Lower Oahe Waterfowl Access Areas 2007-08 Waterfowl Report
Lower Oahe Waterfowl Access Areas 2007- 08 Waterfowl Report
For the week of January 21, 2008
Pages 6 and 7 of the 2006 Lower Oahe Waterfowl Hunting Guide.
Since the colder temperatures this past weekend Mail Shack Creek has iced up. As of Saturday there were still a few birds in the area of the pits but it is unknown if the hunters in the area were successful or not. The weekend saw a good number of birds coming off of the water and flying out over and into some of the walk-in area fields. There were some hunters attempting to decoy in a few fields with a mixed report on success.
Pages 8 and 9 of the 2006 Lower Oahe Waterfowl Hunting Guide.
The Cow Creek area has been producing some opportunities for pass shooters in the pits and in the canal. The registration fields in the area have seen birds in them on occasion with some hunters attempting to decoy the fields reporting of some success.
Pages 10 and 11 of the 2006 Lower Oahe Waterfowl Hunting Guide.
The registration fields have been seeing some success with the time the birds decide to fly out to feed playing a key role on success. The birds continue to be hard to pattern on what time they are going to leave the water and where there are going to feed. The solid green and striped green fields east of Grey Goose Road have started to see some birds moving around them with no hunter reports on success coming in.
Pages 12 and 13 of the 2006 Lower Oahe Waterfowl Hunting Guide.
The lake in this area has frozen up with a few open pockets of water holding a few birds. There have been no hunter reports on if the birds are coming out low enough for some pass shooting.
Pages 14 and 15 of the 2006 Lower Oahe Waterfowl Hunting Guide.
There were still birds flying out this way over the weekend but it is unknown if the hunters in the area were successful or not.
This past week’s cold front that moved in has started the freezing of the reservoir which has bunched up the birds to the open water areas. The geese continue to be very hard to predict on what time they will decide to fly and where they will fly to feed. The colder temperatures have made the birds fly off of the water later in the day. Some days it is around noon while other days they may not start to fly until late afternoon. Most of the hunters are prepared for the late flight and plan on sitting in their vehicles after setting out their decoys until the birds start to move.
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For the week of January 14, 2008
Pages 6 and 7 of the 2006 Lower Oahe Waterfowl Hunting Guide.
The numbers of birds sitting in the creek appeared to be lower this past weekend than what has been sitting here. There are hunters still using the pits in the walk-in area with some reporting in of getting birds. The walk-in fields in this area will have geese feeding in them one day with very few in the area the next. The time the birds fly out in the area is still hard to predict, with some days seeing an early flight while others it may be well after noon.
Pages 8 and 9 of the 2006 Lower Oahe Waterfowl Hunting Guide.
The pits and canal for pass shooting and the registration fields for decoy hunting in this area have been seeing a little more bird activity with some days being good for the pass shooters in the canal west of highway 1804.
Pages 10 and 11 of the 2006 Lower Oahe Waterfowl Hunting Guide.
The unpredictability of the birds in the area continues with some days seeing a good early morning flight and the next day not seeing much for birds until late afternoon. The decoy only registration fields will be open to registered hunters until sundown starting January 14th. The Drawings for these fields remains at one hour before sunrise. No reports from the unrestricted (solid and striped green) areas east of Grey Goose Road.
Pages 12 and 13 of the 2006 Lower Oahe Waterfowl Hunting Guide.
No new reports from this area but there have been some birds flying out from this area with the wind and weather playing a role on time and height the birds come out.
Pages 14 and 15 of the 2006 Lower Oahe Waterfowl Hunting Guide.
No new reports this week from this area, however there were still birds flying out this way last week.
With the warm weather and unpredictability of the birds this season continues to make the hunting rather tough. Some days the birds will be leaving the water early morning and some they sit until late afternoon to come out to feed. The registration fields have been seeing more birds in the area with hunter success depending upon the flight time for the day. The registration fields will be open to the registered hunters until sundown for the remainder of the season. Drawings for the fields will remain one hour before sunrise. The unrestricted (striped and solid green) areas have been good for some hunters setting out their decoys. Pass shooters in the pits and canal have been having some success when the birds decide to fly.
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Pages 6 and 7 of the 2006 Lower Oahe Waterfowl Hunting Guide.
Pass shooters in the area have been reporting of getting a few birds in the pits with the walk-in fields seeing bird activity in the area and a few hunters willing to carry their decoys into the fields.
