Migration Alert: Early Migrators Arrive in South Dakota, Few Mallards

On one hand, evidence of waterfowl migration into South Dakota is not that hard to find. Swans, canvasbacks, green-winged teal, white-fronted geese, and even a few snow geese can be found scattered across the eastern half of the state, with larger numbers found north of Highway 14. Noticeably absent from the new arrivals, however, is any sizable concentration of mallards.

“There has been a trickle of mallards into some regions, but in terms of peak numbers we are nowhere even close,” says Rocco Murano, head waterfowl biologist with the South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks (SDGFP).

This lack of mallards is echoed in reports from SDGFP staff across the eastern half of South Dakota, which also mentions mixed habitat conditions across the state.

“If you’re going to try to find mallards or really any other puddle ducks, you’ll need to find the water,” Murano says. “There are regions that remain quite dry and really don’t have much for ducks.”

The diving ducks, swans, white-fronted geese, gadwalls, wigeon, and green-winged teal that have arrived from the north are the result of a significant cold front last week that delivered strong winds out of the northwest, and also a calendar migration of certain species tied to the dwindling daylight as fall marches toward winter.

Before South Dakota receives a real push of mallards, Murano explains that the weather is going to need to change up north. Until the mallards arrive, he encourages hunters to consider targeting the building numbers of Canada geese in portions of the state. The relative abundance of gadwalls, northern shovelers, green-winged teal, and diving ducks is also creating additional opportunities for hunters in a glass-half-full approach to a mid-season, mallard-less lull.

“The forecast is mild heading into November, so we shouldn’t lose many of the birds that we have here now, and we’ll continue to pick up calendar birds in the coming weeks,” Murano adds. “The mallards will come, but they just aren’t here yet.”