Hunt Results for the Wister Unit of the Imperial Wildlife Area, Wednesday – 10/27/21, Saturday 10/30/21, and Sunday 10/31/21

The average take of waterfowl at the Wister Unit of the Imperial Wildlife Area for Wednesday jumped back upward some from Sunday’s fair average. Green Wing Teal came in first place for the most birds checked in with Pintail (despite the one bird limit) taking the second spot.  The Wister Staff reported that the results for Wednesday, 10/27/21 were as follows:

107 adult and 2 junior hunters bagged 18 Northern Shoveler, 13 Mallards, 9 Gadwall, 7 Widgeon, 58 Pintail, 92 Green Wing Teal, 45 Cinnamon Teal, 1 Blue Wing Teal, and 8 Ruddy Ducks.  2 Canada Geese and 3 White Fronted Geese were taken at Wister on Wednesday.  5 Coots were also checked in on Wednesday.  This came out to an average bag of 2.30 ducks per hunter or, with the Geese and Coots added in, 2.39 waterfowl per gun. Out of 104 reservation cards issued 34 hunters arrived on time to claim their spots.

The waterfowl average bag for the Wister Unit of the Imperial Wildlife Area for Saturday dropped some from Wednesday’s okay average.  Green Wing Teal held on to first place for the most birds bagged with Pintail retaining the second spot.  The Wister Staff reported that the results for Saturday, 10/30/21 were as follows:

137 adult and 5 junior hunters checked in with 34 Northern Shoveler, 5 Mallards, 7 Gadwall, 14 Widgeon, 63 Pintail, 109 Green Wing Teal, 35 Cinnamon Teal, 5 Ring Necks, 1 Bufflehead, and 1 Ruddy Duck.  No Geese or Coots were harvested at Wister on Saturday. This figured out to an average take of 1.93 ducks per person and, of course, with no Geese or Coots to added in, 1.93 waterfowl per person. Out of 104 reservation cards issued 36 hunters arrived on time to claim their spots.

The average waterfowl bag at the Wister Unit of the Imperial Wildlife Area for Sunday dropped just slightly from Saturday’s average. Again, Green Wing Teal were found in first place for the most birds harvested with Pintail still in the second spot.  The Wister Staff reported that the results for Sunday, 10/31/21 were as follows:

66 adult and 3 junior hunters harvested 14 Northern Shoveler, 2 Mallards, 5 Gadwall, 1 Widgeon, 20 Pintail, 49 Green Wing Teal, 6 Cinnamon Teal, 1 Canvasback, 2 Ring Necks, 1 Bufflehead, and 1 Ruddy Duck.  A lone White Fronted Goose was bagged at Wister on Sunday. 7 Coots were also taken on Sunday.  This worked out to an average take of 1.48 ducks per gun or, with the Goose and Coots worked in, 1.59 waterfowl per person. Out of 104 reservation cards issued 25 hunters arrived on time to claim their spots.

Wister is open for waterfowl hunting on Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays only. You can put in for reservations online through the DFW Automated License Data System (ALDS).  Your reservation request has to be to the ALDS system 17 days in advance to get in on the drawing or you can get in on the daily “sweatline” drawing for the remaining blinds after the reservations are taken care of.  Reservation spots are given out starting at 3 AM and the “sweatline” drawing is done the night before at 10:30 pm, with sign-up for the drawing between 7:30 and 10:30 pm. The ALDS can be accessed through the DFW website at the below link –

https://www.ca.wildlifelicense.com/InternetSales

Don’t forget that all licenses and 1 day, 2 day or season passes must be purchased at a DFW Office or a license agent before your arrival at the refuge.  These can be purchased online via the ALDS system also, however, you will have to wait for the DFG to mail you’re the actual licenses and passes which can take up to 15 days.  If you purchase your license and passes in person at a DFW office or license agent you immediately get them without the wait for the mail.  No licenses or passes will be sold at the check stations this season.  You can also show up for an afternoon refill hunt but the last refill is at 2 PM. For more information, contact the staff at Wister Staff at 760-359-0577.

As of this report, it appears that Wister will be releasing the bird counts for Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday on Sunday night or Monday. SoCalHunt will publish these reports ASAP after they are received. If there are any changes as the season progresses SoCalHunt will strive to publish any bird counts received ASAP after they are received.

