Northeast

The migration is progressing in the Northeast portion of the state for sure. More mallards and pintails are showing up daily now and there are some respectable concentrations building. There are still great opportunities for other puddle ducks like gadwall, wigeon and shovelers as well on area wetlands. Now with that said, this weekend’s weather may change some things as lows dip in the lower teens which may freeze a lot of small to mid-sized waters if the wind lays down.

I anticipate more ducks moving to bigger water for a bit until warmer weather arrives later in the week. Depending on the duration of the freeze, the warmer weather will hopefully open the wetlands up again. Most of the flooded areas in the agricultural fields will likely lock up and send ducks elsewhere.

Snow geese and white-fronted geese have been moving through the area. We are on the leading edge of the white geese while a lot of the white fronts have made it through already. Canada goose numbers remain strong and good opportunity exists for goose hunters.

Some swans are also showing up and more opportunity for filling a swan tag up in the northern tier of counties.

The weather may get interesting this weekend with some snow chances and an Alberta clipper coming through with strong NW wind. I anticipate a decent push of ‘fowl to arrive from the north in the next week with the colder weather and winds.

It’s a great time to be in the field right now as ample opportunity exists for both ducks and geese. Water hunters as well as field hunters are having good success.

East Central

There seems to be a few more ducks in general in the area but still no big numbers. The strong cold front hitting eastern SD this weekend should cause some big movements and hunters should expect new birds.

Corn harvest is nearly 100%.

Goose numbers are increasing with some whitefronts still in the area.

Southeast

Cold temps have pushed some new waterfowl in the area. Some high-flying white fronts have been moving through the area the last week or 2. Have seen an increase in pintails, green winged teal, gadwall, and other puddle ducks. There is not much of a concentration of mallards around yet.

Lower River

Looking into the upcoming week we are expecting some better hunting in the Southeast/ Lower River Unit. Starting today we are seeing a good number of new migrating birds in the area. Good numbers of Gadwall, Wigeon and Green Wing teal are currently on local waterbodies. Hunters are shooting a good mixed bag of ducks.

The Missouri River is also starting to see some of these birds gather. I expect with colder weather to the north that we continue to see birds move into the area and hunting should start to heat up.

Harvest is nearly complete allowing for some field hunting opportunity on ducks and geese as well. The geese are not yet staging in large numbers on the river although we are seeing decent numbers on water north of the river.

James River Valley

Since last week’s report we did get a push of some new mallards and cranes. There are pockets of mallards around as well as separate pockets of a lot of gadwalls with pintail intermixed throughout that can be found with scouting. Overall, not much has changed from last week though, but the cold front this weekend should bring a major change to what have been stale birds and stale conditions.

Pierre Area/Central SD

Throughout most of central South Dakota duck and goose numbers remain quite low. The Unit 2 Canada Goose season opened on November 3rd and will run until February 15th. Crop harvest continues at the Lower Oahe Waterfowl Access Area (LOWAA) (https://gfp.sd.gov/lower-oahe/). Until a significant number of waterfowl arrive in this area, the LOWAA Registration-Only Fields will be available on a First-Come, First-Serve basis.

Northeast

Waterfowl hunting in the northeast portion of the state is getting better by the day. Cooler weather and northern winds have fueled migrations this past week. Solid numbers of gadwall, wigeon, shoveler and green winged teal can be found on area wetlands. There are also some good pockets of mallards and pintails around. Diving duck numbers continue to increase on the larger water bodies as well.

Local Canada goose numbers remain strong with a migrating component adding to the mix. White-fronted geese are also winging their way through the area but may hang around for a day or two and then moving on. Only a few snow geese have been observed as of this week.

Swan numbers are increasing in the northeast, and some decent numbers have been observed using the wetlands. More swan opportunities can be had in the northern tier of counties right now.

Crop harvest continues to progress with most all the beans done and the corn is coming out by the day. Field hunting opportunities for both ducks and geese are present but as usual, scouting remains key to finding the right spot.

Weather remains near normal for us and nothing in the extended forecast shows any signs of a big storm so it looks like the migration will slowly push forward for now.

East Central

Duck numbers continue to increase with wigeon, gadwall, and divers continuing to build. With the onset of pheasant season it does look like many of the ducks on small public water have moved onto private or bigger water. Mallard numbers are improving with field feeding increasing

Corn harvest is advancing rapidly and should be complete or nearly so by next week.

