# DUCK MIGRATION



## dukegoose (Jul 17, 2006)

What is everyone seeing for ducks? Not just in Nodak, but Sodak and Canada? I'm not looking for locations, just a general idea of how the migration is going.


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## boranger (Mar 11, 2008)

was on the phone with a bud, he said get my butt up there the birds are everyplace snows and more snows!


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## water_swater (Sep 19, 2006)

Migration report, if your a puddle hunter I saw no indications of how that would be fun right now, all the birds got froze out and moved to big water (roosts). The birds are concentrated either your on em or not. If your coming to DL chances are you wont be, I drove around last night 3 of the 4 best fields in my usual haunts were already locked up, after I drove around the 4th one was. In my roughly 2 hour scout I saw 4 huntable flocks of snow geese, two less than monday night. I don't think the snows have figured out soybeans yet and thats where all the good food is right now so I think more have moved out than have moved in during this week. If you think the sky is going to be black in ND in the DL area with snows you'll be dissapointed there's about 1/5th of the snows we had last year at its peak.


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## cgreeny (Apr 21, 2004)

I was over in DL last weekend and there were some geese, but hardly any big numbers of ducks. I agree with WS the numbers will only go up if some corn comes down and as far as I heard up to yesterday if any does come down it won't be much. and as far as 1/5 the birds, I would agree with that.


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## snow (Dec 7, 2007)

Crazy weather and fall this year :eyeroll: Have friends that pushed their trip to SK back to this week,Quill Lake is loaded with white geese and the huge flights of mallards are just showing up.

I'm on the fence when to take a run to SoDak,Sand Lake refuge claims #'s are building slowly,mostly with snows and swan's 135k as of the 29th.


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## wildrice (Sep 11, 2007)

Was in Sask last week and left the day of the big NW wind so I'm sure its changed some. Last week there were a lot of mallards just starting to roost up on bigger water, earlier in the week if was scattered flocks on just about any pothole you saw, small or large. Regarding geese, lots of family groups scattered as well, no large concentrations where we were. Snows were minimal at best where we were, and it wasn't the Quills...........I'd say the best is yet to come although up that way there is a warm up coming next week and then a cool down by weeks end.........lots of birds yet to come.

My .02


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## dukegoose (Jul 17, 2006)

Had a friend in south western Sask last week, he said a lot of birds showed up on Wed with the weather change.


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## northdakotakid (May 12, 2004)

North Central NoDak... some snows around... but very very few ducks. We are in the lull... there are some but very few and concentrated to small areas.

Some divers in the area mostly scaup, buffalo heads and some redheads but very few. Need some weather up north and then a warm-up. Earlier in the week most of the water was frozen but it has opened back up.


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## mfretch (Oct 23, 2008)

Another big front is setting up to move through this coming week, should begin to pick up.


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## huntinND (May 1, 2008)

> The birds are concentrated either your on em or not


This is what I have seen in central ND. and when you do find the concentrations there is a lot of pressure because there are so few spots where they are stacked up. People are hunting the big roosts around here and making the birds move out before they can get a good pattern down. This warm spell opened things up but there are a lot of empty sloughs. Snows are scattered at best and are switching from field to field looking for a good feed. Absolutely no harvested corn in the area. Rain came at the wrong time so the corn didn't get a good start. Moisture content is to high and cost of propane too much to dry it. Probably wont harvest any before things freeze up. I think a lot of birds are going to pass us up this year.


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## Old Hunter (Mar 8, 2002)

huntinND has the problem nailed. It froze the birds moved to the larger roosts and then the roosts were pounded.Many birds would have moved south because of the ice but not everything. Yesterday I covered many miles in s central and there is very little waterfowl.


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## miduck (Nov 1, 2004)

Just left the great State of N.D. Arrived from MIchigan last Sunday in the big wind. North central part of the State. Found ducks Monday feeding in the fields. Did great Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Snows and ducks flying every where.
Thursday with the warm weather coming in every thing was gone.
Very few birds in the air. 
We had three great days! On our way home now. Can't wait till next year!


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## dakotashooter2 (Oct 31, 2003)

N of DL ducks seem to be pretty slim right now. Burned a full tank of gas Thursday and don't think I saw more than 1/2 dozen ducks. Have not had a duck buzz the goose spread in at least 2 and maybe 3 weeks. Geese are pretty abundant but I have not seen the same field used 2 consecutive days except maybe Canadas. Corn is just starting to come off but the geese are not in it yet and many of the field the geese had been in are being tilled for a second time.


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## dukegoose (Jul 17, 2006)

Its the same here in WI. Most birds left my area last week, but yesterday I started to see new groups iaround, not alot but some.