Pages 8 and 9 of the 2006 Lower Oahe Waterfowl Hunting Guide.
The canal and pits in this area have had birds flying over them with the winds for the day playing a role on how low they come over. The decoy only fields in this area have been seeing some hunter and bird activity.
Pages 10 and 11 of the 2006 Lower Oahe Waterfowl Hunting Guide.
The birds in this area have been coming out a little earlier on most days but it has still been rather hard to predict what time and where they will decide to feed. Some days the birds will go into the corn fields while other days they will sit in the wheat or stubble fields. There are no hunter reports from the solid or striped green areas east of Grey Goose Road.
Pages 12 and 13 of the 2006 Lower Oahe Waterfowl Hunting Guide.
Last week saw birds coming out from this area but it is unknown if the hunters in the pits were successful or not.
Pages 14 and 15 of the 2006 Lower Oahe Waterfowl Hunting Guide.
A good number of birds in the area continue to go out this way but with no hunter reports on success over the weekend.
The number of birds in most of the areas has picked up the past couple of weeks with hunters reporting in of better success in the registration fields when the birds decide to fly before the 3 PM closure time. With the warm weather and no snow cover in the area they can sit most any place on water and land and have made it a challenge for the hunters to decide what type of crops they go to each day to hunt. Scouting continues to be important for the hunters with the birds sitting in different crops from day to day. The annual youth hunt was a success again this year with a lot of hard work from the many volunteers the kids were able to harvest birds and have a lot of fun learning about decoy set ups in the fields and calling techniques.
Pages 6 and 7 of the 2006 Lower Oahe Waterfowl Hunting Guide.
Pass shooters in the pits continue to have some good days here with geese and ducks in the creek. The birds have been flying out in the mornings on most days while some days choosing to sit in the creek until late afternoon. The walk-in fields in this area have been seeing some hunting activity with mixed results. On the days the wind blows the pass shooters have been reporting of good success with the decoy hunters reporting about the same results when it comes to success.
Pages 8 and 9 of the 2006 Lower Oahe Waterfowl Hunting Guide.
The registration fields in this area have been seeing a few more hunters and birds using them. Weather has been a determining factor on if the birds will sit in the fields here. There have been pass shooters in the pits and canal and some reporting of good days when the birds are sitting in the adjacent fields.
Pages 10 and 11 of the 2006 Lower Oahe Waterfowl Hunting Guide.
Reports from the registered hunters coming in have been mixed with some doing better than others with the weather conditions continuing to determine the flight times of the birds. Upland game hunting has been closed in the following fields 20, 23, 30, 32, 38, 36, 42, 46, 57, 58, 65, 69, 71, 75, 77 and 78.
Pages 12 and 13 of the 2006 Lower Oahe Waterfowl Hunting Guide.
No reports from this area but there have been hunters in the pits and a few birds flying out low enough to harvest.
Pages 14 and 15 of the 2006 Lower Oahe Waterfowl Hunting Guide.
This area continues to see hunters and birds using the areas. Like the other areas success continues to be mixed depending upon the weather. Hunters are reminded that driving is allowed on the designated trails only. These trails are for dropping off of equipment only.
It appears that we have been getting more birds coming into the area. The number of larger birds in the areas has picked up with a good number of smaller geese still in the area. Hunters need to be aware that the season for light geese and white fronted geese is closed. The season for ducks will close in this area at sunset on January 3, 2008 with upland game closing at sunset on January 6, 2008. With the arrival of more birds into the area the hunter numbers using the fields has increased too. Scouting for your next days hunt will become even more important than before.
The Annual Youth Goose Hunt will again be taking place on January 4, 5, and 6. The sign-up and safety meeting will again be held at the Ramkota Inn in Pierre on Friday evening at 6:30 the 4th of January with hunting to take place on the 5th and 6th. For more information you can call either Brian at 605-224-5787 or at the waterfowl access trailer at 605-264-5380.
Pages 6 and 7 of the 2006 Lower Oahe Waterfowl Hunting Guide.
Hunters in the pits continue to have mixed results with some reports of good low flying geese. The ducks remain in the area with hunting success on them being limited. Most are flying out after shooting times and back to the water before shooting times. This past weekend saw geese coming out and flying over the walk-in areas around the Prairie View School.
Pages 8 and 9 of the 2006 Lower Oahe Waterfowl Hunting Guide.
