Nebraska Coverage
North Platte and McConaughy Duck Migration Forecast
Lake McConaughy and the North Platte valley through Keith and Lincoln counties. One big reservoir and the river below it.
See today’s live scoreAll of NE
Season dates: Nebraska duck season 2026-27, dates and migration timing
Where North Platte and McConaughy is
North Platte and McConaughy is drawn from 7 counties in Nebraska: Chase, Deuel, Dundy, Garden, Keith, Lincoln and Perkins. Those are the counties its shape on the DuckCast map is built from, so a hunter in any of them reads this region’s score.
When North Platte and McConaughy peaks
DuckCast’s season model puts the mallard peak here around mid November. This follows the statewide mallard curve. That is a modelled typical curve, not a prediction for any single year. The actual push depends on cold fronts and freeze-up upstream, which is what the daily score tracks. Always confirm season dates with the state wildlife agency, linked below.
What DuckCast watches upstream of North Platte and McConaughy
3 upstream stations feed this region's freeze line, nearest first: Winner, SD, about 175 miles northeast, Hot Springs, SD, about 195 miles northwest and Belle Fourche, SD, about 280 miles northwest. When those stations ice over, the score here starts climbing before anything changes in the local sky.
Radar over North Platte and McConaughy
Each morning DuckCast reads the night’s NEXRAD data from KLNX, the National Weather Service radar at North Platte, about 70 miles northeast of the region’s weather point. That puts the radar just outside the region, near enough to see birds lifting off and passing close by. Radar sees every bird in the air, not only ducks, so it confirms or questions the score rather than moving it.
Locations stay generalized
Hunter reports for North Platte and McConaughy are always shown at the region level. DuckCast never collects or displays exact coordinates, so filing a report here never burns a spot.
Also covered in Nebraska
Nearest first. Distances run between the regions’ weather points.
- Sandhills Lakes, about 75 miles north
- Republican Valley, about 120 miles southeast
- Panhandle, about 120 miles northwest
- Central Platte, about 125 miles east
- Niobrara Country, about 155 miles northeast
- Rainwater Basin, about 190 miles east
- Lower Platte and Salt Valley, about 245 miles east
- Missouri River, about 260 miles east
Season dates and regulations change. Always verify with Nebraska Game and Parks. DuckCast forecasts conditions, not legal seasons.