Canada Waterfowl Hunting Updates & Where to Hunt Next Fall

Canada is one of the world's premier waterfowl hunting destinations. With its rolling hills, agriculture, prairie potholes and wetlands, Canada boasts an immense landscape for migrating waterfowl and those who pursue them. In the last two years however, gaining entry into the country while adhering to strict COVID-19 regulations has undoubtedly pushed many hunters away from chasing birds across the prairies of Canada. Luckily, waterfowl hunters can now move past these restrictions. As of October 1st, 2022 the government of Canada announced the removal of all COVID-19 entry restrictions including:

Submitting public health info through ArriveCAN
Providing proof of vaccination
Undergoing pre- or on-arrival testing
COVID-19 related quarantines or isolation
Reporting symptoms of COVID-19 upon arrival

Via: canada.ca

However, this is not the only news that waterfowlers hoping to hunt Canada this year are talking about. Back on September 2nd, 2022 USDA-APHIS ( U.S. Dept. of Agriculture-Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service) announced a travel ban on hunter harvested game birds from Canada back into the U.S. This announcement shocked waterfowl hunters across Canada and the U.S. and immediately sparked a controversy over the ruling. The decision came as a response to the recent outbreaks of avian influenza that plagued migratory birds this past spring.

Videos and pictures of dead and dying birds along ponds and fields popped up across social media, concerning both waterfowl hunters and wildlife managers. This ruling, however, was mainly an effort to try and limit the spread of this disease to domestic poultry, many wild bird species naturally carry this pathogen to some degree but the introduction of this disease to domestic poultry can have rapidly detrimental effects due to the captive nature of farmed poultry. This blanket mandate, however, did not last long and effective as of September 12th, hunter harvested game birds are now allowed to cross the border once again under the following regulations as provided by USDA-APHIS.

Viscera, head, neck, feet, skin, and one wing have been removed; and
Feathers have been removed, with the exception of one wing – as required by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) for species identification; and
Carcasses must be rinsed in fresh, clean, potable water prior to packaging and must not have visible evidence of contamination with dirt, blood, or feces; and
Carcasses must be imported in leak-proof plastic packaging and stored in a leak proof cooler or container during transport and import; and
Carcasses must be chilled or frozen during transport and import.

With all these changes in place, waterfowl hunters can finally experience some sort of normalcy when heading off to chase the early migrations of Canada. However there is still one vital piece to this puzzle that still remains. Where should you go hunting? Well if you’re not the freelancing type, using Mallard Bay to find and browse hunts is the easiest way to book your next Canadian waterfowl adventure Here’s a look at some of Mallard Bays Canadian outfitters.

Peace River Outfitters

Leduc, Alberta

Chasing the full gambit of waterfowl species in the parklands of Canada, Peace River Outfitters truly know how to put on a show. With daily limits for groups ending in the double and even triple digits, hunting the staging grounds of the Peace River region with this expert crew never disappoints.

No Fly Zone Waterfowl

Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Image credit: Joel Bo Jones

Whether you're looking to beat up on field mallards, Canada geese or big spins of snows, the crew at NFZ always seems to know how to get on birds and stay on them. Nestled in the heart of the Saskatchewan flyway these hunts show off just how incredible Canada's waterfowl migration truly is.

Apex Waterfowling

Landis, Saskatchewan/North Gower, Ontario

Offering hunts in both Saskatchewan and Ontario, Apex Waterfowling has some purely unbeatable hunting. Throw in decoying ducks and geese at the blind doors as well as top tier lodging & meals, and you've got the Apex experience. Saskatchewan really is all its cracked up to be.

Saskatoon Waterfowl Outfitters

Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

In the heart of the waterfowl migration of Canada's Central Flyway the expert guides at SWO always provide incredible hunts that will be sure to last you a lifetime. Whether it's cranes locked up over the decoys or huge wads of greenheads at your boot bags, the skies are always crawling with birds in Saskatoon.

References

U.S. Department of Agriculture- Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

Government of Canada- Public Health Agency of Canada