Also, just a reminder.  Kern NWR has delayed their opener until Saturday, November 20, 2021, due to water issues so, obviously, there will be no report on Kern’s results until after that date.

Hunt Results for San Jacinto Wildlife Area, Saturday – 10/30/21

Saturday’s hunt results numbers for the San Jacinto Wildlife Area dropped quite a bit from Wednesday’s average under partly cloudy skies with temperatures just touching the 80s.  Green Wing Teal and Shovelers swapped places again with Shovelers coming in first for most birds checked in with the Green Wings found in the second position.  Tom Trakes, from San Jacinto Wildlife Area, reported that the results for Saturday, 10/30/21 were as follows:

172 adult and 14 junior hunters took 81 Northern Shovelers, 6 Mallards, 15 Gadwall, 28 Widgeon, 12 Pintail, 66 Green Wing Teal, 14 Cinnamon Teal, 1 Redhead, 12 Ring Necks, 3 Bufflehead, and 5 Ruddy Ducks.  In addition, a lone Aleutian Goose was harvested at San Jacinto on Saturday.  6 Coots were also downed on Saturday.  This came out to an average take of 1.31 ducks per hunter or, with the Goose and Coots worked into the total, a 1.34 waterfowl average for each person. Tom advised that out of 52 reservation cards issued 34 showed up on time to claim their spot.

San Jacinto is open for waterfowl hunting on Wednesdays and Saturdays only. You can put in for reservations on-line through the DFW Automated License Data System (ALDS).  Your reservation request has to be to the ALDS system 17 days in advance to get in on the drawing or you can get in on the daily “sweatline” drawing for the remaining blinds after the reservations are taken care of. Reservation spots are given out starting at 3 AM and the “sweatline” drawing is done after that. The ALDS can be accessed through the DFW web site at the below link –

https://www.ca.wildlifelicense.com/InternetSales

Don’t forget that all licenses and 1 day, 2 day or season passes must be purchased at a DFW Office or a license agent before your arrival at the refuge.  These can be purchased online via the ALDS system also, however, you will have to wait for the DFG to mail you the actual licenses and passes which can take up to 15 days.  If you purchase your license and passes in person at a DFW office or license agent, you immediately get them without the wait for the mail.  As in past seasons, no licenses or passes will be sold at the check stations this season.  You can also show up for an afternoon refill hunt, but the last refill is at 2 PM. For more information, contact the staff at San Jacinto at 951-928-0580.

Also, just a reminder.  Kern NWR has delayed their opener until Saturday, November 20, 2021, due to water issues so, obviously, there will be no report on Kern’s results until after that date.

Hunt Results for San Jacinto Wildlife Area, Wednesday – 10/27/21

 The hunt results for Wednesday at San Jacinto Wildlife Area dropped off somewhat from opening day’s great average under sunnuy skies and temperatures climbing into the 80s.  Green Wing Teal came in first for number of birds bagged swapping places with Shovelers which showed up in second position.  Tom Trakes, from San Jacinto Wildlife Area, reported that the results for Wednesday, 10/27/21 were as follows:

162 adult and 7 junior hunters harvested 76 Northern Shovelers, 8 Mallards, 22 Gadwall, 22 Widgeon, 13 Pintail, 168 Green Wing Teal, 31 Cinnamon Teal, 3 Redheads, 24 Ring Necks, 1 Bufflehead, and 4 Ruddy Ducks.  There were 2 Cackling Geese and 1 Snow Goose bagged at San Jacinto on Wednesday.  In addition, 10 Coots were taken on Wednesday.  This worked out to an average bag of 2.20 ducks per person or, with the Geese and Coots figured in, 2.28 waterfowl per hunter. Tom advised that out of 52 reservation cards issued 38 showed up on time to claim their spot.

San Jacinto is open for waterfowl hunting on Wednesdays and Saturdays only. You can put in for reservations on-line through the DFW Automated License Data System (ALDS).  Your reservation request has to be to the ALDS system 17 days in advance to get in on the drawing or you can get in on the daily “sweatline” drawing for the remaining blinds after the reservations are taken care of. Reservation spots are given out starting at 3 AM and the “sweatline” drawing is done after that. The ALDS can be accessed through the DFW web site at the below link –

https://www.ca.wildlifelicense.com/InternetSales

 Don’t forget that all licenses and 1 day, 2 day or season passes must be purchased at a DFW Office or a license agent before your arrival at the refuge.  These can be purchased online via the ALDS system also, however, you will have to wait for the DFG to mail you the actual licenses and passes which can take up to 15 days.  If you purchase your license and passes in person at a DFW office or license agent, you immediately get them without the wait for the mail.  As in past seasons, no licenses or passes will be sold at the check stations this season.  You can also show up for an afternoon refill hunt, but the last refill is at 2 PM. For more information, contact the staff at San Jacinto at 951-928-0580.

