Carson Odegard sits down with Jeff Smith to break down December’s numbers across California Waterfowl properties—what got better, what got buried under water, and how long tule fog and rolling storms shifted bird behavior. From Staten Island’s goose grind to surprise surges at Potrero Hills and Goose Lake, this is your clear, no-spin field report.

By the numbers (December):

• Staten Island — 3.44 birds/hunter in Dec; season avg 4.3 (leaders: Aleutians, specks)
• Potrero Hills (Suisun) — 3.4 (up from 1.3 in Nov); spoons, GWT, with wigeon coming on
• Goose Lake (Tulare Basin) — 3.35; road-closure cancellations, but big success when open (spoons, ring-necks)
• Grizzly Ranch (Suisun) — 2.24; steady two-bird days (GWT, spoonies)
• Quimby Island (Delta) — 2.16; mallards + wigeon; slight dip from Nov
• Butte Creek Island Ranch (Butte Sink) — 1.83; GWT + ring-necks
• Denverton (Suisun) — 1.8; spoonies + GWT
• Sanborn Slough (Butte Sink) — 1.74; wigeon + ring-necks; flood closures and deep water
• Pope Ranch (Dixon) — 0.71 for ducks (mallards); still a strong wild pheasant option

What shaped the hunt:

• Flooding & safety — county road closures and moving water shut some days down; expect a lag before birds re-concentrate after high water.
• Prolonged tule fog — helped rice country, hurt island visibility/pull at times.
• Migration pops — late-month pushes showed up in the Grasslands and south valley units.

January outlook: Watch for wigeon and pintail to build in Suisun, mallard trickles where floodwaters recede, and more mixed bags at Staten as weather swings churn the Delta.

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