Central North Dakota Duck Migration Forecast

The heart of the prairie potholes, Chase Lake and Long Lake country. Massive staging numbers in October.

Season dates: North Dakota duck season 2026-27, dates and migration timing

Where Central North Dakota is

Central North Dakota is drawn from 6 counties in North Dakota: Burleigh, Kidder, McLean, Oliver, Sheridan and Wells. 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 Central North Dakota peaks

DuckCast’s season model puts the mallard peak here around early 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 Central North Dakota

3 upstream stations feed this region's freeze line, nearest first: Brandon, MB, about 170 miles north, Estevan, SK, about 175 miles northwest and Yorkton, SK, about 280 miles north. When those stations ice over, the score here starts climbing before anything changes in the local sky.

Radar over Central North Dakota

Each morning DuckCast reads the night’s NEXRAD data from KBIS, the National Weather Service radar at Bismarck, about 50 miles southwest 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 Central North Dakota 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 North Dakota

Nearest first. Distances run between the regions’ weather points.

South Central North Dakota, about 65 miles south
North Central North Dakota, about 70 miles northwest
Northeast North Dakota, about 105 miles northeast
East Central North Dakota, about 110 miles east
West Central North Dakota, about 115 miles west
Southeast North Dakota, about 135 miles southeast
Southwest North Dakota, about 150 miles southwest
Northwest North Dakota, about 150 miles northwest

Live migration map

Season dates and regulations change. Always verify with ND Game and Fish. DuckCast forecasts conditions, not legal seasons.