Goose numbers continue to build, and I saw strong numbers of white fronts staging in several areas. I did see a few swans this week.

Southeast

No report

The previous opener on the Missouri River was very slow for most hunters. A few people had success and birds seem to be hanging north on small sloughs.

With that being said on the small sloughs, we are seeing a good push of new birds. Large groups of green wing teal, wigeon and pintails are showing up.

Hunters are having good success away from the river. With the small cold front coming for the next couple days, I expect a few birds to sit on the river but as temps rise again it is likely they will move off the river.

James River Valley

As it seems to happen every year with the opener of pheasant season, duck numbers seem to slightly drop and waterfowl get concentrated into areas where they aren’t getting bothered by upland hunters. Good bird numbers can be found in these pockets of protected areas, but scouting is key. Mallard numbers seem to be down, but there has been an increase in pintails, gadwall and wigeon. More divers are also in the area with the first canvasbacks being spotted this week. With the dry weather, wetland conditions have deteriorated but at a slower rate with the cooler weather.

Bean harvest is about wrapped up, but there is still a fair amount of corn standing in certain neighborhoods. The forecast looks dry, so these fields should be coming out sooner than later. Canada goose numbers utilizing these fields are still low, but there are some nice concentrations of speckle bellies around.

Pierre Area/Central SD

No noticeable change in waterfowl numbers this week. Sandhill cranes have been observed migrating through the area, but not much evidence of any duck or goose migration in central South Dakota.

Northeast

The Northeast portion of the state saw a smaller push of birds this week. There are good pockets of gadwall and wigeon on area wetlands providing hunters with good action. Most all other puddle ducks are still present with blue-winged teal and wood ducks seeing declines as they have pushed through. Mallard numbers are slowing improving and we did see an increase the last few days after the big winds and cooler weather so they should continue to increase as the weeks go by.

Diving duck numbers continue to build on larger water with some good opportunities for canvasbacks and redheads right now. Buffleheads and ring necks are also increasing.

Goose hunting opportunities are getting better by the week as resident geese are concentrated pretty good and now the whitefronts are migrating through. Again, scouting is key to finding the field they want to be in. I’ve been seeing more geese sitting in bean stubble than anything else. The corn harvest is in full swing, so this is opening up more opportunity for hunters.

Weather has been more seasonable lately and we should continue to see pushes of birds with each cold front passing through.

East Central

Wetland conditions across Brookings, Kingsbury, Lake, and Moody counties are similar to last week. A series of cold fronts and northerly winds definitely pushed new birds into the area. Mid-season migrants continue to increase with wigeon, gadwall, and divers continuing to build. Specifically, good numbers of ring necks, redheads, and some buffleheads were seen. Mallard numbers are improving and still good numbers of green winged teal in areas.

Bean harvest is complete, but corn harvest was stalled out due to recent rains and high moisture content. I expect corn harvest to advance rapidly over the next week.

Canada goose numbers are noticeably increasing and good numbers of staging whitefronts are currently in the area providing an additional opportunity. No swans were seen but should be arriving shortly.

Southeast

Cold temps have pushed in the first wave of fresh birds. Reports of good numbers of white front geese in the SE. puddle ducks are showing a push with higher numbers of gadwall, pintail, and green wing teal. Some larger concentrations of mallards are just beginning to show up as well.

Canada goose numbers are still low for the most part in the SE.

Crop harvest is 60-75% complete and should finish soon with the forecast.

Lower River/South Central

This week we have seen a a few more migrating birds push into the area. Flocks of wigeon and gadwall have been arriving on the local sloughs and the river. Additionally large flocks of white fronts have been seen migrating above and some smaller feeds and roost have been seen. Harvest is moving right along opening up more fields for hunting.

James River Valley

No Report

Pierre Area/Central SD

No noticeable change in waterfowl numbers from last week. We did have some strong NW winds last week, but temperatures have warmed back up and opportunity remains nearly the same as last week in Central South Dakota.

Northeast

No Report.

East Central

Wetland conditions across Brookings, Kingsbury, Lake, and Moody counties are holding steady with 2 shots of rain this week. I am definitely seeing some new birds with an increase in gadwall, wigeon, redheads, and ringnecks but overall duck numbers aren’t really great.

