84 Gadwall, 18 Widgeon, 23 Pintail, 59 Green Wing Teal, 26 Cinnamon Teal, 30 Redheads, 12 Ring Necks, 2 Scaup, 13 Buffleheads, and 1 Ruddy Duck.  2 White Fronted Geese were checked in at Kern on Saturday.  There were no Coots bagged at Kern on Saturday.  This worked out to an average bag of 3.09 ducks per person or, with the Geese included, 3.10 waterfowl per hunter. Out of 11 reservations issued, 8 arrived on time to claim their hunting spot.

The average bag of waterfowl at the Kern National Wildlife Refuge headed upward from Saturday’s already great averages. Gadwall held on to first place for number of ducks taken with Shovelers showing up in the second position.  The Kern NWR Staff reported that the results for Wednesday, 12/26/18 were as follows:

81 adult and 4 junior hunters checked in with 57 Shovelers, 14 Mallards, 70 Gadwall, 30 Widgeon, 25 Pintail, 53 Green Wing Teal, 25 Cinnamon Teal, 1 Blue Wing Teal, 16 Redheads, 4 Ring Necks, 1 Scaup, 13 Buffleheads, and 1 Ruddy Duck.  There was 1 White Fronted Goose harvested at Kern on Wednesday.  There were also 3 Coots checked in at Kern on Wednesday.  This worked out to an average bag of 3.64 ducks per hunter or, with the Geese and Coots added in, 3.69 waterfowl per gun. Out of 10 reservations issued, 9 showed up on time to for their hunting spot.

The average bag of waterfowl at the Kern National Wildlife Refuge ticked down just slightly from Wednesday’s great averages. Gadwall continued to hold the first place for number of ducks bagged with Shovelers keeping the second spot.  The Kern NWR Staff reported that the results for Saturday, 12/29/18 were as follows:

95 adult and 9 junior hunters checked in with 59 Shovelers, 11 Mallards, 91 Gadwall, 34 Widgeon, 39 Pintail, 38 Green Wing Teal, 24 Cinnamon Teal, 34 Redheads, 11 Ring Necks, 2 Scaup, and 7 Buffleheads.  There was also a single White Fronted Goose and 3 Coots checked in at Kern on Saturday.  This came out to an average harvest of 3.36 ducks per person or, with the Geese and Coots included, 3.40 waterfowl per gun. Out of 11 reservations issued 7 showed up on time for their hunting spot.

The average bag of waterfowl at the Kern National Wildlife Refuge climbed up a little from Saturday’s great averages. Gadwall and Shovelers swapped places with Shovelers climbing into first place for number of ducks taken and Gadwall dropping back to the second spot.  The Kern NWR Staff reported that the results for Wednesday, 1/2/19 were as follows:

91 adult and 7 junior hunters checked in with 88 Shovelers, 14 Mallards, 76 Gadwall, 35 Widgeon, 28 Pintail, 52 Green Wing Teal, 23 Cinnamon Teal, 23 Redheads, 1 Canvasback, 6 Ring Necks, 9 Buffleheads, 2 Goldeneye, 1 Eurasian Widgeon, and 3 Ruddy Ducks.  There were no Geese or Coots were bagged at Kern on Wednesday.  This figured out to an average bag of 3.68 ducks per hunter and, of course, with no Geese and Coots to figure in, 3.68 waterfowl per person. Out of 16 reservations issued, 8 arrived on time to claim their spot.

The average harvest of waterfowl at the Kern National Wildlife Refuge slipped back a little from Wednesday’s great averages. Shovelers retained first place for number of ducks bagged and Gadwall held on to the second spot.  The Kern NWR Staff reported that the results for Saturday, 1/5/19 were as follows:

120 adult and 4 junior hunters checked in with 132 Shovelers, 1 Mallard, 89 Gadwall, 20 Widgeon, 25 Pintail, 77 Green Wing Teal, 20 Cinnamon Teal, 33 Redheads, 4 Ring Necks, 2 Scaup, 12 Buffleheads, and 1 Ruddy Duck.  Again, no Geese or Coots were checked in at Kern on Saturday.  This worked out to an average take of 3.35 ducks per person and, of course, with no Geese and Coots to include, 3.35 waterfowl per gun. Out of 16 reservations issued, 12 arrived on time to claim their spot.

