South Central North Dakota Duck Migration Forecast

Missouri River and Lake Oahe influence. Open river water holds mallards deep into the freeze.

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

Where South Central North Dakota is

South Central North Dakota is drawn from 5 counties in North Dakota: Emmons, Logan, McIntosh, Morton and Sioux. 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 South 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 South Central North Dakota

2 upstream stations feed this region's freeze line, nearest first: Estevan, SK, about 225 miles northwest and Yorkton, SK, about 345 miles north. When those stations ice over, the score here starts climbing before anything changes in the local sky.

Radar over South Central North Dakota

Each morning DuckCast reads the night’s NEXRAD data from KBIS, the National Weather Service radar at Bismarck, about 35 miles northwest 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 South 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 65 miles north
Southeast North Dakota, about 115 miles east
East Central North Dakota, about 125 miles northeast
West Central North Dakota, about 130 miles northwest
North Central North Dakota, about 130 miles north
Southwest North Dakota, about 140 miles west
Northeast North Dakota, about 150 miles northeast
Northwest North Dakota, about 190 miles northwest

Live migration map

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