Canada goose numbers are steady, and I observed several flocks of white fronts on the ground this week. Corn harvest is stalled with recent rain. No swans were observed this week.

Southeast

Cold temps have caused a small push of puddle ducks to show up in the area. Water is minimal in the far southeast but gets more prevalent as you go west.

Goose numbers are still low, but there are slightly more than the past weeks. Goose hunting is still tough for the most part.

Harvest was going very quick prior to this week. Crops are maybe about 50% out in the SE.

Lower River/South Central

Coming into the weekend we are looking a little more wet in the southeast. We have gotten roughly .5 inches of rain this week with cool weather. Areas of the southeast are still hit and miss with water. For example, we hunted flooded corn in central Hutchinson County earlier this week but in parts of eastern Hutchinson County we are seeing little water sources for waterfowl. With the rain we are going to slow down the already seemingly behind harvest.

Seems that a few early migrators are starting to show up slowly on our sloughs. This last weekend waterfowl hunters were shooting some birds but not limits of them. Most hunters had a good mixed bag with 10+ birds. I am still seeing some blue wing teal which tells me we are still early in the migration. As far as numbers, green wing teal are thick; some pintail, gadwall and mallards are showing up as well. Hunters who do some scouting will shoot birds.

James River Valley

Cooler weather the past few days have caused in an influx of ducks. Most species of dabbling ducks saw a jump with northern pintail, shovelers and green-winged teal increasing the most. More divers have also made their way into the area including ringnecks and more redheads. With scouting, good duck hunting opportunity exists.

Goose numbers are low, but pockets of birds can be found and hunted in cut beans and the first of the combined corn.

Pierre Area/Central SD

A few better reports coming in from duck hunters in central SD. Appears that a few ducks may have started to trickle in, but hunters will still need to put some miles on to find huntable numbers.

Northeast

Not a lot has changed in the last week with the migration as record to near record high temps pretty much stalled out any movement. This week has seen cooler temps with lows approaching the freezing mark so likely be some ducks on the move soon. Most opportunities have been for the water hunters this last week with some duck movement in the early morning and again towards evening. Most dabbling duck species are present on area waters and some divers are showing up on the bigger water. Some field feeding is occurring as well with the ducks hitting the harvested beans and what corn has started to come out.

Goose hunters are seeing decent success targeting the fields they have been feeding in. Goose numbers are pretty good in the area. Geese have been feeding in the beans and limited cornfields as of now. Crop harvest in kicking into full gear with a lot of producers working on getting their beans out.

East Central

Wetland conditions across Brookings, Kingsbury, Lake, and Moody counties continue to drop but fortunately we are seeing some cooler temperatures. Most blue winged teal have left but green wing teal, pintail, shovelers, and mallards are still found in pockets. A few more gadwalls and wigeon were seen this week along with some ring-necked ducks.

Canada goose numbers are similar. Bean harvests is complete with corn harvest underway, increasing field hunting opportunities. A series of small cold fronts should bring in a few fresh birds and forecast snow in southern Canada may help things along as well. Remember bonus blue winged teal has concluded for the year. Reports of a few white fronts in the western portion of the region but I haven’t observed directly.

Southeast

No Report

Lower River/South Central

No Report

James River Valley

With the hot and dry weather, wetland conditions have deteriorated significantly. Many of the temporary wetlands that held water during opener are now dry. With less water on the landscape, ducks have been more concentrated on the remaining sloughs and sections of sheet water. For puddle ducks, we’ve seen a push of green-winged teal along with a few gadwall and wigeon. A few diver ducks have started to arrive as well, most notably redheads and buffleheads. Like is often the case, scouting is crucial to find water holding ducks.

The first white-fronts of the year have started to move through to accompany the increasing, yet still low, Canada goose numbers. Crop harvest has made a lot of progress over the past week, and combines are continuing to roll hard this week mainly on beans, but also some corn. The dry field hunting opportunity for ducks and geese is increasing with this progress in harvest.

Pierre Area/Central SD

No report.

Northeast

Duck numbers in the Northeast portion of the state remain decent although scouting is again key as they are not on every pond. The western portion of the region where heavy rainfall occurred, is seeing more duck use than the more “traditional” area to the east. Most species of dabbling ducks are present with a slight uptick in gadwall and wigeon the last week. Some diving ducks have been observed as well on the bigger water.

