Arkansas Duck Survey Shows Record Numbers, Average Pond Count
Arkansas -(Ammoland.com)- Duck numbers in North America were at a record high, but that good news was tempered a bit by a lower pond count in key areas of the breeding grounds in early spring, according to the 2015 Waterfowl Breeding Population and Habitat Survey.
The annual survey, conducted jointly by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Canadian Wildlife Service since 1955, estimated the breeding duck population at a 49.52 million, a little higher than last year’s population of 49.15 million and 43 percent above the long-term average.
Mallards, the favorite duck species for many Arkansas hunters are at an all-time high.
Mallards increased 7 percent to 11.64 million, 51 percent above the long-term average. Green-winged teal populations grew by 19 percent to 4.08 million, 98 percent above the long-term average.
Arkansas Game and Fish Commission Waterfowl Program Coordinator Luke Naylor says many factors contribute to realized hunting success in Arkansas. “As you might expect, over the long run, mallard breeding population estimates and mallard harvest track each other fairly closely here in the most important state for wintering mallards,” Naylor …read moreSource:: AmmoLand
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