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I've noticed an alarming trend up here with relation to corn fields and how they are harvested anymore. Used to be that the corn was harvested by traditional methods that left quite a bit of waste corn for the animals. Now however every field around here is now chopped down leaving a 6" stalk in the ground and practically zero waste grain. This year in particular, one of my favorite fields didn't have a bird in it all season long. I'm pretty sure this is all related to no till farming, but it's going to cause a serious decline in late season goose hunting, if the birds don't have anything to eat. Anyone else notice this going on?

This subject has come to the top of discussions within the last 10-15 years in particular in the Mississippi flyway. Combines are much more efficient than they were a decade or two ago. Couple that with earlier harvest dates down here in the south and waste grain either spoils or is tilled under by fall plowing. Everyone seems to be able to identify the problem pretty easily. Haven’t heard many solutions.

Based on the La. Survey Numbers it appears that those attempting to short stop ducks are pretty good at it. It also appears that ducks are not starving even with modern improvements to harvest equipment.

On another note I saw Missouri's Micky Heitmeyer's son predicted a reduction in days for the Miss. Flyway for the 2023/24 seasons. He likely has some inside scoop to speak the way he did.

don novicki wrote:Now however every field around here is now chopped down leaving a 6" stalk in the ground and practically zero waste grain. This year in particular, one of my favorite fields didn't have a bird in it all season long.

We have no shortage of grain in Illinois cornfields. The only question is when it gets cold enough to push them down to those fields. My guess is it's something else keeping them away.