Hunting in this area remains slow with a few more birds coming off of the lake and flying over the pits and registration fields. The registration fields in this area have not had much for hunting pressure but again with the lower number of birds feeding in the fields hunters may not see many on some days.
Pages 10 and 11 of the 2006 Lower Oahe Waterfowl Hunting Guide.
This past week there has been a morning flight of birds using some of the registration fields and other fields in the area. Upland game hunting remains open in most areas but hunters need to watch for the signs designating them as open or close to upland game hunting. A reminder to hunters planning on doing some holiday time hunting, the registration trailer and fields will be closed on Christmas but will reopen the day after. Other areas in the waterfowl access program will be open to hunting on Christmas day.
Pages 12 and 13 of the 2006 Lower Oahe Waterfowl Hunting Guide.
No hunter reports from this area but there have been few birds flying off of the lake in this area.
Pages 14 and 15 of the 2006 Lower Oahe Waterfowl Hunting Guide.
This area continues to have hunters using it on most days with a few reports of success depending upon where the birds are coming from. Hunters are reminded that the designated access trails are for dropping off and picking up of equipment only.
With the number of birds still not what we are accustomed to seeing this time of year the hunting continues to be difficult for most hunters with some days being better than others for flight of birds and hunter success. Upland game hunters need to watch for the signs designating areas as open or closed to upland game hunting the following fields have been closed to upland game hunting, 20, 23, 30, 38, 42, 57, 58, 65, 69, 71, 75, 77 and 78. More areas will be closing as more geese move into the fields. Reminder that the waterfowl access trailer and registration fields will be closed on Christmas day but will reopen on the day after.
The Annual Youth Goose Hunt will again be taking place on January 4, 5, and 6. The sign-up and safety meeting will again be held at the Ramkota Inn in Pierre on Friday evening the 4th of January with hunting to take place on the 5th and 6th. For more information you can call either Brian at 605-224-5787 or at the waterfowl access trailer at 605-264-5380.
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Pages 6 and 7 of the 2006 Lower Oahe Waterfowl Hunting Guide.
Hunters in the pits continue to have mixed results with some reports of good low flying geese. The ducks remain in the area with hunting success on them being limited. Most are flying out after shooting times and back to the water before shooting times. This past weekend saw geese coming out and flying over the walk-in areas around the Prairie View School.
Pages 8 and 9 of the 2006 Lower Oahe Waterfowl Hunting Guide.
Hunting in this area remains a hit and miss deal with a few more birds coming off of the lake and flying over the pits. The registration fields in this area have not had much for hunting pressure but again with the lower number of birds in the hunters may not see many on some days.
Pages 10 and 11 of the 2006 Lower Oahe Waterfowl Hunting Guide.
Most of the birds in the area have been coming out in the late afternoon which is after the time the hunters in the registration fields are required to be out of them. There has been a morning flight of birds using some of the registration fields and other field in the area. Upland game hunting remains open in most areas but hunters need to watch for the signs designating them as open or close to upland game hunting. A reminder to hunters planning on doing some holiday time hunting the registration trailer and fields will be closed on Christmas but will reopen the day after. Other areas in the waterfowl access program will be open to hunting on Christmas day.
Pages 12 and 13 of the 2006 Lower Oahe Waterfowl Hunting Guide.
No hunter reports from this area but there have been few birds flying off of the lake in this area.
Pages 14 and 15 of the 2006 Lower Oahe Waterfowl Hunting Guide.
This area has been having hunters using it on most days with a few hunter reports of success depending upon where the birds are coming from. Hunters are reminded that the designated access trails are for dropping off and picking up of equipment only.
With the number of birds remaining low hunters are reporting in with mixed results. Some days are better than others for flight of birds and hunter success. Upland game hunters need to watch for the signs designating areas as open or closed to upland game hunting the following fields have been closed to upland game hunting, 20, 23, 30, 38, 42, 57, 58, 65, 69, 71, 75, 77 and 78. More areas will be closing as more geese move into the fields. Reminder that the waterfowl access trailer and registration fields will be closed on Christmas day but will reopen on the day after.
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Pages 6 and 7 of the 2006 Lower Oahe Waterfowl Hunting Guide.
