For information on the Lower Oahe hunting access areas, please refer to the South Dakota Hunting Atlas; which contains maps and information on South Dakota's Walk-In Areas, Game Production Areas (GPAs), Waterfowl Production Areas (WPAs), some School Lands, and some BLM Lands

2017 Lower Oahe Waterfowl Access Report

November 19, 2017

Free Decoy Loaner Trailer

In a continued effort to recruit and retain waterfowl hunters, the South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks, along with the below sponsors, has equipped two enclosed trailers with decoys, blinds, canada goose flags and ear and eye protection.

These trailers contain everything needed to be successful hunting waterfowl on the Lower Oahe Waterfowl Access Area. Trailer and equipment are free to use.

Trailer sponsors include: South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks; Banded Waterfowl Co.; Big Foot Decoy Co.; Cabela's; Delta Waterfowl-Pierre Chapter; DOA Decoy Co.; HuntSAFE Program; M&R Signs; Pheasants Forever; Runnings; Wildlife Protection, Inc., Scheel's, Dakota Decoy and High Plains Wildlife.

Reserve the below trailers following their link and then entering your name, phone number and select the date you wish to reserve the trailer. They are available for use every day from November 3 - February 15, with the exception of Christmas Day

Trailer #1 

Trailer #2 

Trailer #3 

If you have reserved either of these trailers, please complete the South Dakota Lower Oahe Waterfowl Access Area Waterfowl Hunt Trailer Loan/Waiver of Liability Agreement and bring this form to the registration site on the day you have reserved a trailer.

In addition to the decoy loaner trailers, shell decoys are also available at the Lower Oahe Waterfowl Access Area registration site. These decoys are available each morning on a first-come, first-served basis. No prior registration is necessary

Central South Dakota Youth Goose Hunt

The annual South Dakota Youth Goose Hunt is a free waterfowl hunt held in Pierre for youth hunters ages 12-15

January 5-7, 2018 | More information

Here you will find information on the current flight summaries for ducks and geese. Survey areas for each of these summaries is also listed below.

November 17, 2017

November 22, 2017

November 28, 2017

December 7, 2017

Current Flight Summaries for Ducks

Current Flight Summaries for Dark Geese

Every week, over 100 biologists, wildlife managers and other experts rank the progress of mallard migration in their areas. We compile their data to bring you a map showing the status of the mallard migration.

The mallard migration observation network was established as part of a broader project to use GPS satellite telemetry to better understand mallard movements, distribution, and habitat use. The rankings provided by participants this fall will be compared with the locations of mallards marked with GPS satellite telemetry units to help determine if mallards carrying the additional weight of a transmitter display normal migration behavior.

These rankings do not depict mallard abundance; they indicate the relative progression of the fall migration. Estimated peak numbers of mallards may be lower or higher than average numbers during previous years due to annual variations in local wetland and environmental conditions. As a result, a dark color does not necessarily mean that lots of mallards are present in that region

These maps depict real time estimates of migration without the benefit of waiting until the completion of migration before providing assessments. Revised maps will be posted in February. Some variation in results may also occur depending on the number of experts reporting for a given week.