North Dakota’s duck and goose hunting season opened for non-residents at the beginning of October.
Wetland conditions are fair for duck hunting throughout the state, according to the North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s fall wetland survey. Wetlands are up statewide about 26% from extreme drought conditions last fall, but still 29% below the long-term average.
And with a promising increase in wetlands and duck counts is a hope for another strong tourism season, said Suzie Kenner, executive director of Devils Lake Tourism.
The city’s main economic industries include agriculture and tourism. While the winter and summer months are the strongest tourism seasons, focused on fishing at Devils Lake, duck hunting is a “shoulder season” that carries the region through the end of the year.
“Duck hunting can make or break the end of our year,” Kenner said.
Ramsey County raked in $57.46 million in 2021, the highest economic impact in recent history, due mostly to fishermen and waterfowl hunters visiting the area and spending money on lodging, meals, fuel and extra shopping, according to an analysis by Tourism Economics that was released in August. The highest amount of visitor spending pre-COVID was $56.65 million in 2019.
Those high numbers are a result of COVID-19, where many people turned to outdoor activities in less crowded regions, and restrictions on hunters crossing the Canadian border.
Since people couldn’t hunt in Canada then, they chose to hunt in the Devils Lake area instead, and the area is still feeling residual effects from those changes. Many hunters who turned to Devils Lake instead of Canada in 2020 again chose Devils Lake in 2021, and Kenner expects to see that trend continue into 2022.
And, Kenner expected nicer weather in the first few weeks of October to contribute to higher hunter numbers this year as well. At the beginning of the season, if temperatures accommodate it, it’s popular for tourists to “cast and blast,” which is hunting in the morning and fishing in the afternoon.
“When tourism does well, the rest of our businesses do well,” Kenner said. “They’re shopping, eating and sleeping here. You name it, and then those businesses turn around and spend money at other businesses.”
According to the state duck survey in May, there was a 40% increase in the number of ducks that settled in the northeast area of the state, which is promising for the season. But that’s not always the best indicator for numbers in the fall, said Andy Dinges, Game and Fish Department’s migratory game bird biologist.
“East of Stump Lake, the wetlands were in great shape in May — some of the best conditions I’ve seen in the last four to five years. But in the last two to three months it’s been dry again,” Dinges said. “We had good rain and snow in the spring and early summer, but the landscape was so dry that it got sucked up really quickly. It’ll be a better season than we had last year, for sure, but we’re still on the drier end of things.”
Makenzie HuberWhile not as strong duck and wetlands numbers as some other areas of the state, Woodland Resort owner and waterfowl hunting guide Kyle Blanchfield is expecting a significant jump in birds compared to last year’s season accompanied by a busy month ahead. He and many other area guides, lodges and hotels are booking up for the season.
“We had a solid season last year, but conditions were drier and there were less ducks because the duck hatch was slower and lower,” Blanchfield said. “There’s a big difference in the number of birds this year.”
Several of the guests booking at Woodland Resort have been visiting for 10 to 20 years, said Blanchfield. He said he’s excited to welcome them back.
“It’s sort of a homecoming in a way,” he said. “It reminds us how special our area is. We had people from about 46 states last year. People come here from all over the U.S., and that’s pretty cool.”
This article originally appeared on Devils Lake Journal: Strong duck hunting tourism season expected for Devils Lake