The average bag of waterfowl at the Kern National Wildlife Refuge ticked back upward a little from Saturday’s great averages. Shovelers held the first position for number of ducks taken with Green Wing Teal showed up in the second spot.  The Kern NWR Staff reported that the results for Wednesday, 1/9/19 were as follows:

100 adult and 3 junior hunters checked in with 101 Shovelers, 6 Mallards, 62 Gadwall, 6 Widgeon, 21 Pintail, 68 Green Wing Teal, 20 Cinnamon Teal, 38 Redheads, 10 Ring Necks, 5 Scaup, 19 Buffleheads, and 6 Ruddy Ducks.  No Geese were harvested at Kern on Wednesday.  11 Coots were bagged at Kern on Wednesday.  This came out to an average bag of 3.51 ducks per hunter or, with Coots included, 3.62 waterfowl per gun. Out of 16 reservations issued, 7 arrived on time to claim their spot.

The average bag of waterfowl at the Kern National Wildlife Refuge dropped back quite a bit from Wednesday’s great averages. Shovelers and Green Wing Teal swapped spots with Green Wing Teal climbing into the first position for number of ducks harvested with Shovelers dropping back to the second position.  The Kern NWR Staff reported that the results for Saturday, 1/12/19 were as follows:

109 adult and 6 junior hunters checked in with 60 Shovelers, 4 Mallards, 38 Gadwall, 12 Widgeon, 18 Pintail, 83 Green Wing Teal, 17 Cinnamon Teal, 14 Redheads, 3 Ring Necks, 1 Scaup, 7 Buffleheads, and 3 Ruddy Ducks.  A lone Canada Goose and 1 White Fronted Goose were checked in at Kern on Saturday.  There were no Coots bagged at Kern on Saturday.  This worked out to an average take of 2.26 ducks per gun or, with Geese added in, 2.28 waterfowl per hunter. Out of 16 reservations issued, 10 arrived on time to claim their spot.

The average take of waterfowl at the Kern National Wildlife Refuge ticked back up slightly compared to Saturday’s good averages. Gadwall jumped into the first position for number of ducks checked in with Shovelers holding on to the second spot.  The Kern NWR Staff reported that the results for Wednesday, 1/16/19 were as follows:

101 adult and 3 junior hunters checked in with 53 Shovelers, 7 Mallards, 59 Gadwall, 27 Widgeon, 11 Pintail, 37 Green Wing Teal, 21 Cinnamon Teal, 1 Blue Wing Teal, 46 Redheads, 4 Ring Necks, 2 Scaup, 9 Buffleheads, and 3 Ruddy Ducks.  There were no Geese bagged at Kern on Wednesday.  3 Coots were also taken at Kern on Wednesday.  This came out to an average harvest of 2.69 ducks per person or, with Coots worked into the total, 2.72 waterfowl per hunter. Out of 11 reservations issued, 7 showed on time for their hunting spot.

The waterfowl average bag at the Kern National Wildlife Refuge took a nosedive compared to Wednesday’s good numbers. Shovelers were found in the first position for number of ducks bagged with Green Wing Teal showing up in the second position.  The Kern NWR Staff reported that the results for Saturday, 1/19/19 were as follows:

114 adult and 7 junior hunters checked in with 55 Shovelers, 7 Mallards, 37 Gadwall, 10 Widgeon, 6 Pintail, 39 Green Wing Teal, 16 Cinnamon Teal, 21 Redheads, 1 Ring Neck, 7 Scaup, 9 Buffleheads, and 2 Ruddy Ducks.  Again, no Geese were taken at Kern on Saturday.  2 Coots were checked in at Kern on Saturday.  This figured out to an average bag of 1.74 ducks per hunter or, with Coots added in, 1.75 waterfowl per gun. Out of 16 reservations issued, 13 showed on time for their hunting spot.

The waterfowl average bag at the Kern National Wildlife Refuge rocketed back up into great territory compared to Saturday’s only fair averages. Green Wing Teal climbed into the first position for number of ducks harvested with Gadwall found in the second spot.  The Kern NWR Staff reported that the results for Wednesday, 1/23/19 were as follows:

103 adult hunters and no junior hunters harvested 54 Shovelers, 12 Mallards, 68 Gadwall, 13 Widgeon, 14 Pintail, 112 Green Wing Teal, 35 Cinnamon Teal, 26 Redheads, 3 Ring Necks, and 13 Buffleheads.  There were 2 White Fronted Geese taken at Kern on Wednesday.  2 Coots were also bagged at Kern on Wednesday.  This came out to an average bag of 3.47 ducks per person or, with Geese and Coots included, 3.50 waterfowl per gun. Out of 16 reservations issued, 8 arrived on time to claim their hunting spot.

