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Panhandle

Optima, the Beaver River and playa basins across the three panhandle counties. Early birds, early freeze, and the shortest season in the state.

3.6

Stable / Staging

Stable Birds / Staging

7.2

Conditions

1.6

Birds here

Moderate confidence↑ +0.1 last 24hMallards 7.4

Conditions here are scoring 7.2 this morning, and that number is the same for every duck on this water. The wigeon score is held at 3.6 because the wigeon numbers in this region read 1.6 out of 10 for the date. A good morning on birds that have not arrived is still a quiet morning.

Wigeon score, conditions as of Mon, Nov 2, 3:00 PM

Panhandle

3.6

Falling 13° vs yesterday

Legal light 6:39 AMSunrise 7:09 AMSunset 5:46 PM🌗 Last quarter · 40%

5AM26NNW · 46°
6AM23NNW · 46°
7AM21NW · 46°
8AM22NNW · 45°
9AM23NNW · 47°
10AM23NNW · 49°
11AM23NNW · 50°
7.2Decoy score · WorkableWorking wind: 23 mph through the morning · Low overcast keeps birds low and honest · Gusts to 50: decoys will look wrong on open water

Best window: 5:00 AM to 7:00 AM

Built around the strongest northwest wind of the morning

Held to the season curve: conditions are better than the wigeon numbers here this time of year

  • Dry fall: birds concentrated on remaining water

Season dates · Zones 1 and 2 November 14 to December 6, 2026 and December 12, 2026 to January 31, 2027. Panhandle October 10, 2026 to January 13, 2027.

Times shown for the region center. Season dates and limits change yearly and by zone: verify with Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation.

Flooded fields and playas: OpenCreeks, sloughs and timber: OpenThe big reservoirs and rivers: Open0 freezing degree-days over the last 6 days, counting the next 2 at half (estimated from air temps until the satellite ice feed lands)

Water on the landscape: Dry fall: birds concentrated on remaining water (87% of Oklahoma in drought, US Drought Monitor).

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  • Held to the season curve: conditions are better than the wigeon numbers here this time of year
  • Temperatures falling about 18°F over the next 48 hours
  • Northwest winds building to 32 mph
  • Corn harvest roughly 98% complete, heavy field feed available
  • Off-season: the main migration window has not opened yet

Poor

Held to the season curve: conditions are better than the wigeon numbers here this time of year. Temperatures falling about 18°F over the next 48 hours. Strongest window: Mon into Tue.

Wigeon
3.6Mon23.6Tue3

Days 8 through 14 sit beyond the reliable forecast window and lean on season history. Read them as a trend, not a promise.

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.

Cold front / temp trend22% weight
8.2

Temps falling ~18°F into the next 48h

Wind direction + speed19% weight
10.0

NW winds to 32 mph across 23 of the next 48h

Freeze north of region9% weight
1.5

0% of upstream hours below 28°F

Snow advance upstream6% weight
1.5

Little to no snow upstream

Local open water / holding14% weight
6.7

87% of the state in drought: less water, and birds stacked on what is left

Season timing19% weight
1.6

Outside the main migration window

Crop harvest / field feed11% weight
8.8

Corn ~98%, beans ~65% (typical-progress estimate)

Hunter reports0% weight
5.0

No reports in the last 72h, so this factor is not counted

Pro

The 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.

Pro

Last 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.

70°Fnow
SW 21 mphwind
↓ 16°next 24h, falling
DayHi / LoWindSnow
MonNov 275° / 49°SW 32 mph
TueNov 354° / 43°NNW 27 mph
WedNov 467° / 39°SSW 15 mph
ThuNov 559° / 47°NNE 21 mph
FriNov 661° / 42°ESE 8 mph
SatNov 769° / 47°WNW 14 mph
SunNov 862° / 47°N 9 mph
Pro

What 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.