Duck numbers in northern breeding grounds are way up from last year at an estimated 34 million, including about 6.6 million of the mallard ducks coveted by hunters.
But that means nothing for Wyoming duck hunters unless and until winter storms start driving all those birds south, seasoned Torrington-area waterfowl guide Jason Randolph told Cowboy State Daily.
“Do I like to see duck numbers up? Hell yeah! Do I jump and down and think it’s going to be great season because of that? No, it’s a long time before we know that,” said Randolph, owner of WyoBraska Waterfowl outfitters.
Waterfowl hunting seasons are set to open later this month across much of Wyoming, and some will run through January, or even early February.
Going by the long-term forecast from Cowboy State Daily meteorologist Don Day, the earlier parts of duck and goose seasons might be slow.
But later-season hunting could be lively.
Day said that the fall, September through November, should be mild. But when winter hits, it will come with a vengeance, with colder-than-average temperatures and above-average snowfall.
Ducks Bounce Back
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) recently reported that the numbers of breeding ducks is up for the first time since 2015. That’s according to surveys from prime waterfowl breeding grounds, mostly in Canada.
The overall number of breeding ducks was estimated at 34 million, up 5% from 2023, according to FWS.
Mallards are doing exceptionally well and expected to hit 6.6 million, up 8% from last year.
Mallards are the species most favored by Western hunters. They are large ducks, and probably best known for the distinctive green heads on the drakes, or males. Thus, they’re commonly called “green heads” by hunters crouching in blinds around Wyoming and the region.
This year’s gains in duck numbers could mean a reversal of a long-term trend toward decline, according to FWS. The boost in ducks still leaves them lagging about 4% behind the long-term average since 1955.
Geese Looking Good Too
In addition to Canada geese migrating from the north, Wyoming has a resident population of honkers in the Wind River and Bighorn River basins, as well as western Carbon and Natrona counties, according to the Wyoming Game and Fish Department.
Game and Fish forecasts great goose hunting, especially once winter storms hit.
“Goose numbers in recent years have been consistently high,” the agency reports. “Canada goose numbers during hunting season are usually driven by winter conditions and there should be plenty of geese present should the weather cooperate.”
Waterfowl numbers in Canada breeding grounds are the highest they’ve been in nearly a decade – but only nasty winter weather will drive those ducks and geese south, where Wyoming hunters will have a crack at them. (Courtesy WyoBraska Waterfowl Outfitters) 
Waterfowl numbers in Canada breeding grounds are the highest they’ve been in nearly a decade – but only nasty winter weather will drive those ducks and geese south, where Wyoming hunters will have a crack at them. (Courtesy WyoBraska Waterfowl Outfitters)
Already Booked
Wyoming is a crown jewel among the Western states for big game hunting. Residents and out-of-staters alike have already been heading out in droves to the fields, forests and mountains for archery elk, deer and antelope seasons.
But when it comes to waterfowl hunting, the Cowboy State tends to lag.
Even so, the Torrington area has a great reputation among duck and goose hunters, said Randolph, who has guided waterfowl hunts there for 30 years.
“We’re on the western edge of the Central Flyway, and the North Platte River is a migratory hot spot,” he said.
Flyways are the major migration routes that birds take as they head south for the winter.
He added that he’s cautiously optimistic about the news of greater duck numbers, but again, everything hinges on the weather.
“I’m not saying that the numbers don’t matter,” he said. “They certainly do, but they don’t make any difference if we don’t get weather.”
This year, he plans to start taking out duck hunters Nov. 2 and continue running hunts until the end of the last goose seasons in mid-February.
Going by experience, Randolph said there’s no reason to think he won’t have plenty of satisfied and repeat customers.
“I’m already sold out. I have been for a while. I sell out every year,” he said. “I run more than 500 hunters every year.”
That entails he and his guides taking out 20 hunters per day, four hunters in each of the company’s five blinds.
Regardless of the weather during any given year, “word-of-mouth and a great reputation” has been his key to success, he said.
“We’ve got a comfortable setting with nice, heated blinds, great decoy spreads and great guides,” Randolph said.
Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.
