Hunting on the Atlantic Flyway

The Susquehanna River and nearby Chesapeake Bay are important parts of the Atlantic Flyway, one of four major North American migratory routes for waterfowl, along which more than a million waterfowl migrate or spend the winter each year, including 28 species of ducks, geese, and swans. The Susquehanna's abundant waterfowl made it a popular hunting area for Native Americans and early European settlers who relied on the flyway as a source of food. In the 1800's and early 1900's, waterfowl populations plummeted because unregulated commercial hunters known as market gunners used punt guns, duck traps, and other mass-kill weapons. Today waterfowl hunting remains a popular outdoor recreation, and hunters and organizations such as the Susquehanna River Waterfowlers Association and the Susquehanna River Wetlands Trust support habitat protection, anti-overhunting laws, nesting site creation, wetland restoration, and education programs to help restore waterfowl populations throughout the Atlantic Flyway.

Pennsylvania · United States