 Also, just a reminder.  Kern NWR has delayed their opener until Saturday, November 20, 2021, due to water issues so, obviously, there will be no report on Kern’s results until after that date.

Hunt Results for the Wister Unit of the Imperial Wildlife Area, Saturday – 10/23/21 and Sunday – 10/24/21

The 2021/22 season opener waterfowl take average for the Wister Unit of the Imperial Wildlife Area came in with a slightly better average for opening day than what last year’s opening day produced. Green Wing Teal Came in first place for Saturday for number of birds taken with Cinnamon Teal found in the second position.  The Wister Staff reported that the results for Saturday, 10/23/21 were as follows:

363 adult and 29 junior hunters checked in with 75 Northern Shovelers, 51 Mallards, 24 Gadwall, 32 Widgeon, 206 Pintail, 563 Green Wing Teal, 547 Cinnamon Teal, 5 Redheads, 3 Canvasbacks, 15 Ring Necks, 1 Goldeneye, 1 Blue Wing Teal, and 9 Ruddy Ducks.  There were no Geese taken on Saturday.  In addition, 25 Coots were brought in on Saturday. This resulted in an average harvest of 3.91 ducks per hunter or, with the Coots worked into the total, a 3.97 waterfowl average per person. Out of 104 reservation cards issued 75 showed up on time for their spot.

The waterfowl take for the Wister Unit of the Imperial Wildlife Area for Sunday, dropped off quite a bit from Saturday’s great season opener averages.  Green Wing Teal held on to the number one spot for most birds checked in with Cinnamon Teal retaining the second position.  The Wister Staff reported that the results for Sunday, 10/24/21 were as follows:

180 adult and 11 junior hunters bagged 23 Northern Shoveler, 3 Mallards, 5 Gadwall, 10 Widgeon, 45 Pintail, 105 Green Wing Teal, 56 Cinnamon Teal, 3 Redhead, 4 Canvasbacks, 6 Ring Necks,3 Blue Wing Teal, and 15 Ruddy Ducks.  There were no Geese checked in at Wister on Sunday.  There were also 4 coots brought in on Sunday.  This resulted in a per person average of 1.46 ducks and, with the Coots included, 1.48 waterfowl per hunter. Out of 104 reservation cards issued 45 hunting parties arrived on time to claim their spots.

Wister is open for waterfowl hunting on Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays only. You can put in for reservations online through the DFW Automated License Data System (ALDS).  Your reservation request has to be to the ALDS system 17 days in advance to get in on the drawing or you can get in on the daily “sweatline” drawing for the remaining blinds after the reservations are taken care of.  Reservation spots are given out starting at 3 AM and the “sweatline” drawing is done the night before at 10:30 pm, with sign-up for the drawing between 7:30 and 10:30 pm. The ALDS can be accessed through the DFW website at the below link –

https://www.ca.wildlifelicense.com/InternetSales

Don’t forget that all licenses and 1 day, 2 day or season passes must be purchased at a DFW Office or a license agent before your arrival at the refuge.  These can be purchased online via the ALDS system also, however, you will have to wait for the DFG to mail you’re the actual licenses and passes which can take up to 15 days.  If you purchase your license and passes in person at a DFW office or license agent you immediately get them without the wait for the mail.  No licenses or passes will be sold at the check stations this season.  You can also show up for an afternoon refill hunt but the last refill is at 2 PM. For more information, contact the staff at Wister Staff at 760-359-0577.

Also, just a reminder.  Kern NWR has delayed their opener until Saturday, November 20, 2021 due to water issues so there will be no report on Kern’s results until after that date.