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## Shu (Oct 21, 2003)

We hunted Thursday - Sunday in the central part of the state. No mallards around. Poorest hunting we have ever had in ND, in fact we left a day early. Hot, no wind, no clouds. Lots of snows but of course the roost was jumped each morning. If you want to shoot divers they are around in good numbers. Roosters and grouse saved the trip.


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## slough (Oct 12, 2003)

I would second Shu here. Thank god for pheasants or it would be pretty boring around here right now.


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## boranger (Mar 11, 2008)

I see the reports but cannot understand , there were birds every place we went.


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## planetclaire (Oct 31, 2008)

just got back from NoDak this past Tuesday. We did a lot of driving/scouting, but eventually found a lot of birds...when we left all the little stuff hadn't frozen yet so every little pothole held birds, they were spread out. We were close to the SD border...each time we crossed over for a look we ran across a bagillion ducks (that's our measure of the huge mallard swarms that swirl in the distance). The birds KNOW where they WON'T be shot at...it's like a flippin' refuge in northern SD!!!
Heading back up next Wednesday...is it true they got 30 inches of snow in Minot? 
I've never seen so many ducks in flooded beans, but I suppose that's because there's so much corn up still. Is the little stuff freezing up?


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## shadow (Mar 5, 2003)

We got lots of snow by Devils Lake, north to Rock Lake and south for a while. We have lots of froze stuff and most should freeze by Sunday morning. They have not got this in Canada and we have not seen any migration except snow geese. There are divers here but puddle ducks flew straight through today. Hope the rest wait a week until it warms some but a very poor migration on all accounts even from the USFWS.


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## snowhunter16 (Mar 14, 2006)

When out to lake byron north of huron and the ducks are every were out there and the snows are just starting to show up got 3 and a limit of rosters :sniper:


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## Rick Acker (Sep 26, 2002)

Out today duckin' while everybody else was "Driving" around in pick up's dressed in Orange. Birds migrating today, 80% of the sloughs are frozen with NO birds feeding in the fields??? I guess no corn off equals nothing to hold the birds. On to South Dakota. The few that are sticking around are just sitting in the middle of big sloughs. All but the lakes should be frozen by early this week. Hard to believe if this is the peak migration. Honks flying over my city all afternoon! Time to start thinking about Pheasants I guess!


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## averyghg (Oct 16, 2006)

limited on northern greenies this morning. Definitely some decent numbers around still if you know where to find em


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## shadow (Mar 5, 2003)

There were plenty of birds left on the big lake as of last night.


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## 187bluebill (Sep 9, 2008)

how much snow is on the ground around devils lake? is it melting fast? are most of the small ponds iced over?


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## shadow (Mar 5, 2003)

Bluebill: Snow ranges from a couple of inches to 10 or so. Also ALL water is froze even parts of the lake. If the wind does not blow tonight, it wil get worse as already at 15. Oddly, I see lots of swans usually the first to come down with Goldeneyes the last to come down. No snow geese today, I think they all left. One thing is for sure, there definitely is a lot of cripples. I fired one shot at one duck today and ended up with many more than 5 as well as two bonus huns. At least the dog kept himself busy in and out of the water, marsh and grass. I will be out the next 2 days and message me for more specific info if you wish.


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## Cedar Creek (Sep 15, 2003)

Small water frozen, 5-6 inches of snow that is not melting. It was supposed to be in the single digits this weekend. We left all that I just described last night. Good luck.


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## 187bluebill (Sep 9, 2008)

any reports of mallards or divers around DL? we do not want to cancel our hunt this weekend but hate to drive 7 hours if the birds are all gone . we love field hunting but if that looks bad we like to shoot divers. any help would be great. thanks


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## slough (Oct 12, 2003)

Drove around the East DL area yesterday and pretty much everything was frozen except the Big water and it hasn't been above 20 degrees since. Saw a few geese but pretty much no ducks. There is almost no corn cut in that area so there is really no reason for the birds to stay IMO. I'm sure there's a few pockets of them but you might want to just save your time and gas money. Ran into a couple guys from MN who looked pretty dejected and they said "I think it's over guys."


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## RWHONKER (Dec 22, 2003)

Was out today pheasant hunting. Found a nice mallard feed with bonus snow geese. Will be trying it tomorrow. No open water around so they might be just passing through.


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## snow (Dec 7, 2007)

This week might be the grand finale in SoDak~

Migration/ Wildlife: The Sand Lake area only received about an inch of snow from the winter storm that moved through North and South Dakota last Thursday and Friday but the strong winds and colder weather moved a lot of birds into and through the area. On Saturday, large flocks of snow geese were seen feeding in fields between Aberdeen and Huron. Most of the wetlands in northern Brown County froze over on Saturday night, and remain frozen today. This includes the lakes on Sand Lake Refuge.

As of today, there are several hundred thousand snow geese in the northern Brown County area. There are still ducks, Canada geese and some swans on the ice and small open water area on the refuge lakes.


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