Northwest North Dakota Duck Migration Forecast

Big sheet-water country from Stanley toward Williston. Field mallard hunts build fast behind Saskatchewan fronts.

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

Where Northwest North Dakota is

Northwest North Dakota is drawn from 5 counties in North Dakota: Burke, Divide, Mountrail, Ward and Williams. 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 Northwest 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 Northwest North Dakota

4 upstream stations feed this region's freeze line, nearest first: Estevan, SK, about 60 miles north, Weyburn, SK, about 100 miles north, Regina, SK, about 160 miles northwest and Saskatoon, SK, about 305 miles northwest. When those stations ice over, the score here starts climbing before anything changes in the local sky.

Radar over Northwest North Dakota

Each morning DuckCast reads the night’s NEXRAD data from KMBX, the National Weather Service radar at Minot, about 105 miles east of the region’s weather point. That is well outside the region, so treat the radar reading as area context rather than a measurement of this ground. 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 Northwest 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.

West Central North Dakota, about 75 miles south
North Central North Dakota, about 105 miles east
Southwest North Dakota, about 130 miles south
Central North Dakota, about 150 miles southeast
South Central North Dakota, about 190 miles southeast
Northeast North Dakota, about 225 miles east
East Central North Dakota, about 255 miles east
Southeast North Dakota, about 290 miles southeast

Live migration map

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