Overall, there is much more demand for waterfowl hunting than there are licenses available for non-residents, says Kallenberger. The South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks Commission limits the number of licenses for non-residents.

"There are a lot of them that would like to hunt here," said Kallenberger. "We have such a low number of available licenses. There is way more demand than there are licenses.

The geese are pursued very actively, and their numbers have been more stable than ducks. The majority of the migratory geese have been Canadas, and now there is an excellent population of the local giant Canada geese. Kallenberger says that at least part of the credit for those flocks should go to local sportsmen's clubs.

"The local sportsman's club got some in," he said. "They started a population here. They started coming back, and we easily have 3,000 to 5,000 that come to nest here. They spend all their time here. You go to the lake right in town here (during summer) and find clutches of 12, 15, 20. You might see 200 to 300 goslings on any given day. We have three lakes connected in town here."

Kallenberger points out the ban on hunting in town. The geese are pretty wise to it, and they stick around.

There is quite a bit of public land to hunt these birds on in the prime waterfowl areas in eastern South Dakota. Federal waterfowl management areas provide hunting, as well as state land controlled by the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks. Even getting permission to hunt on private land isn't hard, at least compared to the more competitive pheasant hunting situation in the Dakotas.

"It's much more difficult with pheasants," said Kallenberger. "It's not too difficult with waterfowl to get permission. There is not too much pressure, and there is a fair amount of public land. Some Game, Fish and Parks land, some federal refuge land. With farmers, once you get good numbers of waterfowl they can decimate wind rows (of grain crops)."

So waterfowl hunters in both Dakotas can, in a way, restore an earlier time when hunting could be had merely for the asking. And without paying, even on private property.

It's a mix of public and private land that creates a high-quality hunt with populations of ducks and geese that remain relatively good in the Central Flyway. And it's part of the northern Great Plains waterfowl hunt.