Walker Davidson for SPLIT REED
Let me begin this by introducing you all to a series of articles we are going to do this year we are calling “From the Blind.” These articles will be our version of a migration report which will include bird numbers, weather conditions, along with other relevant information.
This report is written from a few days spent in North Dakota in mid-October!
Date: 10/21 – 10/25
Location: Central North Dakota
Weather Conditions: Cold the entire time, highs were barely above freezing. We had a couple of inches of snow on some days. Sunshine and wind were the norms on the day it did not snow. Most big waters were still open but anything that was shallow was locked up.
Bird Numbers and Activity: There was a decent amount of birds in the areas we were hunting. Most of the feeds were very active in the afternoons, sometimes the birds fed twice a day. With it being extremely dry across the state a lot of the birds were concentrated in areas that had water. Overall it seemed like there were a lot of birds around, I think for a dry year we still had a good hatch and numbers should be pretty good this year!
Harvest Report: The hunting was really good on the days it snowed. The other days were hit or miss, usually it was a waiting game for when the birds decided to get up and feed. Breaking ice in potholes also seemed to be a successful tactic, if you’re up for that much work. Getting permission this year was a little tougher than in the past and more and more land has been posted. My group ended up just shy of 200 birds for 6 days of hunting, with our best day being 42 birds.
I would like to add that I think many of the little ducks have already moved out and with the extreme cold snap that hit a few days after we left I imagine it pushed out big ducks as well. I have seen some guys still killing Honkers and the mallards that decided to stick it out until the bitter end, but for the most part, the migration has begun!
As the season continues I look forward to bringing these reports to you! If you have any information you would like to share about your season or your hunts feel free to DM the Split Reed page and we will take a look.
Follow Up:
Corey Mulhair for SPLIT REED
Date: 11/1– 11/10
Location: North-Central North Dakota (1 hr N. of Minot, about 20 miles south of Canadian Border)
Weather Conditions: Weather conditions for this stretch of early November were mixed. Temperatures ranged from highs in the single digits to highs in the ‘60s! During the last week of October, we saw a big cold snap followed by a warm period. Early November was warm and as of the second week of November, we are seeing highs and lows in the 20’s. Some small snowfall and freezing rain have occurred over the state.
Bird Numbers and Activity: Later October with it brought a shutdown in much of the local bird activity when nearly all water locked up. Huge pushes of snow geese, mallards, and some honkers made their way south. What seemed to be the last of the cranes have left the northern prairies. Snow geese streamed out of Canada and into the Southern prairies of South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, and Colorado. Mallards and Honkers stuck it out in some groups but the majority of the birds left. Some enormous snow goose and mallard feeds are still around but they were few and far between. Feeds can be either twice a day or just once depending on the group of birds/feed you are hunting and the temperatures. Remember, when it gets cold enough, these birds often field feed but once a day, when the sun is highest over their roost so that when they leave their ice hole it doesn’t freeze over while they’re out.
Despite the weather turning nice again for a couple of weeks after the hard freeze, birds did not replenish the temporarily re-opened waters. Canada still holds some birds but overall North Central North Dakota is experiencing a post-migration situation. As of 11/11 most of the big water is frozen up again with a couple of open pockets and some groups of mallards and honkers with a few light geese mixed in but as usual for this time of the year the hunting is slowing down greatly.
Harvest Report: As mentioned before, mallards and honkers can still be found here or there but the hunting is on its last wind for the year up here. Permission is needed on many fields as posted signs are hung for Deer season. Ducks have been working very well in duck only decoy spreads with a couple of spinners, and into mixed feed spreads as well. Peas and small grains are targeted feeds to the North, while in the southern part of the state where there is more grain corn, those fields tend to produce better hunts. As of 11/10/2020, many more birds have vacated Canada- thousands of snows and honkers passed over my town over the day and night as temps dropped again to single digits during a low-pressure cold snap event moved across Southern Canada
Where there are big waters or open/moving waters, birds are still around and still being hunted.
Stay tuned for more regional Migration Updates from hunters and guides across the continent as the season progresses!
