The waterfowl average take at the Kern National Wildlife Refuge for Wednesday slid back a bit as compared to Saturday’s great average. Shovelers, once again, were in first place for number of birds bagged with Green Wing Teal, also again, in the second spot. The Kern NWR Staff reported that the results for Wednesday, 1/25/23 were as follows:
59 adult and no junior hunters harvested 119 Northern Shovelers, 2 Mallards, 39 Gadwall, 5 Widgeon, 9 Pintail, 66 Green Wing Teal, 10 Cinnamon Teal, 1 Redhead, 6 Bufflehead and 1 Goldeneye. No Geese or Coots were taken at Kern on Wednesday. This came out to an average bag of 3.78 Ducks per person and, of course, with no Geese or Coots to include in the count, 3.78 waterfowl per hunter. Out of 9 reservation cards issued 6 arrived in time to claim their spot.
Kern National Wildlife Refuge is open for waterfowl hunting on Wednesdays and Saturdays only. At this point in the season, it is too late to put in for reservations online through the DFW Automated License Data System (ALDS). You can still get in on the daily “sweat line” drawing for the remaining blinds after the reservations are taken care of. Vacancies occurring from no-show reservation holders and from hunters leaving the area shall be filled according to the order established in the standby drawing which occurs 2 hours before shoot time, the day of the hunt, and is performed at the Refuge Hunter Check Station. Additional information may be obtained by calling Kern’s office at (661) 725-2767.
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.
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