Hunters in the pits doing some pass shooting reporting a mix of results. There were more geese in the area than in weeks past but still not the big numbers of birds that the area is known for. The hunters that were successful were patient and waited for the lower flocks to come off of the water. According to the aerial survey the number of ducks remains high in the area. The ducks have been hard to hunt on most days since they have been flying back to the water before shooting time and out to feed just after sundown. There are a few flying around during shooting hours so it does give the hunters using the area some opportunities.
Pages 8 and 9 of the 2006 Lower Oahe Waterfowl Hunting Guide.
The fields in this area have been seeing some birds and hunters using them. The numbers of birds in the area seems to be increasing but like the Mail Shack area there still are not the big flocks we are accustomed to seeing here. Reports from a couple of groups hunting in the area were that they were able to harvest a few ducks and geese over the weekend. The pits in this area could be a good area to check out for the hunters wanting to do some pass shooting. Hunters in this area that have been patient, waiting for the lower flocks to come out have been having some success. Upland game hunting remains open in most of the designated areas. Hunters need to watch for the signs designating these areas open or closed to upland game hunting. The fields closed to upland game hunting at this time are listed in the summery.
Pages 10 and 11 of the 2006 Lower Oahe Waterfowl Hunting Guide.
This area has been seeing more birds in the area on some days. The weather in the area continues to dictate where and when the geese will go to feed. Upland hunting remains open in some of the areas with more fields being closed this week hunters need to watch for the signs designating areas open or closed to upland game hunting.
Pages 12 and 13 of the 2006 Lower Oahe Waterfowl Hunting Guide.
No hunter reports from this area but there have been a few birds in the area.
Pages 14 and 15 of the 2006 Lower Oahe Waterfowl Hunting Guide.
There have been a few hunters using this area but there are no reports on success. With the number of birds sitting in the Pierre area and flying out west this area should be seeing some bird activity.
We are starting to see more birds moving into the area but the numbers of birds still remains low for this time of year. Reports coming in from the field are mixed with some hunters having good success while other may not see many birds. Scouting remains a big part of the hunt. The Mail Shack area has picked up a few more geese, with some hunters having success over the weekend in the pits. The registration fields are starting to see more birds but it has been had to get a pattern on when and where these birds will fly. The Stanley county area has had some hunter use and with the birds in this area it could be a good place to check out. These fields have been closed to upland game hunting 20, 23, 30, 38, 42, 57, 58, 65, 69, 71, 75, 77 and 78.
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MAIL SHACK CREEK AREA
Pages 6 and 7 of the 2006 Lower Oahe Waterfowl Hunting Guide.
The aerial surveys have shown there are a pretty good number of ducks sitting in this area. Reports from the field are that weather conditions are determining when the ducks are flying out to feed with some hunters able to harvest a few birds on the days with cloud cover or the winds are blowing.
OKOBOJO / COW CREEK AREA
Pages 8 and 9 of the 2006 Lower Oahe Waterfowl Hunting Guide.
There are a few more geese showing up in this area, with no hunter reports coming in at this time.
SHEEHAN WATERFOWL HUNTING AREA
Pages 10 and 11 of the 2006 Lower Oahe Waterfowl Hunting Guide.
Drawings for the decoy-only registration fields takes place one hour before sunrise for this area. With the number of birds starting to increase in the area we should start seeing more birds feeding in the fields. Upland game hunting remains open in most designated areas with some areas being closed as more birds move in. Upland game hunters are reminded to watch for the signs designating these areas as open or closed.
PEORIA FLATS / NYSTROM BAY AREA
Pages 12 and 13 of the 2006 Lower Oahe Waterfowl Hunting Guide.
No reports from this area.
STANLEY COUNTY WATERFOWL AREA
Pages 14 and 15 of the 2006 Lower Oahe Waterfowl Hunting Guide.
There have been no recent hunter reports from this area. But with some of the birds sitting on the river feeding close by this area could be a good place to check out. Hunters are reminded that the designated trails into the fields in this area are for dropping off and picking up of equipment only.
SUMMARY
This is the first report for the 2007-2008 waterfowl hunting season for the Lower Oahe Waterfowl Hunting area, with waterfowl hunting being rather slow for this time of year. The colder weather has helped move some birds into the area with more to follow. The area saw about four inches of snow over the weekend, travel into the fields remains good and with the predicted warmer weather all fields should remain accessible.
Upland game hunters wanting to get in some hunting in the area need to watch for the signs designating areas open or closed to upland game hunting. The following areas have been closed to upland game hunting 69, 71, 75, 77 and 78.