The story of the 2007 waterfowl hunting season was the complete opposite of the 2006 season.  Instead of the extremely high water levels of last year, this year we could not gather enough water to refill refuge impoundments lowered by the extreme summer drought.  This was particularly evident in Cayuga Pool where there was no water and all eight waterfowl hunt stands had to be closed.  Oneida and Mohawk Pools were in better condition, but lower than average water levels in these pools caused a reduction in the number of hunt stands as well.  Ultimately, we were able to open 15 stands for the entire hunt season.  Rainfall during the hunt season was sufficient to raise water levels slightly, but not enough to open up additional stands.

On the plus side, the low water levels concentrated available food resources and ducks, making the few stands that were open generally productive.  Large numbers of ducks were observed in Mohawk Pool.  Ultimately, the hunting conditions resulted in a better than average hunting season.  The birds/hunter total of 2.02 was the highest since 2002 and the third highest in the history of the hunt.  An anticipated return to more normal conditions should result in increased numbers of stands available for next years hunt.