Hunt Results for San Jacinto Wildlife Area, Saturday – 10/23/21

The hunt results on opening day for the 2021/22 waterfowl season at San Jacinto Wildlife Area were great with the average bag almost 2 ½ times what last year’s season starter produced. This total bird count of over 1000 waterfowl was produced by the opening day hunters under partly cloudy skies and temperatures only getting into the high 60s. Shovelers were the number one bird checked in for the opener with Green Wing Teal coming in second for number of birds bagged.  Tom Trakes, from San Jacinto Wildlife Area, reported that the results for Saturday, 10/23/21 were as follows:

215 adult and 21 junior hunters harvested 344 Northern Shovelers, 46 Mallards, 38 Gadwall, 62 Widgeon, 55 Pintail, 255 Green Wing Teal, 122 Cinnamon Teal, 15 Redheads, 54 Ring Necks, 2 Bufflehead, 1 Blue Wing Teal, and 21 Ruddy Ducks.  There were 2 Snow Geese, 1 Ross’ Goose, and 1 Aleutian Goose taken at San Jacinto on Saturday.  There were also 11 Coots checked in on Saturday.  This resulted in an average bag of 4.30 ducks per hunter or, with the Geese and Coots figured in, 4.36 waterfowl per gun. Tom advised that out of 52 reservation cards issued 38 showed up on time to claim their spot.

San Jacinto is open for waterfowl hunting on Wednesdays and Saturdays only. You can put in for reservations on-line through the DFW Automated License Data System (ALDS).  Your reservation request has to be to the ALDS system 17 days in advance to get in on the drawing or you can get in on the daily “sweatline” drawing for the remaining blinds after the reservations are taken care of. Reservation spots are given out starting at 3 AM and the “sweatline” drawing is done after that. The ALDS can be accessed through the DFW web site at the below link –

https://www.ca.wildlifelicense.com/InternetSales

Don’t forget that all licenses and 1 day, 2 day or season passes must be purchased at a DFW Office or a license agent before your arrival at the refuge.  These can be purchased online via the ALDS system also, however, you will have to wait for the DFG to mail you the actual licenses and passes which can take up to 15 days.  If you purchase your license and passes in person at a DFW office or license agent, you immediately get them without the wait for the mail.  As in past seasons, no licenses or passes will be sold at the check stations this season.  You can also show up for an afternoon refill hunt, but the last refill is at 2 PM. For more information, contact the staff at San Jacinto at 951-928-0580.

Also, just a reminder.  Kern NWR has delayed their opener until Saturday, November 20, 2021, due to water issues so, obviously, there will be no report on Kern’s results until after that date.

(Sorry for the blue text at the beginning. Have some problems with the editor.)

 

SoCalHunt has New San Jacinto Wildlife Area Blind Maps Available for the 2021/2022 Season

SoCalHunt now has the newest maps available for San Jacinto Wildlife Area for the 2021/2022 season!  SoCalHunt strives to keep everyone up to date with the latest info so these maps should help, especially if you’re headed out to SJ for the first time or haven’t been there often enough to know where everything is.  The new maps are the standard blind map with the SJWA rules attached, a new Mystic Lake blind map, and a map of the new “L” blind which was first opened last season.

The standard blind map and area rules haven’t changed that much from last year, but the rules page is updated to reflect this year’s rules. The Mystic Blinds map is totally different as Mystic Lake has shrunk substantially and there is only going to be four blinds on the shores of Mystic this season (This could change depending on how much more Mystic shrinks or if we get substantial rain and it expands – updates will be posted if it changes).  The last map is the new “L” Blind access map.  This blind was opened last season, so it is fairly new to SJ. 

To download a copy of any of these maps go to SoCalHunt’s web page’s maps and downloads page and click on the picture of the map to download a copy.  We also have maps of Kern and Wister on the maps and downloads page, and we will update those if/when we receive any new maps or info from those hunting areas. 

I talked to Tom at San Jacinto and he says they’re 100% ready for the season. All blinds have water and they have 56 hunting sites available. There are all kinds of ducks at SJ now and they’re even seeing snow geese, specks, and honkers on the wildlife area. Tom said his wife and daughter will be supplying pastries on opening morning and the coffee will be ready. Tom wanted to remind everyone that they HAVE TO follow state COVID restrictions so please wear a mask when you go into the office, vaccinated or not. I know this can be controversial but it may mean the difference between keeping SJ opened for the season or having it shut down. Just remember, the people in charge of the state outrank anyone working at San Jacinto so it could happen if we’re not careful.

Here’s the link to SoCalHunt’s maps and downloads page…

http://www.socalhunt.com/maps-and-downloads.html

Hope to see you out on SJWA some time this season.  We’re looking forward to a good one!