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BONUS: Migration Alert! Great Lakes Get Ready! · Ducks Unlimited Podcast

• 0:00
  VO: Can we do a mic check, please? Everybody, welcome back to the Ducks Unlimited podcast. I'm your host, doctor Mike Brasher. I'm your host, Katie Burke. I'm your host, doctor Jared Hemphith.
• 0:08
  And I'm your host, Matt Harrison. Welcome to the Ducks Unlimited podcast, the only podcast about all things waterfowl. From hunting insights to science based discussions about ducks, geese, and issues affecting waterfowl and wetlands conservation in North America. The DU podcast, sponsored by Purina Pro Plan, the official performance dog food of Ducks Unlimited. Purina Pro Plan, always advancing.
• 0:41
  Also proudly sponsored by Bird Dog Whiskey and Cocktails. Whether you're winding down with your best friend or celebrating with your favorite crew, Bird Dog brings award winning flavor to every moment. Enjoy responsibly.
• 1:06
  Matt Harrison: Hey, everyone, and welcome back to the Ducks Unlimited podcast. I'm your host, Matt Harrison. And today, we have with us very special guest, mister Jay Anglin. Jay Anglin is Ducks Unlimited's waterfowl three sixty Great Lakes migration editor. If you have been following the Ducks Unlimited podcast for any length of time, you've probably had a heard episode of Jay and maybe Chris Jennings talking about migration updates, but we have him on the podcast today.
• 1:34
  We're gonna talk all things Waterfowl. We're gonna talk about maybe a migration up update on where he's at, also what he's seen, what he's heard, and just talk a little bit about the upcoming waterfowl season. But, Jay, how's it going? Last time me and you were together, we were chasing some ducks for a media account. But how you
• 1:50
  Jay Anglin: been, bud? Been pretty good, man. You know, just super busy chasing college volleyball games and fall ball and baseball for the kids and and guiding fishermen and, of course, riding in between and, of course, holding the fort down outside, tending to my flowers and lawn and stuff too just like everybody else.
• 2:09
  Matt Harrison: So now you have sounds like a really full schedule chasing volleyball games, fishing, writing, the whole nine. How do you how do you balance all that?
• 2:18
  Jay Anglin: Well, you know, Angie and I share the burden, of course, but as a self employed guy, you know, contract writer, and I have my own guide service that might coming up on my thirtieth year doing that. Wow. You know, it gives me the it gives me a lot of flexibility. And I know, you know, I could I work more? Absolutely.
• 2:36
  But, you know, these kinds of situations where you have family, and especially my kids involved with something like that, it's just the best excuse in the world to say, I can't guide you tomorrow because I have to go watch a baseball game my kid's pitching in.
• 2:52
  Matt Harrison: That's awesome.
• 2:53
  Jay Anglin: Yeah. Yeah, We we do pretty well. My wife's a teacher, so she doesn't have near the flexibility, but we manage. We do alright.
• 3:00
  Matt Harrison: No doubt. And now tell us a little bit about your guidance service that
• 3:04
  Jay Anglin: you have. So I've been guiding since, you know, the mid to late nineties. Fly fishing guide, conventional tackle guide, fishing guide, primarily on rivers in Northern Indiana and Southern Michigan. I, you know, I've guided all over the Great Lakes States. It was a hired gun in some cases for, you know, musky fishing in Wisconsin, and, of course, guided all over Michigan.
• 3:26
  Went to school up in the Upper Peninsula, Northern Michigan University, where I got my bio degree, so I've got, you know, a lot of background up there as well. And I did quite a bit of hunting guiding over the years. A little bit of everything, man. I got paid once to take a kid I'd take a guy and his kid turtle hunting. I've taken guys I've taken guys rabbit hunting.
• 3:43
  You you were with me. You saw it. I know my way around the territory pretty well. No. But, yeah, waterfowl wise, it's one of those things I do a trip here and there, but for the most part, I try to keep that part of my outdoor experience to myself and my family and friends.
• 4:00
  It's sort of sacred. So I don't do a ton of waterfowl guiding, and, you know, I do turkeys and and occasionally some upland birds. So, yeah, it's it's I'm an all arounder, you know?
• 4:10
  Matt Harrison: Well, let's talk a little bit about some waterfowl. You know, the season is, in some areas has opened. You know, we haven't opened down here in the South yet, so we got a little bit of little bit of time. But, I mean, it's here. You know?
