The 2022-2023 North Dakota duck season is set to begin tomorrow Saturday, September 24th for resident hunters.  The non-resident season begins a week later on Saturday, October 1st.

According to a video posted by the North Dakota Game and Fish, hunters can expect to see more ducks in the skies this fall thanks to better nesting conditions this spring.  Most species had a successful hatch thanks to more water in the wetlands after two years of drought.  This was brought on by a series of April blizzards and spring and summer rains.

The only species that seemed to have some issues with nesting were Mallards.  The spring snowstorms may have caused some problems.  This wasn't mentioned in the video, but Pintails are also early nesters so they could be impacted as well.  Overall duck numbers will be up from last year, and Blue Wing teal numbers will be especially high.  In fact, you will once again this year be allowed a bonus of two Blue Wing Teal in your bag in addition to the 6 duck limit from September 24th to October 9th.

Slimbridge Wetland Centre Prepares For Late Influx Of Wintering Birds
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Other restrictions in your 6 duck limit include:

No more than 5 Mallards, which no more than 2 can be hens.  3 Wood Ducks will be allowed again this year.  You can also only shoot 2 Canvasbacks and 2 Redheads.  For Pintails and Scaup (Bluebills), you can only shoot one bird.

The Major Change in this year's bag limit:

Mergansers now count towards your duck limit.  They are no longer in addition.  There is also NO restriction on Hooded Mergansers.  In previous seasons you could only shoot two.  This was stated in the video below.  However, if you look at the 2022 proclamation from the ND Game and Fish, it does not state that.  It has the same language as the 2021 proclamation.  I picked up the phone to look for clarification from the North Dakota Game & Fish, and they did confirm to me that Mergansers do indeed count towards your limit, and there is no restriction on Hooded Mergansers.  There is now an amendment to this year's 2022-23 proclamation on their website.  Hooded Mergansers don't get a lot of love when it comes to table fare, but they are one of the most stunning ducks we have in North Dakota.

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You can see the full video for the North Dakota waterfowl season outlook from the North Dakota Game and Fish below.


 

 

Top 11 Most Stunning Waterfowl in North Dakota

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Stacker analyzed data from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to determine which states have the most registered hunters. Read on to see how your state ranks on Stacker’s list.

 

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