The North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s annual fall wetland survey indicates variable wetland conditions for duck hunting throughout the state.
Mike Szymanski, Department migratory game bird management supervisor, said the statewide estimate of the number of duck hunting wetlands holding water is nearly identical to last year’s estimate, but still 29% below the 2003-2022 long-term average.
The number of duck hunting type wetlands (seasonal and semi-permanent wetlands) counted on the survey was the sixth lowest since 2003.
Szymanski said all regions are still below average for the number of duck hunting wetlands observed, but the south central (up 76%) and southeastern (up 18%) regions showed improvements from last year. Despite the increase in the southeast, it was still 27% below its long-term average.
Number of wetlands recorded in the northern tier of the state were down 8-18% compared to fall 2022. By and large, the northern tier is lagging behind the long-term averages by 29-40%.
Conditions are very dry in the northeastern part of the state with that region recording its lowest number of duck hunting type wetlands observed on the survey since 2003.
“We started off spring pretty wet again, making it back-to-back springs with high wetland counts,” Szymanski said. “However, precipitation really dropped off this summer, bringing drought conditions to the northern tier of the state. Conditions within wetlands on the survey were variable with many remaining wetlands having a mud margin as they are in the process of drying up.”
It should be noted that immediately following the fall wetland survey, parts of the state received an abnormally large amount of rain. Areas in much of central North Dakota received 2-4 inches over a three-day period, with some areas in the southeastern part of the state receiving it as well. These areas will have pretty good wetland conditions. Summer rainfall patterns were really spotty and while a large region got a lot of rain recently, some localized areas received much more than others. Hunters should expect wetland conditions south of U.S. Highway 2 to be quite variable as a result.
“The quality of waterfowl hunting in North Dakota is largely determined by weather conditions and migration patterns. North Dakota saw solid duck production in most regions of the state this year and large numbers of ducks in the state during late summer, so hopefully that will translate into good hunting opportunities if we don’t lose too many birds to migration early,” Szymanski said. “As always, our wetland conditions are highly dynamic, and hunters should take a look at areas they plan to hunt as they may have changed quite a bit from last year.”
He added that hunters also need to be cautious of soft areas in fields and roads from recent rains, but at the same time be cautious of tall vegetation that could be a fire hazard.
The fall wetland survey is conducted in mid-September, just prior to the waterfowl hunting season to provide an assessment of conditions duck hunters can expect.
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