Mallard Movement in the Great Lakes: What Duck Hunters Need To Know
Attention duck hunters! Dive deep with Campus Waterfowl into the heart of the Great Lakes region and uncover the mysteries behind the declining Mallard population. Discover the latest research from Ben Luukkonen of Michigan State University that every hunter should know. From tracking movements with GPS transmitters to understanding duck dna and the role of urban habitats and hybridization, this video is packed with crucial information to help you understanding the behaviors and habitats of the Mallards you pursue.
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OK, has anyone spoken up about the 600 lb Gorilla in the room? There are tens of thousands of Mute Swans competing, very aggressively, for breeding space in the Midwest. I’m certain they are having a dramatic negative impact on breeding and nesting success of Mallards in this area. I’ve done flyovers throughout Southeast Michigan just to get a rough headcount of these exotic, invasive Swans, and the numbers are staggering. It’s a documented fact that Mute Swans negatively impact Mallard nesting success, but yet they are allowed to continue spreading across the entire Great Lakes region. I don’t get it!
I have personally witnessed them try and drown baby ducks and geese in front of my cottage. Counted close to 100 on our 410 acre lake.
Yup but these guys will do ridiculous shit like this instead of having the courage to admit what is actually going on.
@@Scotty777 Michigan was at least a few years ago still giving permits to shoot mute swans. I know of one lake in mid-michigan that the DNR actually came and shot a bunch of them. Also can destroy their nests. Unfortunately the general population of people don't know the difference of invasive mute swans and native trumpeters. People love swans. I would eat it though
we have the same problem here in ny there was even a law passed to allow hunting them to reduce there numbers which was vetoed by then gov Cuomo
Mute swans are the feral hog of the waterfowl world. The Michigan DNR need to remove all protections placed on them and make them a shoot on sight animal. Their removal from our state needs to happen.
Very well spoken young man. Give him an “A” in communications.
Great lakes with very high water levels the last 10 years destroying the shoreline marshes under feet of water should be studied. Hundreds of windmills along the lake shore should be studied. Thousands of swans that are shown to affect mallard population look like they are increasing at an incredible rate should be studied. The total collapse of the fur trade making a predator boom as trappers are no longer trapping like they did should be studied. Invasive elephant grass that spread destroying all the cattails and wild rice should be studied. The effect on last years bird flu that killed millions of birds should be studied. Thousands of houses popping up even in the marshy areas of the great lakes are destroying shoreline habitat should be studied. I think these research projects need to continue to be funded as long as possible because we are in a steep decline of ducks. Image if we banned windmills from a certain distance from water, opened a hunting season on swans, put a bounty on predators like raccoons to incentivize trappers, banned new building near a marshy areas, what would our state look like and how much better the outdoors would be. But these are the same people that won't open a hunting season on cormorants when they are clear as day destroying the fish population so I won't hold my breath.
No more trappers more predators more predators less ducks!!
I personally think decreasing the bag limit for hunters can be a good start to gauge weather it will help increase the population. I’m a hunter also but I think we need to conserve species that are on a decline.
Having an 8mallard limit in Canada is absurd. Can’t tell weather most are drakes or hens during Canada’s season to start with
You cannot stockpile ducks by just reducing bag limit. The population is driven by nesting success which is driven by habitat conditions. Hunting mortality is miniscule compared to natural mortality factors.
The birds are over pressured and hunted in my opinion. I’m a hunter myself and it’s crazy how pressed and hunted these birds get. More and more and more people hunt every year it gets more and more crowded on the water. So many birds get wounded and die in the weeds just driving on the lake I’ll see dead floating ducks. Idk what the solution is but I know for a fact these birds get over hunted specially here in Wisconsin it’s insane I kinda feel bad for the birds sometimes. To many fucking people
Disease has been hard on the duck population here around the northwestern suburbs of Chicago. As well as the predators, habitat loss, and pollution. We have about 1/10th the mallards in all the local ponds as we did 2 plus years ago. They are simply disappearing. Predators eat them dead and alive. I cover roughly 600 square miles of northern Chicago and have for over 20 years. Ducks are not doing well at all. Same with the migrating divers out on Lake Michigan. Fewer and fewer every year. Wish you guys all the success in finding the reasons these duck populations continue to diminish. Interesting to follow.
