About Oklahoma Ducks

What is Oklahoma Ducks?

Oklahoma Ducks is a predictive hunting intelligence platform that helps waterfowl hunters find the best public hunting locations in Oklahoma. We combine weather forecasts, field reports, migration data, and moon phases to generate a daily "Hunt Score" (0-100) for each Wildlife Management Area (WMA) and Oklahoma Land Access Program (OLAP) location.

The goal is simple: help you spend less time scouting and more time in productive blinds by providing data-driven recommendations for where to hunt.

Understanding the Hunt Score

Each location receives a Hunt Score from 0-100 based on multiple weighted factors. The final score determines the location's status:

Weather Score

Weather typically accounts for 40-60% of the total score, depending on report freshness. Key factors include:

Field Report Score (WMAs)

For Wildlife Management Areas, field reports from ODWC provide real-time ground truth. Report weight depends on freshness:

• Fresh (<4 days): 40% weight
• Recent (4-7 days): 25% weight
• Stale (>7 days): 10% weight

Report scoring factors:

• Bird Abundance: 1-5 scale maps to 20-100 base score
• Water Status: Multiplier (Dry = 0x, Normal = 1x, High = 0.9x)
• Species: Presence of target species noted

eBird Sightings (OLAPs)

OLAP (Oklahoma Land Access Program) locations don't receive biologist reports like WMAs. Instead, we integrate real-time waterfowl observation data from eBird, the world's largest bird observation database maintained by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

Every day, we fetch recent waterfowl sightings within 25km of each OLAP location and calculate a score based on:

• Bird Abundance: Total waterfowl count (0-60 points based on numbers)
• Species Diversity: Number of different species observed (0-20 points)
• Freshness: How recent the sightings are (0-20 points, today = full points)

OLAP scores use a tiered confidence system:

Migration Factor

Migration timing affects the multiplier applied to your base score. We use Ducks Unlimited migration data when available, with calendar-based fallbacks:

Moon Phase Modifier

Moon phases affect duck feeding patterns. Quarter moons are generally best as ducks feed more during legal shooting hours:

• Quarter Moon: +5 pts
• Gibbous: -3 pts
• New Moon: -5 pts
• Full Moon: -10 pts (ducks feed at night)

3D Score Landscape

The 3D visualization on the Map page provides an immersive view of hunting conditions across Oklahoma. Toggle between 2D and 3D views using the buttons in the filter bar.

Score Pillars

Each location is represented by a colored pillar. The height indicates the Hunt Score (taller = higher score) and the color matches the score status:

Blue rings at the base of pillars indicate locations affected by a cold front.

Migration Flyway

Weather Overlays

Timeline Animation

Use the playback controls at the bottom to animate through the 6-day forecast. Watch how scores and conditions change over time to plan your hunt for the optimal day.

Data Sources

Oklahoma Ducks aggregates data from multiple authoritative sources: