Farmers aren’t the only ones praying for rain. Waterfowl hunters may be on the brink of one of the best seasons in a long time – if we get rain.

A lot of rain.

Duck forecasters predict a lot of birds this year, but unless Michiana marshes and potholes refill before fall, the birds are going to crowd into areas where water does exist.

Good for the guys who hunt there, but bad for those who like to hunt elsewhere in smaller areas.

“If things get wet between now and October, we should have a great season,” said Adam Phelps, Indiana Division of Fish and Wildlife waterfowl biologist. “Waterfowl production was very good this year.”

Phelps wasn’t prepared to release Indiana’s proposed season dates this week, but hinted that the northern zone should be similar to last year. The dates being proposed to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service should be available to the public within the next couple of weeks.

This much we know: Hoosiers have another 60-day season for ducks with a 6-bird limit. The goose season has been expanded to 78 days (last year it was 74) and another goose may be added to the bag limit (three vs. two last year).

“We will likely split the season as before, but there may be a longer break in December with days added on the back end of the season,” said Phelps.

In addition, the white-fronted goose season will line up better with the Canada goose season and the bag for those birds likely gets expanded from one to two.

Northern waterfowl experts report record numbers of nesting birds last spring should contribute to the fall migration. Mallards were up 15 percent from 2011 and 47 percent above the long term average.

Phelps believes local duck production, especially woodies, will be up as well. There is no formal survey of duck production in Indiana.

“Wood ducks are the first to nest, so the early spring helped them get a jump on things,” said Phelps. “They sometimes nest twice.”