Paul Wait

2 months ago | outdoornews.com | Paul Wait

If you want to know what’s happening in rural America, ask a farmer. Right now, if you ask Wisconsin’s corn growers and potato producers, they’ll tell you our state has a sandhill crane problem. The population of sandhill cranes has quadrupled over the past two decades, and crop damage caused by the big birds has reached an estimated $2 million annually in Wisconsin. Unless we find solutions soon, the burgeoning population of sandhill cranes is on a pathway to become an even larger problem.

Mar 20, 2025 | deltawaterfowl.org | Paul Wait |Ashley Praus

Chasing Canvasbacks By Paul WaitGravel crunched under the truck’s tires as Rich Cain pulled over atop a Manitoba hillside adjacent to a dense stand of aspen trees. To a hunter’s eyes, the spot looked much more like a great place to find a ruffed grouse, turkey, white-tailed deer, or black bear than it did a haven for canvasback ducks—no wetlands were visible.

Aug 8, 2024 | deltawaterfowl.org | Paul Wait |Ashley Praus

2024 State Breeding Population Survey RoundupBy Paul WaitAs duck and goose hunters anxiously await results from the continental 2024 Waterfowl Breeding Population and Habitat Survey—expected later this month from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service—Delta Waterfowl has gathered data from several independent state waterfowl surveys.

Jun 5, 2024 | outdoornews.com | Paul Wait

For the first time in nearly 30 years, duck hunters in the Lower 48 states could have the chance to shoot three pintails a day as soon as the 2025-26 season – a possible outcome of an interim population and harvest strategy being put into use by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. However, it’s important to note that despite a change in the model, the daily bag limit for all future seasons still depends on pintail populations and habitat conditions on the breeding grounds.

May 23, 2024 | deltawaterfowl.org | Paul Wait |Derrick Schiff

USFWS Adopts New Harvest Strategy for PintailsBy Paul WaitFor the first time in nearly 30 years, duck hunters in the lower 48 states could have the chance to shoot three pintails a day as soon as the 2025-26 season—a possible outcome of an interim population and harvest strategy being put into use by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.