What about the opener?

If history is any indication, the picture is a little clearer for the opener (and the first couple weeks of the season). Waterfowl hunting can be quite good in Southwest Idaho before the local birds begin to change their habitat use patterns or migrate out of the area. 

“We have some substantial waterfowl production that occurs in the Southwest Region, including on several of our Wildlife Management Areas, which generally provides good early-season hunting,” said Regional Wildlife Manager Ryan Walrath. 

Local wildlife habitat biologists who manage the Southwest Region’s WMAs reported high participation in the youth and veteran’s waterfowl weekend a couple of weeks ago, and good success for the hunters who participated, which points to a promising opener for the rest of the region’s waterfowl hunters on Oct. 19.