Photo by Ron Hustvedt Jr.

The northern Great Plains' waterfowling should offer a lot to the hunter this fall, as indicators heading into the season point to solid duck numbers and excellent goose populations.

The Plains region has been on a general downturn in duck numbers the past few years, drier weather having cut into bird production on the prairies of the Dakotas and Canada.

But last spring was wetter, and nesting conditions were better.

The overall goose population in the Central Flyway remains strong. Most of those birds nest in the northern Canadian provinces, where habitat destruction hasn't so far been nearly as great as it has in the United States, so the birds' numbers have remained stable at robust levels for a number of years.

Given the number of birds in the flyway this autumn, opportunities ought to be plentiful throughout the Great Plains states. As usual, local weather conditions on the day of a hunt will exert a pivotal influence. Following: a run-down of some wildlife agency biologists' expectations for the waterfowl seasons in their states, along with some of the best places to pursue web-footed quarry.

NORTH DAKOTA
Waterfowling in North Dakota is always some of North America's best. Lots of natural potholes and sloughs remain there, so it's a welcoming place for ducks to nest and raise their young, and thus a source of first-rate duck and goose hunting each fall. Indeed, sportsmen from states to the east whose habitat has largely been destroyed travel there, as the state's wealth of wetlands translates to a lot of places to hunt. The action is of a quality such as waterfowlers from elsewhere can only dream of.

Mike Szymanski, waterfowl biologist with the North Dakota Game and Fish Department in Bismarck, keeps track of waterfowl for the entire state. "Basically, anywhere in eastern North Dakota is pretty good," he said, "as long as you aren't in the Red River Valley -- there aren't any wetlands there. Once you get west of there, the prairie pothole country starts up."

Much of the waterfowl production in the United States still takes place in this natural wetlands area, a rich shallow-water environment of which some is only seasonal. If the edges have ample vegetation, the ducks will favor it both for nesting and for the food they'll readily find in the marshy areas. As a result, North Dakota hunters have the best of it: lots of locally produced ducks, and many birds flying south from Canada stopping there on their southward journey.

"The migration the last few years has been pretty good," said Szymanski. "The last week, things are getting ready to end, but during the last couple of weeks, if there's real strong storms, it can be really good. But when those storms will happen, it's hard to say; last year it was around Halloween. There were birds in the south part of the state. It's good in mid-November in other years. Basically, after Halloween you are rolling the dice as to whether you will be able to hunt or not."

The mallard, the staple of duck hunting, remains the most popular species, but big complements of gadwalls, redheads, canvasbacks and scaup are also present. "Folks in North Dakota usually target mallards," said Szymanski. "Early in the year there are quite a few bluewings around, but that is real early. Usually by the first week of October we have lost most of our teal. Really, you can run into about any kind of duck."

Over along the Missouri River, hunters go after ducks in the field and on the big water. That can prove to be a sort of hunt very different from the smaller typical wetlands hunts you'll find just to the east. A number of hunting styles will be found there, so waterfowlers can take their pick. Setting out decoys remains quite popular; it's effective, and very sporting.

"It's mostly decoy hunting," said Szymanski. "A lot of folks hunt out in fields, too. That is getting pretty popular -- setting out several hundred decoys."

Canada goose hunting has probably been improving in some respects. As corn planting moves farther north on the continent, the geese coming down from the north tend to stop, and to stay longer, in North Dakota.

"The Canada geese are doing all right," said Szymanski. "They have been riding this wet cycle pretty good; they are way ahead of objectives. We do worry a little bit about them, because snow geese are overpopulated."

Szymanski recommended that those going out for the first time should arrive at least a day early to scout for birds and get the lay of the land. "Find out where the birds are, where the birds will be," he said. "You have to get out there and look around. A lot of it is on private property. There are federal waterfowl production areas. We have the North Dakota PLOTS program (Private Land Open to Sportsmen)."

As corn planting moves farther north on the continent, the geese coming down from the north tend to stop, and to stay longer, in North Dakota.