• 4:21
  We're finally starting to get some cool mornings, and I have been itching to get out. I haven't been able to chase any teal or anything like that in surrounding states, but I'm I'm excited. I mean, like I said, we're we're we're here. I mean, season is right upon us, and some up north have already opened, and it's it's exciting to see. You're starting to see some pictures on social media and people having good hunts and such.
• 4:45
  But you told us that you're around the Great Lakes. What's kinda the vibe going into this season? What are, you know, kinda some of the updates, and what what have you seen so far as far as the upcoming waterfowl season?
• 4:58
  Jay Anglin: Well, you know, I did a piece here a week and a half or two ago for DU, kind of a preview, season preview, and gleaned quite a bit of information from that, although it may have changed just a little. I think we're kind of in the same boat in that regard intel wise. But Minnesota opened along with the northern zones, the UP Of Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota opened. Central Michigan opened. Some of these middle zones are opening, and then the south zones will open in either this coming weekend or the following.
• 5:30
  And the general consensus around the Great Lakes is it's really been an ongoing issue, but this year, it's I guess, if I had to pick one word, it'd be variable, and and what I'm referring to is is the drought situation. And Yeah. It's spotty. And so, you know, if you go through Minnesota and look at their waterfowl reports this week, you know, there's some areas that are kinda dry, and there's some areas that are really, really wet and even have some sheet water on crop stubble. Wow.
• 6:00
  Yeah. Michigan, you know, Southern Michigan, right across the state line from me, 10 miles away, it's kinda spotty, but overall dry. I mean, the rivers I fish are just absolutely as skinny as can be. Crystal clear, low, which of course presents a challenge to anglers and guides trying to get a water, a drift boat down a river. But I think the biggest thing is, you know, we did get some rain this week, and in some places, pushing an inch in Southern Michigan, Indiana, Northern Illinois.
• 6:31
  A few plot spots in Ohio got some rain. But overall, the Great Lakes water levels are similar to last year, maybe just a skosh lower. And I think one thing people don't realize is that, you know, despite the drought, the Great Lakes, you know, when you drop a significant amount and you maintain temperatures like we are right now, the water temp's really warm, and that's that also creates sort of a microenvironment adjacent to the Great Lakes. So we have we have a fair amount of water in the Great Lakes, but it's still a little on the low side. But that's important because a lot of the wetlands associated with the Great Lakes, the huge areas like Green Bay, Saginaw Bay, Lake St.
• 7:09
  Clair, West Coast Of Lake Erie, etcetera, those areas are they're wetlands. They're marshy areas that are shallow anyway. So if you get super shallow, it's good for the birds, frankly, but not so good for hunters trying to gain access to those areas. And that's gonna require either hiking in or real specialized equipment, you know, mudboats or or canoes or what have you. So that's something to consider too.
• 7:36
  Matt Harrison: Yeah. No doubt. We did a migration update about a week or so ago in Louisiana, and we talked about that. You know, the places some places are dry, some places are are wetter than others, but they were they were saying what they've seen so far, you know, is if you had some water, more than likely, you had some birds in your area.
• 7:54
  Jay Anglin: Yeah. So up here, local hatch, fair to Midland, I think, overall, at least where I am here, and I do get around, too, all over Indiana. Central Indiana's really, really dry, but a lot of the areas that had a little bit of water in the spring and potentially produced some local broods, they're dry. So there's a couple things. There's moist soil vegetation in some cases that's popped up in those basins, small wetlands.
• 8:25
  And so when we do get some rain, if we do recover, and I assume we will here in the next month, those areas are gonna have a lot of duck food. So that's something I think a lot of guys forget when they don't have water, or they see their marsh that they love to hunt, you know, is dried up. You know, it's good for that marsh, it's certainly good for waterfowl if you get water, and it sort of also knocks down some of the other stuff, the invasives and stuff like that. So it's a good thing. But bird wise, the wood ducks are plentiful on the river.
• 8:53
  I'm seeing tons of woodies because if the wetlands are dried up, they'll tuck in along the rivers and the bottoms and stuff, and I'm seeing a ton of woodies right now. I mean, a bunch. And that's a good thing. TOIs, just like everybody else, they scooted through early. I'm hearing reports out of Minnesota, the Dakotas, and Northern Wisconsin that a significant number of the Blue Wings that didn't come down before You know?