The average waterfowl take for the Kern National Wildlife Refuge slipped back somewhat compared to Wednesday’s great averages. Gadwall showed up in the first spot for number of ducks checked in with Shovelers found in the second spot, but only by one bird over Green Wing Teal.  The Kern NWR Staff reported that the results for Saturday, 1/26/19 were as follows:

115 adult and 5 junior hunters checked in with 63 Shovelers, 17 Mallards, 84 Gadwall, 11 Widgeon, 10 Pintail, 62 Green Wing Teal, 58 Cinnamon Teal, 16 Redheads, 2 Ring Necks, 14 Buffleheads, and 2 Ruddy Ducks.  There no Geese or Coots taken at Kern on Saturday.  This worked out to an average harvest of 2.83 ducks per hunter and, of course, with no Geese and Coots to add in, 2.83 waterfowl per person. Out of 16 reservations issued, 9 showed on time to get their hunting spot.

This (above) was the last regular hunt day of the season for the Kern National Wildlife Refuge.  The Junior Hunt results are included below.

The waterfowl average harvest for the Kern National Wildlife Refuge Junior Hunt gave the Junior Hunters a good average bag for their efforts. Shovelers were found in the first position for number of ducks checked in with Gadwall and Cinnamon Teal showing up tied for the second spot.  The Kern NWR Staff reported that the results for the Junior Hunt on Saturday, 2/2/19 were as follows:

38 junior hunters bagged 66 Shovelers, 3 Mallards, 10 Gadwall, 3 Widgeon, 5 Pintail, 9 Green Wing Teal, 10 Cinnamon Teal, 2 Ring Necks, 2 Scaup, 4 Buffleheads, and 1 Ruddy Duck.  No Geese or Coots were bagged by the Juniors at Kern on Saturday.  This figured out to an average harvest of 3.03 ducks per Junior Hunter and, of course, with no Geese or Coots to figure into the total, 3.03 waterfowl for each Junior. Out of 16 reservations issued 6 came in on time to get their hunting spot.

There you have it, albeit a little late, the final numbers and averages for the Kern National Wildlife Refuge.  A big thanks again to the Kern Staff for getting this out in a timely manner after the Government Shutdown ended.  Hopefully, they won’t have to endure another shutdown any time soon (fingers crossed).

Watch here for the Kern National Wildlife Refuge season-long stats report soon.

 

 

Wister 2018/2019 Season Long Stats

The end of the 2018/2019 season at the Wister Unit of the Imperial Wildlife Area revealed the following stats for the number of birds taken and the hunter averages.

4603 adult and 318 junior hunters (4921 hunters total) checked in a total of 1182 Northern Shovelers, 493 Mallards, 885 Gadwall, 997 Widgeon, 1940 Pintail, 2449 Green Wing Teal, 1405 Cinnamon Teal, 317 Redheads, 16 Canvasbacks, 159 Ring Necks, 23 Scaup, 174 Bufflehead, 22 Goldeneyes, 3 Wood Ducks, 120 Blue Wing Teal, 6 Mergansers, 4 Surf Scooters, and 225 Ruddy Ducks. In addition, there were 5 Canada Geese, 8 Ross’ Geese, 152 Snow Geese, and 17 White Front Geese bagged at Wister this season. 141 Coots were checked in for the 2018/2019 season. This worked out to a total of 10602 Ducks and Geese or, with the Coots added in, 10743 waterfowl. The per hunter average take for 2018/2019 figured out to 2.15 Ducks and Geese per hunter or, with the Coots included, 2.18 waterfowl per hunter.

In comparison to last season, there were 373 fewer adult hunters this season over last and there were 93 fewer junior hunters for a total of 466 fewer hunters accommodated in 2018/2019 season compared to the 2017/2018 season. (This includes the Junior Hunters from the Junior Hunt weekend). As for the birds, I’ll list them with a plus by the number or a minus by the number to indicate how many more or less of each type of bird was bagged this season over last.

