Northeast

Waterfowl hunting in the Northeast portion of the state was pretty solid for the opener with a good variety of species in the bag. Ducks have moved around some with the pressure but still great opportunity available on both water and in the fields. Still some blue-winged teal around but getting to be less by the day. Area wetlands are holding good numbers of puddle ducks as well as a few divers. With the recent moisture, harvest has slowed but they are getting after it again late week. Mallards, pintails and some wood ducks have been using sileage fields along with some beans that have been taken.

Goose hunting opportunities are great right now with good numbers of local geese using both sileage and wheat fields.

East Central

Wetland conditions across Brookings, Kingsbury, Lake, and Moody counties are similar to opening weekend.

As usually happens after opening weekend the birds reassort in response to hunter activity. We continue to lose blue winged teal but there should still be a few around for bonus teal opportunity this weekend. A few more gadwall, wigeon, and green winged teal were observed. A decent cold front late in the week may cause additional bird movement in time for the weekend.

The forecast is stable, dry weather for the nest week and I expect wetland conditions to remain stable for now.

Southeast

Conditions in the southeast should be similar to last week. While we did get some beneficial rain, but it will take more to significantly improve wetland conditions.

Lower River/South Central

No report/Low Plains South Zone no open.

James River Valley

We did get a small push of calendar birds in the area since last weekend. This push mainly consists of shovelers, green-winged teal, gadwall and wigeon. There also seems to be a small up-tick in mallards scattered about the landscape in smaller numbers. Goose numbers are still slim, but I did observe a few high-flying flocks, so hopefully some decided to stick around. Wetland and crop conditions are very similar to last week, offering similar opportunities for chasing fowl. Scouting is still the name of the game, but I’ve been finding birds a bit easier this week compared to last week.

Pierre Area/Central SD

We have had some significant rainfall across portions of central SD this past week, however waterfowl numbers remain unchanged. Many wetlands and ponds are still dry or holding marginal amounts of water. Overall, hunting conditions remain unchanged, with limited opportunities throughout this area.

Northeast

Generally, things in the Northeast portion of the state look pretty good for the upcoming duck opener. Wetland conditions vary depending on summer rainfall and what areas received rain vs. others. Some wetlands have receding water lines where mud flats are showing between the water and the cover while others are generally full.

Most wetlands have some ducks using them and still seem to be pretty good numbers of blue-winged teal around. Most of the puddle duck species are present on area wetlands so hunters should expect a good opener. Of course, scouting is key and with the dryer summer, you don’t want to show up to your favorite spot to find it dry. Some field feeding is occurring in sileage fields with wood ducks and mallards.

Canada goose numbers are strong in the area and I’ve seen them in wheat, alfalfa and sileage lately so hunters should have good opportunity for both ducks and geese this weekend.

East Central

Wetland conditions across Brookings, Kingsbury, Lake, and Moody counties are variable with northern and western portions of the area in better shape than eastern and southerly areas. We have had persistent drought conditions most of the growing season making scouting your favorite hunting areas a must. Recent rains have improved some areas and may provide some new water opportunities.

Decent numbers of blue winged teal along with some other assorted puddle ducks were observed area wide. Teal should provide good opportunity for early season action.

Canada goose numbers are fair with some field feeding taking place in silage fields.

The long-range forecast is unsettled and hopefully we will continue to catch rain this fall to further improve wetland conditions.

Southeast

Conditions prior to the last week were extremely poor. Over half of the sloughs were dried up. The recent rain has added a good amount of water, but it wasn’t here for the local nesting ducks, so our local population is very low.

Youth season had a few select pockets of puddle ducks on the water that hunters could find. There are a few teal and puddle ducks around but numbers are not great.

Goose numbers in the SE/Sioux Falls area are extremely low.

Lower River/South Central

No report/Low Plains South Zone not open.

Pickings seem to be thin around the James River Valley. We had a dry summer, which led to limited local bird production. Recent rains have some water back into a few temporary wetlands, but a lot of wetlands are still low with the prolonged drought. Blue-winged teal are still hanging around and are spread around the area utilizing some of this newer rainwater. Pockets of big ducks (even some prairie wood ducks) and some Canadas can be found with a lot of scouting. A few corn fields are out, but limited field hunting opportunity exists with most crops still being in with the wet weather recently. Scout, Scout, Scout!

Pierre Area/Central SD

Throughout this area conditions have been dry most of the year, with very little water available. Many wetlands and ponds have either dried up or are very low, resulting in limited local waterfowl production and hunting opportunities at this time.