NoDak pond status report

R

RLLigman

Well-known member
I talked to a friend headed for Stanley/New Town area this fall who had several conversations with Minot, Max, and Rugby residents...dry with most shallow ponds with water well receded from the shoreline vegetation. May be a good idea to bring gear to focus on field hunting this year... Water to the west of Minot is particularly hard hit up into the southern end of Lostwood NWR complex north of Tagus.
 
Lots of water issues going on in that area of the country right now according to this. Looks like it may be a pretty tough year for upland hunting too...


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Dani
 
Barring good winter precipitation, it does not bode well for the PPR duck production next year.

That said, a few dry years does improve wetland productivity once the rain comes back.
 
Yeah, for the pond sites that don't get their vegetation torched and plowed under in an attempt to break the moisture barrier that enables water to accumulate at that site.
Dani, NoDak Fish and Game will publish their brood count survey data sometime during the next 10-14 days. Dry springs bode a little better for upland birds, but drought conditions hit insect populations hard, lowering food outside of seed heads for broods of chicks. Emergency haying of CRP lands is already starting, with roadside mowing not far off. Birds will concentrate around available water and remaining cover. The severe drought spot in the southwestern quadrant is right in the heart of Cannonball River country which is mostly leased land for pheasant hunting held by the Cannonball Company. Brood counts for pheasants rose significantly in only one quadrant of the state last year, yet the hunting was pretty good where I was east of Mandan/Bismarck.
 
Not looking good for the opener where we go. Two years ago the water was 40 yards from the vegetation. Lots of improvising going on to be able to get close to the birds. Last year was better but the water was now10 yards from the vegetation. Minimal scrambling to hunt it but the muck when retrieving the birds was unbearable.. Looks like we might have to come prepared for improvisation this year.


Mark
 
Fat times for over 20 years. Now the lean, and time to pay the piper. All part of the natural cycle for waterfowl and waterfowlers. The grey beards among us have been through this, others have not, and we shall see what we shall see...
 
From Rugby to Devils Lake sloughes are down 18 to 24 inches. Better bring a boat or wade the much. The small sloughes are basically dry 0 to 2 inches. Delta Waterco just put out the duck forecast.
 
This is probably a bit early, but, please remember that your retriever can die from drinking blue-green algae water. The giveaway is the yellow-green mats that float on the surface during a severe bloom.
 
Most of our smaller sloughs have dried up. Others are just a fraction of what they were. Good news though... the birds are concentrated on the smaller ponds and lakes. It looks like it was a good year for nesting around here.
 
RLLigman said:
This is probably a bit early, but, please remember that your retriever can die from drinking blue-green algae water. The giveaway is the yellow-green mats that float on the surface during a severe bloom.
Click to expand...

Yup... and you can get into it pretty good around here. I worry about it every year until we have had a frost or two. Season opens here in 10 days.
 
Thanks, Paul, I should have posted the North American version. Yes, we are all lucking that the drought's onset came on the back-end of the nesting season from most species. Hoping pintails did well...
 
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