There were an estimated 74,000 shovelers in southwest Louisiana when Louisiana waterfowl program manager Jason Olszak and his staff conducted an aerial waterfowl survey Dec. 4-5. Overall, the total number of ducks in this region was the lowest on record.

A report detailing a 46-percent increase in duck numbers from early November to the first week of December tells only part of the story about the population in Louisiana.

Jason Olszak estimated there were 853,000 ducks, mostly grays (gadwalls) followed by green-winged teal, in the state the aerial waterfowl population survey was conducted Dec. 4-6. Louisiana’s waterfowl program manager, a veteran biologist with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, pointed out while the latest count was a significant jump from last month’s record low estimate of 584,000 it is a 60-percent decrease from December 2022’s estimate of 2.12 ducks.

December’s estimate is 54- and 64-percent under the most recent 5- and 10-year averages of 2.1 million and 2.4 million ducks, respectively, Olszak wrote in a prepared statement Dec. 10.

The recent survey was flown the week before duck hunting resumed Dec. 11 in the West Zone. Local duck hunters may have noticed a difference in the number of certain ducks seen last week while trying to fill their limit.

More ring-necks, green-winged teal, canvasbacks, mallards, mottled duck, grays, shovelers and scaup were in the state when the second split began in the West Zone, according to Olszakais. The biggest increase from November to December among those species was 330-percent for ring-necks, which totaled an estimated 159,000.

Following ring-necks, other jumps were made by green-winged teal, 196-percent to 151,000; canvasbacks, 133-percent to 7,000; mallards, 83-percent to 11,000; mottled ducks, 42-percent to 27,000; grays, 34-percent to 184,000; shovelers, 17-percent to 95,000, and scaup, astronomically from 0 to 41,000.

On the minus side, there were 43-percent fewer wigeons (4,000); 34-percent less blue-winged teal (102,000) and 19-percent fewer pintails (72,000) this month than in November.

The amount of ducks that have migrated as far south as possible in the Mississippi Flyway to date in 2023-24 is nowhere near the long-term average (1969-2023) of 2.9 million for December, Olszak reported. In fact, he noted, the last time a total above the long-term December average was exceeded was in 2017 when an estimated 3 million ducks were counted.

Southwest Louisiana’s duck count includes estimates of 402,000 dabbling ducks and 56,000 diving ducks for a total of 458,000, up 25-percent since November, according to the report. However, the total is the lowest December estimate on record for southwest Louisiana, eclipsing the previous low of 789,000 in 2001, a year when conditions were described as abnormally dry in November and December.

Also, the region’s estimate is 67-percent lower than December 2022 (1.4 million), as well as 54- and 63-percent below the most recent 5- and 10-year averages, respectively.

Don’t put those shotguns, duck calls and hip boots away, though. Suitable wetland habitat improved by leaps and bounds when 4 to 8 inches of rain fell in the region.

“Landscape-scale water increased in depth and area. Both marsh and agricultural fields that were completely dry had become muddy, or at least had sheetwater, and those with low water had levels approaching, but still below, average depths. Many more agricultural fields were holding water as pumping, in addition to the rains, has been widespread,” Olszak wrote in his report, adding water levels also improved on federal and state wildlife refuges, where “significant” concentrations of ducks were observed.

“No significant coverage of floating nuisance aquatic vegetation in southwest marsh pools was observed, a clear positive aspect of the drought conditions experienced in the region this past year. However, submerged aquatic vegetation was also less prevalent. This “reset” of marsh vegetation of marsh vegetation, if normal water levels return in the coming year, has the potential to increase marsh quality in a large geography in 2024.”

The biggest concentration of ducks were seen in the far southwest, mostly on federal and state refuge properties, as well as the marshes surrounding Grand Lake and White Lake, and agricultural fields around Gueydan, Hayes and Kaplan, Olszak noted after the flights along 17 10-mile transect lines east to west from Marsh Island to near the Louisiana-Texas state line.

Interestingly, large flocks of black-bellied whistling ducks showed up strong in the same areas as past surveys, according to Olszak. While the species isn’t included in the survey, the black-bellies estimate was 132,000 in southwest Louisiana.

Also, 11,000 light geese and 1,000 white-fronted geese were seen from and between transects in the southwest, the waterfowl biologist said, although many more were in the region based on recent observations and staff reports on the ground.