Game bird production has been excellent, at least here in central Minnesota, from what I can tell from my late-spring and early summer forays afield.
The placid winter left birds in a healthy condition. That and the mostly normal temperatures during late May and early June (peak hatching time) are likely prime contributors to successful hatches.
We have had some tremendous storms with some areas receiving more than 10 inches of precipitation in a two-week period, but those rains fell mostly on game birds old enough to survive. Newly hatched birds are very susceptible to hypothermia when wet and cold weather prevail.
The numerous broods of wild turkeys have been notable. It seems I can't go anywhere without crossing paths with hen turkeys and their large broods in tow, sometimes eight or more. Female turkeys and their offspring often gather together this time of the year, and I have witnessed three or four hens together guiding more poults than I can count.
Turkey families have been especially visible in the early morning along the hayfield edges because they don't like to get their feathers wet in the dew. Even with a slight breeze, short vegetation dries faster.
Central Minnesota is not a notable duck production area, but broods of mallards, blue-winged teal and wood ducks appear to have fared well. There are large broods out there. The recent heavy rainfall has filled ponds and creeks, making for favorable brood-rearing habitat. Insect hatches are critical to the survival of young waterfowl, and the numbers of bloodsucking mosquitoes is, well, scary.
Canada geese appear to have flourished this spring, too. Almost any suitable wetland supports a brood or two of the big waterfowl. Goslings are less dependent on insects for food; they devour grasses and other vegetation and do well even when conditions are not ideal for other young birds.
I know Minnesotans have a love-hate relationship with Canada geese because of their messy droppings on lakeshore docks and, well, everywhere. That said, the great outdoors would not be the same without skeins of geese flying overhead, announcing to the world below that all is well. Their insistent calling is a near equivalent of coyotes howling or loons hollering — all audio delights.
