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.