There were +781 Northern Shovelers, +48 Mallards, -41 Gadwall, -20 Widgeon, +711 Pintail, +828 Green Wing Teal, -20 Cinnamon Teal, +217 Redheads, -6 Canvasbacks, +24 Ring Necks, -2 Scaup, +29 Bufflehead, +18 Goldeneyes, -3 Wood Ducks, +87 Blue Wing Teal, -7 Mergansers, -1 Whistling Duck (0 this season), +3 Surf Scooters, -1 Black Duck (0 this season), and +85 Ruddy Ducks.

As for the Geese numbers, there were +5 Canada Geese, +2 Ross’ Geese, -1054 Snow Geese and +15 White Front Geese.

There was also -28 Coots bagged this season. This was a total of +1696 Ducks and Geese taken and, with the Coots included, +1668 waterfowl taken this season compared to last season. The per hunter averages were +0.50 Ducks and Geese or, with the Coots included, +0.50 waterfowl this season over last season.

So, this season shows an increase in most of the species, with the take of most ducks up, some substantially, however, the Snow Goose take was way down this season, down 88% from last season.  Also, the stats show slightly fewer hunters this season compared to last.  Hopefully, we’ll get some weather up north early next season to drive the birds south.  So, this season overall was pretty good in Southern California.  Hopefully, we’ll have a large breeding population this year and more birds migrating down next season.  Hope to see you out there next season.

Hunt Results for the Wister Unit of the Imperial Wildlife Area Junior Hunt Weekend, Saturday – 2/2/19, Sunday – 2/3/19

This year’s Junior Waterfowl Hunt at the Wister Unit of the Imperial Wildlife Area resulted in great averages for the Junior Hunters on Saturday. Pintail and Green Wing Teal were tied for the most numerous birds taken with Gadwall showing up in the second spot. The Wister Staff reported that the waterfowl take for the Junior Hunt on Saturday, 2/2/19, was as follows:

46 Junior Hunters checked in with 22 Shovelers, 9 Mallards, 31 Gadwall, 10 Widgeon, 38 Pintail, 38 Green Wing Teal, 10 Cinnamon Teal, 1 Redhead, 1 Ring Neck, 1 Bufflehead, and 4 Ruddy Ducks. There were also 2 Snow Geese checked in by the Junior Hunters on Saturday. The Juniors didn’t bag any Coots on Saturday. This figured out to an average of 3.59 ducks per Junior Hunter or, with the Geese included, 3.63 waterfowl per Junior Hunter. Out of 100 reservations issued only 18 showed up in time to claim their hunting spot.

The average take of waterfowl for Sunday, the second day of the Junior Hunt weekend, at the Wister Unit of the Imperial Wildlife Area, surprisingly, continued with a great average bag just slightly lower than Saturday’s great averages.  Pintail held on to the first spot for number of birds taken with Green Wing Teal sliding back into the second position tied with Mallards. The Wister Staff reported the waterfowl take for the Junior Hunt on Sunday, 2/3/19 were as follows:

9 Junior Hunters checked in with 5 Mallards, 4 Gadwall, 10 Pintail, 5 Green Wing Teal, and 4 Cinnamon Teal. 2 Snow Geese were also included in the bag at the Junior Hunt on Sunday. Again, no Coots were brought into the check station by the Juniors on Sunday. This worked out to an average of 3.11 ducks per Junior Hunter or, with the Geese included, 3.33 waterfowl per Junior Hunter. Out of 100 reservations issued only 4 arrived on time for their spot.

With that, the 2018/2019 Waterfowl Season at the Wister Unit of the Imperial Wildlife Area is in the books. Watch for SoCalHunt’s Season-Long Stats report for Wister coming here soon.  It’s been another great season with preparations soon to be underway for next season. Hope to see you out there.

 

 

San Jacinto Wildlife Area 2018/2019 Season Long Stats

The conclusion of the 2018/2019 waterfowl season at San Jacinto Wildlife Area showed some interesting stats for the number of birds harvested and the per hunter averages.