• 9:19
  So there's always that second wave, and that has kicked in in earnest over the last four or five days. So I would expect you know, obviously, the early teal seasons are gone are done, but, you know, you've got guys that are gonna have openers. I would guess you're gonna have a combination of malar local mallards primarily, a lot of wood ducks, maybe some teal. And then there's also been some nice early migration of pintails, widgeon, redheads, and ringnecks. I'm hearing those species for the last two weeks, really, out of the big wetland complexes like Saginaw Bay, Green Bay, etcetera.
• 9:57
  And that's, you know, that's a good sign too. That means they're not hanging up. You know, like, everybody talks about when we have warm we're up in the prairies in Canada, everything hangs up. But there's birds pushing already for sure. Absolutely.
• 10:09
  100%.
• 10:17
  VO: Stay tuned to the Ducks Unlimited podcast, sponsored by Purina Pro Plan and Bird Dog Whiskey. After these messages.
• 10:34
  Matt Harrison: And is your area you know, I got to spend a little bit of time up there. I guess that was two years ago now, and it was awesome. But is is your area typically an area that that houses a lot of wood ducks throughout the season?
• 10:45
  Jay Anglin: Yeah. You know, Matt, this area has a a lot of small wetlands. And and generally speaking, they're associated with topography that made it impossible to farm those areas. So the ones that were out in the flats out here, you know, they were drained long ago, a 100 plus years ago. So in those areas, in Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, you know, Illinois, there's all these little pockets.
• 11:10
  And, you know, you could be driving down the expressway, look out the window, see little woodlot. And I think people forget, know, there's a reason those trees are still there. Yeah. And it's not because, you know, great great grandma would fell in love with some hickory trees typically. It's because it was too difficult to plow it, and it wasn't feasible for someone to put the work in.
• 11:31
  So a lot of times in the core of those wooded areas, which are extremely plentiful in this part of the country, you're gonna have a little wooded wetland. And those are just obviously magic for wood ducks. So I guess the long and short of it is, yes, we do usually have quite a few wood ducks. The other thing is, I am, I'm at the bottom of Lake Michigan here, and this is a big funnel. So all the woodies that migrated north or pushed down further south or whatever, they're streaming through here in numbers right now.
• 12:03
  I'm seeing a ton. And it's a huge mass crop this year of oaks, acorns. So that yeah. That yeah. They're gonna show up down by you guys real plump.
• 12:14
  I can tell you that much.
• 12:15
  Matt Harrison: Yeah. No doubt. Especially if, you know, where we hunt, if it's a good acorn drop, that you will have the wood ducks plentiful, which we typically have. You know, we we have a lot of a lot of rivers, a lot of creeks, a lot of sloughs, swamps down here, you know, in the South, and those wood ducks, like you said, that cover that they can get in and, you know, hide, they they eat it up. So we we typically have a a great, great number.
• 12:43
  You know, I haven't seen just I haven't gotten to get out a whole lot and do any boat riding or or walking creeks or rivers anytime as of late, but I imagine we're starting to get some. And, you know, we have some that hang out all year round as well. Those locals that just don't like to don't like to go anywhere, they haven't made, but it's typically the same, you know, same thing around here. But as far as weather goes, how has y'all's weather been so far up until this point?
• 13:12
  Jay Anglin: Well, it's just been real interesting. Overall, we're way above as of last night, we finally got this north wind, cool front, and we've had a couple minor ones. It feels a little more like fall, although it still feels Indian summer like too. Really hot. I've been on the river on days where bright sunny, high sun, and it's 88 degrees in the last few weeks, and that's just unusual for this latitude.
• 13:41
  And that goes all the way up to the north and well into the eighties. So when I hear reports that Minnesota, for example, opening day was success rates were below average according to the DNR overall. I mean, there were some highs. Anywhere you go, there's gonna be guys that look out and get into them real good, but For sure. Or they just did their due diligence and scouted well.
• 14:04
  But at the end of the day, I think, you know, all these kinda sketchy reports I'm hearing has a lot more to do with the fact that if it's 85 sunny and there's no wind and you're a duck and you're well fed, you really don't have a whole lot of reasons to go buzzing around the county. No. So I I think that has a lot more to do with it. I do think it's one of those years where we're going and this is just my opinion. It's based a little bit on climatological predictions I've read, but I have a feeling we're gonna switch gears pretty quick at some point in next month.
