North Central North Dakota Duck Migration Forecast

Souris River basin and pothole country around Minot. Classic early and mid-season traffic corridor.

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

Where North Central North Dakota is

North Central North Dakota is drawn from 7 counties in North Dakota: Benson, Bottineau, McHenry, Pierce, Renville, Rolette and Towner. 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 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 North Central North Dakota

3 upstream stations feed this region's freeze line, nearest first: Estevan, SK, about 110 miles northwest, Yorkton, SK, about 215 miles north and Regina, SK, about 225 miles northwest. When those stations ice over, the score here starts climbing before anything changes in the local sky.

Radar over North Central North Dakota

Each morning DuckCast reads the night’s NEXRAD data from KMBX, the National Weather Service radar at Minot, about 7 miles north of the region’s weather point. That is close enough for the radar to sample the air over the region itself. 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 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.

Central North Dakota, about 70 miles southeast
West Central North Dakota, about 105 miles southwest
Northwest North Dakota, about 105 miles west
Northeast North Dakota, about 120 miles east
South Central North Dakota, about 130 miles south
East Central North Dakota, about 150 miles southeast
Southwest North Dakota, about 165 miles southwest
Southeast North Dakota, about 200 miles southeast

Live migration map

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