“Too Many Ducks” Back then, and Not Enough Now

The AGFC started working their first year to reduce the overhunting of migratory birds.

According to historical records, the duck population in the United States 100 years ago (around the 1920s) was significantly higher than today, with estimates suggesting a potential population of around 100 million ducks, though this number drastically declined in the 1930s due to habitat loss and excessive hunting, particularly during the Dust Bowl era where some estimates put the population as low as 20 million ducks.

In an article published in DU Magazine in 2013, Biologists Mark Petrie and John Coluccy said, “Assuming that the prairies have also been very wet, we have 100 million total breeding ducks (including both paired and unpaired birds) on the prairies. Duck numbers outside the prairies are unchanged at 17 million. This means that 200 years ago, we had 117 million breeding ducks compared to 50 million today (or 2.3 times as many ducks). At face value, this translates into a fall flight of about 230 million birds (2.3 x 100 million).”

In a 1994 article, Richard Banks and Paul Springer provide a comprehensive overview of the population trends of waterfowl in Western North America over the past century. They highlight the significant decline in waterfowl populations due to hunting, habitat loss, and other human activities. They also discuss the impact of environmental factors like drought and pollution on waterfowl populations. Banks and Springer argue that positive actions, including hunting regulations and the establishment of refuges, have helped certain species recover and that the future of waterfowl populations will depend on continued conservation efforts and the balance between human activities and habitat preservation.