I'm happy to see this research being done. I sure hope it helps figure out things. I've been duck hunting in the Saginaw Bay area for over 30 years and it's been concerning to me for the past 10 years the lack of mallards I've been seeing during fall migration. In mid-November, you could take a drive between Quanicassee and Sebewaing and see dozens of flocks of at least a hundred mallards circling corn fields in the evenings on either side of the road. Now, you might be lucky to see a couple and they tend to stay north of M25 and within a mile or two of Fish Point. It was also normal to see thousands of birds head out of Fish Point to the south and east to get to fields too. Now, there doesn't seem to be many at all heading that way. I think the population decline started before all the power generating windmills went up, but I still think deep down they changed the migration path the birds are on. Where did a lot of birds used to go prior to the windmills? They would go out towards Owendale and Akron and around Quanicassee. What's been built in these areas in the last 5 - 10 years? 100's of windmills. Do I see birds in these areas anymore? Nope. Is there less farming in these areas? Absolutely not so it's not a lack of available food. Does a fall migration path change also change the spring migration path? I'd bet yes. In my opinion, the windmills have hurt duck numbers in these areas. But I also have to wonder if good water conditions in the prairie pothole region plays a factor. While I don't like to see duck numbers decline due to drought out west, it would have been intersting to see if there had a prolonged dry spell if more birds showed up back around here. Even though the Great Lakes have gone from all time low water levels to high water in the last 10 years, there's still going to be water and I believe the ducks would go to where it is at. Again, I hope they are able to figure this out. I want to see more ducks again.
i harvested a mallard with a tracker ben put on a bird last year, very cool stuff
How was it’s health? Just curious if you could notice any impact of wearing it.
I killed a 13 year old mallard in North Dakota that was apparently banded in Pennsylvania that was kinda shocking most of the bands I got were local , 1 banded in Canada and a few banded just a state over
This is exciting to watch! Keep up the great work!
The MSU row team practice off Old Lansing Road by the Michigan princess, there is tons of mallards over there
You're doing great work. Please keep it up, thank you.
Keep up the good work 💪
Great information Ben! Thanks for yours and other's work in (hopefully) solving our mallard problem, but at least in giving us understanding what the cause of the decline is, Barry
Increased population on of raccoon, skunk, opossum, hawks, and eagles. That's the reason for the decline. Can't make it to hunting season if they never hatch or grow.
Also habitat loss. Whenever a new housing development is built they just drain wetlands and build it on those
Very true nobody hunts or traps coons anymore, I raise ducks and constantly shooting coons
Great video, I got to go out to Harsens Island and band ducks with the DNR when I was a teenager and thought that was super cool. I am a avid duck hunter so I hope we find out why are mallard population is in declining. Keep up the sweet research!
Great video guys! Our DU chapter at SUNY ESF in Syracuse, NY was fortunate enough to have researchers from the college give a presentation on game farm mallards and what introducing those birds into the gene pool means for mallard populations, at least on the Atlantic flyway. It would be awesome to get you guys out here for a similar video!
Thank you! That's awesome to hear the chapter got that opportunity, we've been learning a lot by doing these types of videos! We'd love to collaborate on a video, we are wrapping up our research tour and transitioning to hunting content but if there is a student at SUNY ESF that is leading some waterfowl or wetland research we'd love to highlight their work!
Thanks for posting. I learned some things. I hope other people understand or view this.
Thanks for watching, glad you were able to learn a few things!
This is extremely important work that's being done. Thanks for all your hard work! I'm sure some interesting data will come of it.
Tons of interesting information is coming from this research, along with more questions! If you'd like to learn more and enjoy an occasional podcast, listen to the conversation we had with Ben, Scott (professor at MSU) and John (Ducks Unlimited) on The Campus Waterfowl Podcast.
@@CampusWaterfowl Thanks! I'll check it out!
good video and you guys are doing a good job with tagging the drake and hen mallards and their cousin to with other species of ducks and hope their populations will be good again and maybe the pot holes that the ducks have been sleeping in will have more water coming for the ducks to sleep in
Most interesting and informative video to pop up in my suggested feed in a long time! I wish there was a way to measure the effect of hunting pressure on bird movement and patterns and habitat shift. I think we’re vastly underestimating the impact of hunting pressure
We didn't bag any Mallards this opening weekend in the St. Clair Flats. Can't confirm that we even saw any(!) Possibly a few pairs. Lots of Ring Neck in the freezer, though. Can't complain. Keep up the good work. Edit: We had 30-50 Mallard ducklings hatch and grow this spring and summer just around our little island alone, adjacent Harsens Island (McDonald Island). This is a couple hundred yard radius.
