When freezing weather arrives in Siskiyou County, so do bald eagles, which feed heavily on waterfowl.

"If you shoot a duck when it's icy, and you don't get over to retrieve it, the bald eagles will come down and get them," Claiborne warns. "You have to get your ducks right away. There are a lot of bald eagles in late December and January."

During warm, dry conditions at the Tule Lake or Lower Klamath refuges, Claiborne will focus on the open water that can be reached only by boat.

"You can also try to find an opening in the tules," he says. "If you can find a little open spot, you should do just fine."

SCOUT AHEAD
"The key to hunting here is scouting," Mauser says. "Look to where the birds are going in the afternoon, and set up there in the morning. That's something you can't do in the valley refuges since they are closed during the no-hunting days."

Hunters coming up to the Klamath refuges for several days should plan to spend their first afternoon looking around to get familiar with the area.

"The hardest thing is coming up the night before when it's dark and trying to figure out there to go," Mauser says. Hunters who arrive the night before and hunt the refuges for the first time the next morning generally don't do as well as hunters who scout ahead.

Maps of the refuges are available in the visitor center, where you can also get harvest reports, the latest bird survey counts and suggestions on where to hunt.

2007-08 FORECAST
Last summer, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service approved lengthy seasons for the Pacific Flyway after surveys showed a 14 percent increase in the breeding populations in Alaska and Canada. The increase is on top of good production last season.

SPECIAL REGULATIONS
A $25 season pass is required to hunt the Tule Lake and Lower Klamath refuges. Hunters must also have a valid California hunting license and all required state and federal stamps and permits.

California hunting regulations and seasons apply on the refuges. Non-toxic steel shot must be used, and hunters may not consume or possess alcohol while on the refuges.

Boats may be used in all areas open to waterfowl hunting, but jet or pump motors are prohibited. Refuge game wardens enforce boat lighting and registration requirements.

FOR YOUR INFORMATION
• The Klamath refuges office is located at 4009 Hill Road in Tulelake. The phone number is (530) 667-2231.

Updated harvest and waterfowl survey information is available at www.fws.gov/klamathbasinrefuges.

• The Winema Lodge offers lodging close to the refuges. It's located at 5212 Hill Road. The phone number is (530) 667-5158, and the Web site is www.winemalodge.com.

• There are numerous guides available at the refuges, including James Szemenyei at (530) 667-3825, Darren Roe at (541) 884-3825, Michael McVey at (530) 459-1009, Richard Marcillac at (530) 667-5694 and Phil Brown at (530) 667-3825.

• Restaurants and more motels can be found in Tulelake or across the border in Klamath Falls, Ore.