Minnesota Waterfowl Hunting

Link to snow cover map: http://www.nohrsc.noaa.gov/interactive/html/map.html?ql=station&zoom=&loc=37.98+N%2C+94.45+W&var=snow_depth_shallow&dy=2014&dm=2&dd=11&dh=19&snap=1&o9=1&o12=1&o13=1&lbl=m&mode=pan&extents=us&min_x=-127&min_y=20.716666666663&max_x=-62.000000000003&max_y=57.283333333329&coord_x=++-94.45&coord_y=+++37.98&zbox_n=49.929370370366165&zbox_s=33.35248148147758&zbox_e=-93.64687500000153&zbox_w=-102.66562500000111&metric=0&bgvar=dem&shdvar=shading&width=800&height=450&nw=800&nh=450&h_o=0&font=0&js=1&uc=0

North Dakota Reports: http://gf.nd.gov/hunting/waterfowl/light-geese/migration

South Dakota Reports: http://gfp.sd.gov/hunting/waterfowl/migration/

Not much to report that far north yet but starting this week and weekend highs in Yankton are forecast to be in the mid 40's. Not much snow in SD.

Too excited after pretty much working every day since Christmas...can't wait to go on a trip or two to the Dakotas

Will the geese skip over snow if there is none to the north? I realize they don't have very good access to the internet to look up the NOAA snow map to know, but they also don't have GPS to navigate and find their way so I'm sure these birds just kind of know things.

If they won't, what happens when that snow in Kansas finally melts and there isn't any to north Dakota? Do they B-line it to the snow line or just all get really spread out, causally making their way as the food runs out?

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It seems as if they always push north as hard as possible. 10" of snow in Kansas will melt pretty quick with a couple days at 50 degrees this week/weekend. I'm guessing scout flocks will show up in SD around the 20th.

From what we have witnessed in the past, the birds will hit the snow line and then head another 20 miles or so before they turn around. Now obviously every flock is a little different but ones we have followed have done this numerous times. I don't think it is until later in the year that they will book it and fly over the state.

A lot can happen with snowstorms the next 5 weeks yet. But if the snow depths remain as is--The birds will be in ND likety split.

h2ofwlr wrote:A lot can happen with snowstorms the next 5 weeks yet. But if the snow depths remain as is--The birds will be in ND likety split.

Even if the snow stays the same, we'll still get three good weekends in in SD.

If the forecast holds, there won't be much snow left by early next week all the way up to I90.

Buddy drove across southern Illinois this morning coming back to MN, said there's some birds down there.

Co worker was in Kansas Wednesday. No snows.

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52 degrees in Yankton right now. They are hinting at the possibility of a major storm next weekend though.