U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Pilot Biologist Fred Roetker's
Cessna float plane used during the May pond count – photo
courtesy USFWS Anything that dictates waterfowl hunting season
lengths, dates and bag limits always catches hunters' attention.
Which is why the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's annual
Waterfowl Breeding Population and Habitat Survey report never
goes unnoticed as hunters enter the off-season's final stretch.
In preparation for the report's release, typically the first
week of July, it might be helpful to understand who exactly
comes up with these counts, how they do it, and perhaps even
more importantly, how the results ultimately impact hunters.
From mid- to late May, the USFWS teams up with the Canadian
Wildlife Service and state, provincial and tribal agencies to
conduct the survey, which is designed to estimate the breeding
waterfowl population's size and to evaluate habitat conditions.
Each year, pilot biologists and observers fly fixed-wing
airplanes at low altitude (150 feet) on esta