FINALLY

I don't know exactly how many posts have been made on DU's Migration Report Map, but it was on the money this weekend. I've been hunting almost every other day for the past two weeks, and the numbers have been disappointing. It seems everywhere I go people have been saying the same, at least here in the southern part of the state. I traveled to Cleveland about a week before the new year, and there were birds, just not as spectacular as previous weeks. I was also in Columbus this past week, and saw a relatively good number of birds, but yesterday was unlike anything I've ever  experienced.

I've been hunting the southern portion of Ohio, primarily Gallia, Lawrence, Jackson, and Meigs counties, since 2005. Three years ago numbers were extremely high, but this year has proven to be setting the bar.

Current weather conditions: sunny, mid 30's, low wind, thousands of birds. My hunt started with setup around 3pm in a cornfield right off the bank of the Ohio. The snow that had been sitting on that field for the past week and a half and had finally melted, and the harvested corn was visible. It seems the birds had finally found a place to feed.

If you're in Ohio and not hunting this week, get out there! The temperature is going to reach 60's by the end of the week for much of the state, and these migrants are hungry. The place to be right now is near a food source. The entire upper half of the state is covered in snow. Find a field or some water that isn't frozen... because the birds are here and reports are showing more to the north and on the way.

This has been a good week for me. My first limit of ducks for this season, including a hybrid and a black duck. Also, harvested a banded mallard earlier in the week. Email or tweet me with what you're seeing!

@OhioWaterfowl