3883 adult and 374 junior hunters (4257 hunters total) harvested a total of 1692 Northern Shovelers, 321 Mallards, 1021 Gadwall, 721 Widgeon, 93 Pintail, 1617 Green Wing Teal, 967 Cinnamon Teal, 100 Redheads, 26 Canvasbacks, 307 Ring Necks, 20 Scaup, 387 Bufflehead, 7 Goldeneye, 9 Wood Ducks, 9 Blue Wing Teal, 10 Mergansers, 1 Muscovy Duck, and 446 Ruddy Ducks. There was also 1 duck listed as “other”.  In addition, there were also 3 Cackling Goose, 1 Canada Goose, 1 Ross’ Goose, 3 Snow Geese, and 16 White Front Geese taken at San Jacinto this season. 689 Coots were also checked in for the 2018/2019 season at SJ. This figured out to a total of 7782 Ducks and Geese or, with the Coots included, 8471 waterfowl taken for the season. The per gun average take for 2018/2019 season came out to 1.83 Ducks and Geese per hunter or, with the Coots added in, 1.99 waterfowl per hunter.

In comparison to last season, there were 111 more adult hunters this season over last and there were 43 more junior hunters for a total of 154 more hunters accommodated in 2018/2019 season compared to the 2017/2018 season. (This includes the Junior Hunters from the Junior Hunt). As for the birds, I’ll list them with a plus by the number or a minus by the number to indicate how many more or less of each type of bird was bagged this season over last.

There were +654 Northern Shovelers, +61 Mallards, +349 Gadwall, +182 Widgeon, -78 Pintail, +366 Green Wing Teal, -323 Cinnamon Teal, -18 Redheads, +12 Canvasbacks, +136 Ring Necks, -31 Scaup, +194 Bufflehead, +4 Goldeneye, +2 Wood Ducks, +7 Blue Wing Teal, +6 Mergansers, +1 Muscovy Duck (0 last season), and +120 Ruddy Ducks.

For the Geese numbers there were -1 Aleutian Geese (0 this season), +2 Cackling Goose (0 last season), -6 Canada Geese, +1 Ross’ Goose (0 last season), -6 Snow Geese, and +11 White Front Goose.

There were also +194 Coots bagged this season. This was a total of +1423 Ducks and Geese taken and, with the Coots included, +1617 waterfowl taken this season compared to last season. The per hunter averages were +0.28 Ducks and Geese or, with the Coots included, +0.32 waterfowl this season over last season.

In contrast to the last couple of seasons, these numbers show an increase in almost every category, with the bag of most birds up, some substantially, also there were slightly more hunters this season. As I’m typing this it is raining off and on with more predicted in the next couple days.  Hopefully, we’ll get enough rain between now and the end of our rainy season to fill Mystic Lake (fingers crossed again this year) and we’ll get some well-timed weather up north early next season to drive the birds down here.  We can also optimistically hope there will be a great spring hatch up north and the numbers will continue to rise for the 2019/2020 season.

 

Hunt Results for San Jacinto Wildlife Area’s 25th Annual Junior Hunt, Saturday – 2/2/19

San Jacinto Wildlife Area’s 25^th Annual Junior Waterfowl Hunt on Saturday, February 2^nd, resulted in a fair average harvest for each of the Junior Hunters attending.  Shovelers were the number one bird bagged by the Junior Hunters with Green Wing Teal showing up in the second spot. Tom Trakes, from San Jacinto Wildlife Area, reported that the waterfowl take for the Junior Hunt on Saturday, 2/2/19, was as follows:

85 junior hunters checked in with 31 Northern Shovelers, 5 Mallards, 27 Gadwall, 2 Widgeon, 1 Pintail, 29 Green Wing Teal, 8 Cinnamon Teal, 4 Redheads, 3 Ring Necks, 5 Bufflehead, and 3 Ruddy Ducks. The Juniors weren’t able to bring in any Geese at the Junior Hunt on Saturday. There were 2 Coots checked in at the Junior Hunt on Saturday. This figured out to an average bag of 1.39 ducks per Junior Hunter or, with the Coots added in, 1.41 waterfowl average for each Junior Hunter. Tom advised that out of 52 reservations issued 21 showed up on time for their spot.

So, that completes the 2018/2019 Waterfowl Season at San Jacinto Wildlife Area.  Watch for SoCalHunt’s season-long stats report soon.

Since SoCalHunt couldn’t attend the Junior Hunt this year I’ll be posting a report on the breakfast, lunch, and raffle as soon as Tom gets me the info on that.  As always, I’m sure it was a great event with lots of prizes and food for all that attended.  As soon as I have the info I’ll post it here.