I wish mn would have gotten in on the study our duck numbers here in Northern mn have been declining rapidly especially the mallards but wood ducks and even the ringnecks too I have noticed afew of my best ponds used to be full of duck foods and minnows now have been taken over by bullheads some places the water fluctuates so much no rice will grow but the biggest issue I hate to say it 60 + day duck seasons , 6 duck limits , early teal seasons , shooting hens and all our top notch gear has let us kill way too many ducks every year I recommend all duck lovers should watch The Return of The Wood Duck I'm guilty as hell used to push for that full limit we need to cut the limit , possession limit , get rid of all the early seasons and shorten the regular season and we need to put some real money back into wild habitat
Yes Sir
I have to wonder if bow fishing is having an impact on nesting ducks at least in the Great Lakes shoreline marshes. I have a place on the shore of Saginaw bay along a big marsh area and all spring ducks and geese are being pushed out of the marsh by bow fishing boats running deep back in the shallow marshes all night long. Can’t imagine that’s helping the nesting situation. Keep in mind the habitat itself is very good in this area and there are a ton of duck returning through the area in the spring, just not sticking around due to pressure.
With Canadian provinces continuing to gain traction as some of the largest wheat producers I think a lot of birds have shifted to the central flyway imo.
I love mallards ducks I have wild ducks
good job very interesting!
Thank you! We're glad you found it interesting. We will be transitioning to more hunting content but be sure to watch some of our previous research videos!
God bless and good luck
I love the comments, we as humans seem to want solve complex problems with one correction or application. I suspect the Mallard’s plight in the midwest mirrors other species declines-it’s “all of the above”
Yep
Great work , thx
Any predictions on when that final data set will be available and where to find that information when it is available?
Hey Hunter, Ben will be drawing up his final analysis on this research this upcoming spring. Public publication is unknown unfortunately.
The predators are to blame. Predator control is needed
Duck hunters are lazy at predator management. In the Midwest the raccoon population is crazy. It is a battle to keep raccoons out of my wood duck boxes even with intense localized predator management. Most mallard nests get raided . I don’t know how any wild nest makes it. In corn 🌽 country the raccoon population has exploded beyond what most people understand . If duck hunters cared for their quarry they should put a little effort into the unnatural levels of raccoons on the landscape. Protecting a nesting marsh habitat full of raccoons that eat 90%+ of the eggs isn’t going to grow a population let alone maintain existing levels .
Hard to justify trapping fur there is no market for and here in Northern mn there are very few raccoons and trapping season lasts about two weeks before ice up but we do have an exploding otter and mink population I even had wolves howling all around a pond loaded with birds I was scouting last fall come shooting light no ducks or geese came back for a couple days I've been pimped by other hunters and even fisherman all predators need a little thinning
I am an environmental studies junior at st. Bonaventure university and I love waterfowl and am fascinated by this. Just curious what is your job
That's awesome, you are certainly on the right path if this is the type of work you want do in the future. Listen/watch our podcast, we actually discussed careers: kzhead.info/sun/ma6do6Wafl9mlXA/bejne.htmlsi=pyAN4en9MZ9rQv0n (also on apple podcast and spotify)
Delta President and head biologist Dr. Frank says that backpack GPS “has a detrimental effect on the duck” he was asked the question does the backpack cause a higher rate of mortality to the duck? He responded, “hell yes. We know, that if we put a backpack on a hen mallard it will lay one set of eggs and then it quits.” What are your thoughts on these strong statements from such a big name in waterfowl research? I should add that I really like this video and appreciate your efforts. I do not disagree with your efforts, but I’d like to know the truth behind his statements and the reasoning for not using an internal GPS, which is less harmful to the duck and duck population.
He said implants were better/safer for the ducks? The hen, “lays one set of eggs and then it quits.” What quits and what does “IT” quit doing? Would you have a link that states what he is talking about?
Hey Cody, I reached out to Ben and here is his response, "Any time researchers affix a marker such as a band or transmitter to a wild animal, there is concern that the marker will affect behavior, survival, or other qualities researchers are attempting to observe or estimate. This is true whether devices are attached to the outside of an animal or surgically implanted in the abdominal cavity. Recent advances in transmitter technology have substantially reduced transmitter weight and improved transmitter designs. This study uses data from mallards that are only banded (no transmitter) to estimate survival, productivity, and population dynamics. However, fine scale habitat selection and detailed movement data can only be obtained from GPS transmitters. There are tradeoffs between different transmitter designs and attachment methods such as the amount of data received and longevity of the transmitter. This study elected to use backpack transmitters as they have the capability to recharge using sunlight and can provide data on individual ducks for multiple years, while implanted transmitters have shorter battery life, generally providing less data, and require anesthesia, surgery, and recovery time while the duck is held in captivity. For example, numerous individuals in this study have been monitored over multiple migrations and nesting seasons. Many GPS-tagged ducks attempted 2 or more nests in a single nesting season. Using abdominally implanted transmitters would also have reduced sample size due to the need for multiple veterinarians across the large region and multiple states where transmitters were deployed. Researchers may decide to use different transmitter designs based on their research questions, study species, and funding. Regardless of the type of transmitter used, researchers must consider how transmitters could bias data being collected. Studies are ongoing to examine and quantify potential transmitter effects on movements to ensure transmitter effects are minimized and data provided by transmitters are useful."