Local goose numbers are fair to good, and they are starting to use the harvested bean fields along with sileage fields. Crop harvest is underway with soybeans being taken out daily and some corn harvest has happened too.

The weather is anything but duck hunting weather with record highs the last week. Ducks have been flying in the cool of the mornings but then stalls out once the temps start ticking upward. Next week’s weather looks to be more normal for October.

East Central

Wetland conditions across Brookings, Kingsbury, Lake, and Moody counties are starting to drop with all the hot and dry weather. There are still some teal around along with some pintail, mallards and wood ducks. I haven’t seen any divers yet in the area.

Canada goose numbers are similar. Crop harvest continues, increasing field hunting opportunities. Hot and dry conditions continue through Sunday according to the forecast. Hopefully next week will bring a break from the heat and hopefully some fresh birds. Remember bonus blue winged teal ends on Sunday, October 5 in the low plains north and middle zones.

Southeast

Still seeing decent puddle duck number in wetlands but lower teal numbers compared to earlier weeks.

Low Canada goose numbers continue to be an issue in the SE.

Lower River/South Central

Hunters had a good opening weekend. Those who scouted shot a good bag of ducks primarily blue and green wing teal. I heard of a couple Canada geese being shot as well. We are starting to dry up down here especially the further east you go towards the IA border. I did find a flock of around 100 bigger ducks yesterday circling a slough although it was in the closed unit. No big changes since opening day.

James River Valley

Good numbers of ducks were seen this week; birds seem to be keying on flooded crops in the area. Fewer teal were observed this week. Overall, an increase in mallards and gadwall.

Pierre Area/Central SD

Similar report as last week. No noticeable changes in waterfowl numbers. As a reminder the High Plains Duck Zone Season Dates are Oct. 11 - Jan. 15 and the Unit 2 Canada Goose Season Dates are Nov. 3 - Feb. 15.

Northeast

Things are looking pretty good for the duck opener this Saturday. Decent numbers of ducks can be found in the area, and it seems like we have some blue-winged teal around yet. Significant rainfall this summer has wetlands full of water so ducks can be spread out on the landscape. Better congregations of ducks can be found on areas with recently flooded food sources. Scouting will be an important key to success. Small grain fields and some silage remain an option for some field hunting opportunities.

Reminder the low plains north and middle zones open on September 27.

East Central

Wetland conditions across Brookings, Kingsbury, Lake, and Moody counties continue to be good but we appear to have lost most of the bluewings that had been hanging around. I saw pockets of mallards and pintail throughout but no big concentrations.

Canada goose numbers are slowly increasing, but scouting will be key for success. Lots of sileage is currently being taken out, increasing field hunting opportunities. The long-range forecast looks warm and dry, not great news for new birds.

Good luck to those hunting the Low Plains North and Middle zones for opening weekend!

Southeast

Still seeing decent puddle duck number in wetlands but lower teal numbers compared to earlier weeks.

Low Canada goose numbers continue to be an issue in the SE.

Lower River/South Central

Looking into the waterfowl update and migration this week I am not seeing much change. Seeing a few more Canada geese in wheat fields and pastures but they are spread around quite a bit. Nothing new with duck numbers in the southeast. Biggest update would be the rain as I’m guessing the entire state is also going to have this update. Clay/union county area has had little rain but farther north and west you go the more rain we have received. I am optimistic that we will hold water well through the season.

James River Valley

Overall, duck numbers have deceased over the past week with our biggest loss being blue-winged teal. There are some neighbors with high duck numbers, but these ducks have become concentrated to the best habitat. We did pick up some green-winged teal this week, however, mallards followed by pintail are the most abundant species. Scouting will be essential to finding these pockets are high duck numbers for success on opener. Goose numbers remain low, but there seems to be a a slight uptick in overall numbers as some more corn has started to get taken out after last week’s rain.

Pierre Area/Central SD

As a result of the significant rainfall last week, water levels in ponds and wetlands throughout the area have risen. There are a few localized flocks of Canada geese on ponds in Unit 1 but overall, the local waterfowl numbers remain low. With ample sunshine and clear skies for most of this week, road conditions have drastically improved.

