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Positive thinking: ducks don’t read reports before migrating

USFWS’ breeding population of ducks declined 7% this spring, while pond counts dropped by 9% compared to last year. (Stock photo)

Duck hunters up and down the state looking for positive news heading into the new season should not pay much attention to the latest report by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
As the late Illinois waterfowl biologist Frank Bellrose used to say from his Havana office, “Ducks don’t read before deciding to migrate.” That analysis was repeated by another Frank – Delta Waterfowl Chief Scientist Frank Rohwer – in wake of the 2023 USFWS Waterfowl Status Report.

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