A warm start to the month of October has finally given way to more seasonal temperatures in North Dakota, but has the change in the weather meant a migration of new birds into the state?
Yes and no, says Mason Ryckman, Migratory Game Bird Biologist with the North Dakota Game and Fish Department (NDGF).
“The weather took a pretty good turn this past Sunday and Monday. The wind shifted to the northwest and our temperatures cooled off nicely. It’s nice to have some fall weather after the last month of relatively warm conditions,” says Ryckman. “And with the weather came our first real migration of tundra swans and divers into the state. We’re seeing lots of tundra swans and a lot of bluebills and redheads now congregating on wetlands.”
Ryckman says that reports from NDGF staff across the state strongly suggest, however, that hunters are still waiting on the first substantial migration of mallards.
“We just don’t have those large numbers of mallards around quite yet, but I’m hoping that after this cold front we have this week that things will start moving,” he says. “Same goes for little Canada geese. We just haven’t seen many migrating into the state up to this point. One species of duck that does stick out, however, is the pintail. It seems like there are quite a few pintails around, and there are some nice looking drakes out there right now, too.”
The key to finding hunting opportunities right now, Ryckman says, is targeting areas that received moisture. Wetland conditions are “pretty patchy” across North Dakota, with the best water levels likely found in the northwestern and northcentral areas of the state.
“The further south you go, the conditions just are not as good,” says Ryckman. “It’s not like the semi-permanent wetlands are dry or anything like that, but you’re probably going to have to deal with a mud margin between the cattails and the water’s edge.”
Focusing on areas of good water worked well for hunters in the early weeks of the season, Ryckman says. Those areas that had water during the spring and summer and enjoyed good duck production had good numbers of mallards in September, and those locally produced birds provided hunters with some decent opportunities both over water and in the fields.
“But they had to put on some miles to find them,” says Ryckman. “It wasn’t like they were everywhere, and I think that until we see a significant push of mallards out of the north, hunters are going to be forced to find these pockets of birds.”
With a weather pattern forecasted to soon shift back toward warmer temperatures, it may mean that hunters will have at least a few more weeks of heavy scouting to find concentrations of birds. The idea of an extended period of unseasonal weather conditions also causes Ryckman to shudder a bit at the thought of what a sudden, drastic shift in the weather could mean for North Dakota. And as the days tick away in October, it’s likely a concern on the mind of every waterfowl hunter in the state.
“We sure hope that when we do see a big cold front move through, the birds don’t migrate in and push out right away because of a freeze or flyover us completely,” Ryckman adds.
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