The ongoing drought across North Dakota has led to a marked decline in ducks across the state, with the lowest duck numbers since 1994, the state’s Game and Fish Department reported Monday.
The upcoming fall flight of ducks that nested and hatched in North Dakota this summer is expected to be down 66% from last year.
North Dakota has seen an unprecedented string of high-water years, with high duck numbers in recent decades, attracting many hunters from nearby states like Minnesota. But this year’s extreme drought has shrunk many wetlands and caused others to dry up entirely.
Breeding conditions in the state varied from very poor to fair and the wetland index declined by 80% — the largest one-year drop in the 74-year history of the wetland survey.
“Hunters should expect waterfowl hunting to be difficult in North Dakota this year, with the lone bright spot being Canada goose hunting,’’ said Mike Szymanski, North Dakota migratory game bird management supervisor, in announcing the survey results.
Pockets of good duck numbers may exist, however, and the fall migration will bring birds down from Canada. But waterfowl hunters “should take advantage of early migrants like blue-winged teal during the first two weeks of the season. We won’t be able to depend on local duck production to the extent that we have in the past.”
The number of broods observed during the Department’s July brood survey dropped 49% from last year’s count and 23% below the 1965-2020 average. While the number of broods observed is the lowest since 1994, the count this year was still 62% above the 1965-1993 average. The average brood size was 6.46 ducklings, down 4% from last year’s estimate.
The summer duck brood survey involves 18 routes that cover most areas of the state. Biologists count and classify duck broods and water areas within 220 yards on each side of the road. Biologists will conduct a separate survey in mid-September to assess wetland conditions heading into the waterfowl hunting season.
“At this point, we are not overly concerned about undue negative impacts of the harvest on ducks during this season, but we’ll reevaluate the situation during the federal regulations process,” Szymanski said. “One year of drought won’t be a disaster for ducks, but we could have issues if these conditions continue into next year.”
