Piedmont and Upper Potomac
Frederick, Carroll, Howard and Montgomery: Potomac bottomland, greentree reservoirs and farm ponds. Inland mallards and wood ducks, and no sea ducks.
Stable / Staging
Stable Birds / Staging
Wood Ducks score, conditions as of Mon, Oct 5, 9:00 PM
Today's Hunt · Monday, Oct 5
Piedmont and Upper Potomac
Steady temps
Legal light 5:39 AMSunrise 6:09 AMSunset 5:47 PM🌘 Waning crescent · 34%
Best window: 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Built around the strongest northwest wind of the morning
No strong migration triggers in the current data
Season dates · Eastern Zone October 10-17, November 14-27, and December 15, 2026 to January 30, 2027. Western Zone October 3-17, November 21-27, and December 15, 2026 to January 30, 2027.
Times shown for the region center. Season dates and limits change yearly and by zone: verify with Maryland DNR.
Water Status
Water on the landscape: Water on the landscape is in decent shape (20% of Maryland in drought, US Drought Monitor).
Why this score is moving
- No strong migration triggers in the current data
48-Hour Outlook
Fair
No strong migration triggers in the current data. Strongest window: Mon into Tue.
14-Day Score Outlook
Wood DucksDays 8 through 14 sit beyond the reliable forecast window and lean on season history. Read them as a trend, not a promise.
Inside the model
The score is a weighted blend of the drivers below, each rated 0 to 10 from current conditions. No black box: this is the whole model.
Temps falling ~4°F into the next 48h
NW winds to 11 mph across 4 of the next 48h
0% of upstream hours below 28°F
Little to no snow upstream
Waters open, birds can stay and feed
Shoulder of the migration window
Corn ~45%, beans ~7% (typical-progress estimate)
No reports in the last 72h, so this factor is not counted
North of you
ProThe freeze line across the stations upstream of this region, station by station, so you see shallow water locking up before the birds arrive on it.
Radar check
ProLast night's NEXRAD read on whether birds actually moved: how much lifted off after sunset, which way it tracked, and how fast it flew under its own power once the wind at that altitude is subtracted out.
Local conditions
| Day | Hi / Lo | Wind | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| MonOct 5 | 69° / 53° | WNW 14 mph | |
| TueOct 6 | 61° / 45° | NNW 10 mph | |
| WedOct 7 | 71° / 47° | S 13 mph | |
| ThuOct 8 | 81° / 52° | W 15 mph | |
| FriOct 9 | 69° / 48° | NNW 8 mph | |
| SatOct 10 | 68° / 51° | SE 8 mph | |
| SunOct 11 | 63° / 54° | ESE 15 mph |
Hunter intel
ProWhat other hunters reported in this region over the last 72 hours: species, how hard they were feeding, and whether the birds looked like new arrivals. Filing your own report is free and counts toward this region's score either way.