Migration Alert: Improved Habitat Conditions in Great Plains Has Waterfowl Managers Optimistic

The late-spring and summer rains that fell across portions of the Prairie Pothole Region provided a needed boost to wetland conditions, but what will they mean for waterfowl hunters in the Central Flyway this fall? The following is a breakdown from state waterfowl managers as hunting seasons get underway in the heart of “the duck factory.”

The Dakotas

Coming out of last fall and winter, wetland conditions across much of Prairie Pothole Region in North Dakota and South Dakota were dry, so when early migrating species of ducks like mallards and pintails arrived in the spring, the birds encountered a landscape largely void of those small, seasonal wetlands that are so vital to duck production. According to the results of the US Fish and Wildlife Service’s 2025 Breeding Population Survey, these less-than-ideal breeding conditions caused many ducks to continue to migrate north in search of water.

Following the survey, the rains began to fall across parts of the Prairie Pothole Region, continuing through the summer and even well into the month of September.

“The moisture may have arrived in time to help late-nesting species of waterfowl, including gadwall, blue-winged teal, and shovelers,” explains Rocco Murano, chief waterfowl biologist with the South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks. “And it certainly helped provide a boost to brood rearing conditions, so that those ducks that did settle in the region likely did well in terms of production.”

Duck brood surveys conducted in July in North Dakota showed an increase of 28 percent over last year, reports John Palarski, migratory game bird supervisor with the North Dakota Game and Fish Department. Palarski adds that the brood numbers remain well below peak levels from a period between 1994–2016 when both wetland and grassland conditions in the state were greatly improved.

Still, the arrival of moisture across the region during the summer and into early fall means that both ducks and duck hunters should find plenty of water this fall.

“Overall, our conditions are shaping up to be very similar to last year and there should be plenty of opportunities for folks,” Palarski says.

Nebraska

Nebraska has improved water conditions as well, which is good news for hunters in the Cornhusker State, according to John McKinney with the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.

“We have a lot more water across the landscape than we have had over the last three or four years, which should help attract and distribute birds, and hopefully provide more opportunity for hunters,” McKinney reports. Among the regions benefitting from the arrival of moisture are the eastern and central portions of the Sandhills Region, which typically provides some of the state’s strongest hunting opportunities early in the season.

Duck and goose hunting along Nebraska’s river systems typically heats up when cold temperatures and snow hit the northern reaches of the Central Flyway, and McKinney explains that Nebraska hunters have already been reminded of the role that the weather plays in waterfowl numbers in the state.

“We had good water on the landscape and pretty good numbers of teal in the state heading into September, then a string of cool days sent quite a few of those birds south before our early teal season began,” McKinney says.

Overall, however, there is reason to be optimistic in Nebraska heading into the fall waterfowl hunting season.

“I suspect that this hunting season will be pretty good compared to the last several years, McKinney says.”