Status of Waterfowl Breeding Populations

According to May 2006 waterfowl surveys flown by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Pilot Biologists, the duck breeding population in South Dakota was 2.1 million, above last year’s 1.6 million and equal to the long-term average (LTA). South Dakota’s LTA is a data set from 1959-2006. Pond counts this year were virtually identical to the LTA. However, South Dakota Game, Fish, and Parks Waterfowl Biologist Spencer Vaa notes that ""since the May survey, drought conditions have become widespread in central and north central South Dakota and production from this normally productive region will be poor. Duck production is expected to be good in northeastern South Dakota and fair in the West River stock pond country.

The resident population of giant Canada geese appears to have stabilized, as this year’s survey of 121,000 is similar to last years108,000 and the 10-year average of 114,000.

South Dakota comprises a small portion of the area surveyed during the May Waterfowl Breeding Pair and Habitat Survey. In this vast area stretching across the Northcentral U.S., Canada, and Alaska, the total duck population estimate in 2006 was 36.2 million, up from last years 31.7 million and 9% above the LTA. Many species, including blue-winged and green-winged teal, gadwall, Northern shoveler and redheads are significantly above their LTA’s, but scaup continued their downward trend to a record low.

Of special interest to duck hunters are the status of mallards and the number of ponds in the Canadian prairies and parklands. According to Vaa, " the number of mallards and the number of ponds in the Canadian prairies and parklands determines whether the duck season will be 74, 60, or 39 days long". This year there were 7.3 million mallards compared to last years 6.8 million in the traditional survey area. Pond numbers jumped from 3.9 million in 2005 to 4.4 million in 2006 and are 32% above the LTA. The parkland and northern grasslands in Saskatchewan and Manitoba are in especially good shape.