Migration Alert: Widespread Waterfowl, Opportunities in South Dakota

Oct. 25, 2019 - Central Flyway - South Dakota

A combination of strong local duck production and a recent push of migrating birds from the north has South Dakota hunters enjoying a strong start to the waterfowl season. With a change in the weather on the way in the coming week, the hunting opportunities should only improve in the days ahead.

The abundance of water on the landscape remains the top story from South Dakota, including at the Sand Lake National Wildlife Refuge in the northeast corner of the state. The most recent migration report from the refuge summarizes what hunters are encountering across the state: the birds are here, but they are not where you would normally find them.

The number of ducks—including mallards, gadwalls, green-winged teal, and shovelers—has remained steady since a mid-October winter storm helped push new birds into the area, but the unusually high water levels throughout the region has the birds “widely scattered.”

“Bottom line is that during times of high water at Sand Lake and surrounding areas, such as now, waterfowl often prefer the freshly flooded wetland areas outside the refuge, rather than the refuge itself,” the report says.

Veteran South Dakota waterfowl guide Ben Fujan has experienced similar conditions while hunting in the eastern half of the state. “Traditional areas just aren’t holding birds like they normally do for a couple of reasons. First, the weather has pushed the harvest so far behind schedule that there just isn’t much food available in many of these places. I’m not sure if I’ll hunt a field of combined corn before November, which is really unusual,” Fujan says. “The water on the ground is the biggest factor, though. The ducks are hitting these spots of new water, but there is so much of it around that the birds are really spread out.”

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