@@CampusWaterfowl That is excellent information. I really appreciate his honesty and detail as to why and how they choose certain transmitters. I didn’t even consider the battery life on the internal gps, I assumed the cost was higher but did not take into consideration anesthesia, vets etc. I honestly assumed it would be like a fish tag that could be implanted at the sight of trapping the bird. Thank you Campus Waterfowl for putting this information in front of us.
How much does one of these GPS tracking devices cost?
They cost roughly $1,100 each - takes a lot of collaboration and funds to put together a project like this!
@@CampusWaterfowl Is there anyway I can buy one of these. We have similar problems in central NC with raised ducks and the population declining so my son and I would like to try and trap a few mallards on my impoundments snd put one or two of these GPS tracking devices on a few ducks and see where they go. Would also like to get some of their wing feathers isotope tested to see where the wild duck are coming from. We live on a secondary fly way off the central fly way that starts in Ohio and comes through the mountains down the Yadkin river into the Pee Dee River on to Charleston SC.
Not sure if they are available for public purchase, but would encourage you not trying to put a transmitter on a bird. The practice is very detailed and should only be done by researches who have been taught best practices for the purpose of research at scale. Might be worth reaching out to your local Game Fish and Parks department or nearby university to see if they know of any research going on in your area.
If you are raising them yourself, and they aren’t wild mallards, just band them and put your phone number on them. I wouldn’t use released birds in general. They are hybridizing with wild birds. That is “possibly” on of the multiple issues with the wild mallard population. If I did…. I would definitely clip their wings or buy them with clipped wings. There could always be other issues caused just by even doing that. Who knows what diseases/parasites these farm raised ducks could be carrying into wild populations.
The only people I know that put transmitters on waterfowl buy/donate the transmitters for research. I believe you have to buy/donate 5(could be 10?). If you have the EXTRA money and care about the population, your donation could help figuring these issues out. Professors and or grad students will usually come out and do the work (trapping,banding and putting the transmitters on) and you can help. If you own land you could use the data to see what habitat enhancements your property is lacking. If they are leaving your property and spending the day on other properties, it could help you figure out what your own property needs rather it be a certain habitat type or pressure in general. Just know that your transmitter ducks could be killed the next day by hunters or natural deaths. I’m not sure if that transmitter is reusable if it is found.
Because the cormorant population is increasing
start a season
@@jake-rz2fkthere is September 15th till December 31st province wide.
@@dylanmacnay9700 do you have an actual source
I hate cormorants
Cormorants eat mainly fish fish eat invertebrates and other prime duck foods mallards eat very few minnows more cormorants might actually help the mallards
How is there environment up north cause I live in Indiana an hunting a duck is hard no where to go more an more apartments an homes going up every day. Fishing is junk. It’s hard if you were new to duck hunting to even get involved.
There are too many whistling ducks in Florida
what are you supposed to do when you shoot a duck that has a gps tracker
Great question! The transmitter will have a phone number to call to report the bird to the researcher. Typically, the researcher will offer a replica of the transmitter to the person who reports the bird for keepsake.
I wonder will that device stress the bird out
I was thinking the same thing. It sure ain’t helping her any
We can do this and say that but at the end of the day we (humans) are the problem. Sprawling Cities, Mass-House Building and and an ever growing population are disturbing not only the wetlands but the spawning/staging areas of Mallards in particular. Here in Canada mass-immigration is leading to mass-home building. It's a simple numbers game. Too many people, too few areas for ducks to thrive.
❤❤❤❤❤❤🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
Okay but why can we shoot 2 hens I don’t get that
Open your eyes outlaw roboducks and flooded corn .
You can do all the studying ya want nation wide need to get rid of all the mechanical devices and you'll get yor mallards back
Hey, less talking and more bands on legs plz😂 Just kidding good work.
can you band a duck and throw it in the air for me infront of my blind?
No.
That's called shooting not hunting.
😂. Funny 😆
I didn’t know science was so easy. All the comments just shout out unproven theories. Yup, predators, no evidence, just opinion.
Cross breeds with farm ducks have poor nesting instincts, that is a huge contributor to the population decline
No one gives af about ducks, there so abundant who cares
ponds in cities HAVE to be banned we already have too many places for these birds to hide