Northeast

Very little change was observed this week. Duck numbers in the Northeast continure to be strong with good production throughout. Hunters should expect to see good numbers of most all puddle ducks. Wetland conditions are good with the summer rains so there should be plenty of opportunity in the area. Small grain fields as well as some sileage corn coming out will provide field hunting opportunities. Goose numbers are fair to good in the area so overall. Recent heavy rains in some areas may provide new water and flooded standing crop opportunities. Reminder the low plains north and middle zones open on September 27.

East Central

Basically no change from last week.

Wetland conditions across Brookings, Kingsbury, Lake, and Moody counties are very good with respectable numbers of puddle ducks in the area.

We may have lost some blue winged teal , however, good numbers of blue winged teal, pintails, and mallards with some other assorted puddle ducks were observed area wide.

Canada goose numbers are fair but scouting will be key for success. I did notice an increase in sileage harvest this week.

Bugs are an issue so bring bug spray.

Southeast

No change in SE region report. Decent puddle duck number in wetlands but low Canada goose numbers.

Lower River/South Central

Looking into the waterfowl update and migration this week I am not seeing much change. Seeing a few more Canada geese in wheat fields and pastures but they are spread around quite a bit. Nothing new with duck numbers in the southeast. Biggest update would be the rain as I’m guessing the entire state is also going to have this update. Clay/union county area has had little rain but farther north and west you go the more rain we have received. I am optimistic that we will hold water well through the season.

James River Valley

No change was observed this week in the James Valley area.

Pierre area/Central SD

Over this past week, areas in Central South Dakota have received substantial amounts of rainfall. Some areas have received well over 5 inches of rain. Local waterfowl numbers remain quite low at this time and roads are extremely saturated with some localized flooding.

Northeast

Duck numbers in the Northeast are strong with good production throughout. Hunters should expect to see good numbers of most all puddle ducks. Wetland conditions are good with the summer rains so there should be plenty of opportunity in the area. Small grain fields as well as some sileage corn coming out will provide field hunting opportunities. Goose numbers are fair to good in the area so overall, a good-looking weekend coming up for the youth to enjoy. Bring the bug spray.

East Central

Wetland conditions across Brookings, Kingsbury, Lake, and Moody counties are very good with respectable numbers of puddle ducks in the area.

Good numbers of blue winged teal, pintails, and mallards with some other assorted puddle ducks were observed area wide. Teal should provide good opportunity for youth hunters.

Canada goose numbers are fair, but scouting will be key for success.

The weather looks warm for youth opener so bring plenty of water.

Southeast

Goose numbers are EXTREMELY poor for local population. Hardly any geese around to hunt in the area. Very few small grain fields to hunt as well.

Duck numbers have seemed to increase last week with the cold snap. Good numbers of local puddle ducks for the youth season. Teal numbers are still strong on shallow wetlands. Success should be good for youth season.

Lower River/South Central

Most of our sloughs are full of water which makes me optimistic for the upcoming season. Anytime you find water it seems there are a few teal and wood ducks on it. Only seeing a few gadwalls, mallard, or pintail at this time. I haven’t seen large numbers of birds other than on one private slough in northwest Yankton County which had a couple hundred teal on it earlier this week. There are a few geese in the area as well. Most of these geese are staying south out of the unit 1 boundary not allowing them to be hunted until youth opener.

Overall, I expect us to see a fair number of birds shot over youth opener. No big pushes of birds at this time as expected.

Canada goose numbers are lower than years past and most of the geese seem to be in unit 2 at the present time. A local officer has noted an abundance of pied-billed grebes this year so, as always, hunters are encouraged to know what their target is before pulling the trigger

James River Valley

Smaller concentrations of Canada geese can be found with scouting, they are using small grain fields and the first of the chopped silage fields. Overall goose numbers are still fairly low. Areas with quality habitat that received summer moisture have abundant duck numbers. Blue-Winged teal are the most numerous followed by green-winged teal. There also pockets of mallards and pintails with a few gadwall and shovelers mixed in. With some effort scouting, there is potential for a great youth season this weekend.

Pierre Area/Central SD

With two consecutive open winters and minimal snowfall, water conditions on smaller ponds and wetlands in the central part of the state are quite low, with many going completely dry, despite having favorable precipitation over the summer. Hunters will need to put on the miles to find ponds and wetlands with ample water levels and local waterfowl populations in central South Dakota.