• 14:41
  And sometimes when that happens, it's almost too much for us, because down here, we're waiting and waiting and waiting, and all of a sudden, pow, they come, but they go right past.
• 14:50
  Matt Harrison: Yeah. So yeah. Yeah. No. Totally understand.
• 14:55
  You know, it's one of those deals, like you said, especially where you guys are, where one day they're here, one day they're gone, and just nature of the beast. But so as far as, you know, just overall view, are your expectations high, about average, low for this upcoming waterfowl season for the Great Lakes? What would you say as far and I know this is opinion based. You know, I know that we don't have to dive off into all the reasons. But would you say this is a season that you're really looking forward to or one that you're just hoping that you come out par, or or is this the season your your hopes aren't too high as far as just the Great Lakes region?
• 15:36
  Jay Anglin: Well, I would call it par this year. And, I mean, I expect it to be relatively average if you consider the last, you know, five years or so. You know, on the upside, we do have open water. We have lakes and big rivers and some managed marsh areas all over this geographic region. Anybody that has the ability to get into some moist soil or crops that are crop stubble, what have you, food plots, that can pump water and hold some water, I think you're just gonna be absolutely covered with birds in the in the prime time during migration.
• 16:15
  And then in areas where you have a lack of marsh, wetland, flooded areas, whatnot, you're gonna have to hunt big water. And, of course, you know, fishermen fish well into November and December, really year round up here if they have open water, and that does have an impact on birds, you know, that that tend to stage up on large recreational lakes and then go out and feed in some of the crop area, you know, the crop stubble. But I would say it's probably gonna be about average, I'm guessing. I wish I could say it's gonna oh, man, it's gonna be a barn burner. But anymore, you know, man, I've been doing this for forty three years or whatever it is, and the second you start saying, oh, man, I've got the waterfowl world in the palm of my hand, It's not gonna work out.
• 17:04
  So I keep it I I keep I keep my my expectations measured, I guess, would be a good way to to look at it.
• 17:11
  Matt Harrison: Yeah. No doubt. I I feel like it's the same, you know, where we're at. It's one of those years that you you're you're going into it and you always, as a waterfowl hunter, you always have high expectations. You know, you wanna have a good year, but we hadn't really got to that point to see a good push of birds or anything like that, you know, as far south as we are down here.
• 17:31
  It'll be a little bit later for us to really start seeing seeing some migration and seeing some birds start showing up. But hopefully, before too much longer, we'll we'll get to that point. I mean, it's right around the corner for us again. But, Jay, I can't thank you enough just for taking some time to to hop on the DE podcast and just talk about the the Great Lakes region, and thank you so much for all that you do for Ducks Unlimited and also just the conservation world as a whole. You've you've done a lot of good things for us.
• 18:00
  Like you said, for over forty years, you've been a part of this this mission. So we thank you so much for it. But thank you thank you so much again for taking some time out of your super busy schedule and and talking to our listeners.
• 18:13
  Jay Anglin: Oh, anytime. I love being on here, and, I hope everybody has a great season and, you know, stay stay safe out there, enjoy it, and by all means, contribute to, you know, wetland conservation. And, you know, every year that goes by, it's that much more important for us to to fight that. That that's the good fight we're fighting. You know?
• 18:33
  Matt Harrison: No doubt. No doubt. Well, thank you all so much to our Ducks Limited podcast listeners. We also wanna thank our podcast producer, Chris Isaac. Y'all take care and God bless.
• 18:46
  VO: Thank you for listening to the DU podcast, sponsored by Purina Pro Plan, the official performance dog food of Ducks Unlimited. Purina Pro Plan, always advancing. Also proudly sponsored by Bird Dog Whiskey and Cocktails. Whether you're winding down with your best friend or celebrating with your favorite crew, Bird Dog brings award winning flavor to every moment. Enjoy responsibly.
• 19:08
  Be sure to rate, review, and subscribe to the show and visit ducks.org/dupodcast. Opinions expressed by guests do not necessarily reflect those of Ducks Unlimited. Until next time, stay tuned to the Ducks.