North Dakota Duck Hunting At Its Best

North Dakota is a haven for hunters of all kinds.

North Dakota duck hunting waits for no one. You’ve been planning and preparing for months. Chatting with friends, old and new. Scouting with the best of them. Your license is ready, your hunting destination is picked, your dog is ready, even your nicknames are ready, and so are you!  Your North Dakota hunting trip is finally here!

Whether you’ve been hunting for years with your Grandfather and are still creating legendary memories together, or meeting up with a new group of fellow hunting friends who are in the know about local PLOTS and are familiar with the land, North Dakota is a haven for hunters of all kinds!

Teeming with waterfowl, as they travel from Canada to the Gulf Coast along the North American Central Flyway, and often referred to as the “Duck Factory”, North Dakota duck hunting offers ample amounts of wetlands and access. 

You’ll experience the wonder for yourself once you’ve seen millions of migrating geese and ducks filling the North Dakota sky. With an early arrival of migrating Canada geese, an early Canada goose hunting season can open in mid-August. Regular duck and geese season in North Dakota usually begins in late September.  

You’ll want to make sure your hunting license requirements are met depending on whether you are a resident or non-resident and how long you wish to hunt. Daily bag possession limits of 6 on the species of ducks including: mallards, scaup, wood ducks, redheads, canvasbacks and pintail) and sex restrictions and can be found from the game and fish department on https://gf.nd.gov/hunting/ducks.

Dogs Welcome for Duck Hunting

Bringing your dog along on your North Dakota duck hunting trip is encouraged to retrieve waterfowl and game birds. For other activities, dogs must be confined to a vehicle, boat, fish house or on a leash controlled by their handler. 

While most believe that the best time to hunt waterfowl is in the early morning after dawn, some hunters find their most successful hunts take place in the afternoon or early evening.  The North Dakota wetlands and cool fall temperatures provide an excellent environment for duck movement.

North Dakota Duck Hunting Near Jamestown ND

Some of the best North Dakota duck hunting locations are located around Jamestown, North Dakota’s 9th largest city. Check out the Prairie Pothole region for some favorite hunting areas as well as along the Missouri River corridor. Within just 65 miles of Jamestown, you can explore great duck hunting spots such as Fullerton, Gackle, and Woodworth. For those who are interested in other types of hunting, there are also opportunities for elk and pheasant hunting in the surrounding areas of Jamestown.  

A bit farther out and your adventure can include Goodrich, Pekin, Devil’s Lake, Rock Lake, and Kramer. You’ll find plenty of great lodging to choose from in Jamestown. You can choose to enjoy home-cooked meals, great hunting locations with guides available at one of the many local hunting lodges, or explore public lands.  Hunting Lodges near Jamestown include North Country Lodge and Badhill Creek Adventures which offer plenty of waterfowl hunting. Remember that permission is always required to hunt private land that is posted.  A full tank of gas and lots of driving are usually recommended for your best scouting and hunting adventures!

Having great gear is a must for any hunter!  The shotgun you choose, the shells, and blending in well with the brush blind as you select your favorite camouflage clothing. Be sure to gather your waders and decoys and of course, your duck call.  If you need some help finding gear, perfect hunting boots, or a dog vest while you’re in Jamestown, check out the local Dunham’s Sports store as well as Gun & Reel Sports and Capitol Outdoors.

Jamestown offers a wide variety of fun to experience when you are not hunting, too! Be sure to stop by the National Buffalo Museum as you take a journey back to a time when the buffalo roamed freely across the landscape. Here you can explore the significance and history of the American buffalo.  Snap some photos with a visit to the World’s Largest Buffalo Monument.  Created by sculptor Elmer Petersen, he has proven one of the Midwest’s most popular roadside attractions for over 50 years. In 2010, the World’s Largest Buffalo received his name, Dakota Thunder.

Learn about the legendary author, Louis L’Amour, and visit some of the places that influenced the man he would become.  You can find out more about Louis L’Amour and other stories that have made Jamestown the community it is today on the Jamestown Talking Trail. This self-guided audio adventure has 70 stops throughout the area including Frontier Village and St. James Basilica.  Bring the world of the prairie pioneers to life with a trip to the Frontier Village! Original buildings from the frontier villages of North Dakota were brought to this site and filled with antiques and artifacts, creating informative historical displays.

 
Prepare to be thrilled by all your choices because Jamestown, ND restaurants are plentiful!  Whether you crave a quick drive-through dinner, the authentic taste of quality Mexican cuisine, spit-roasted chicken, a steak cooked to perfection or even a bowl of knoephla like Grandma used to make, you can find it here in Jamestown!  Traditional Knoephla is a rich and creamy chicken and potato soup with chewy little dumplings.  To take a bite of Knoephla is to taste the contentment of a prairie home.  You can find Knoephla soup served on Thursdays at The Depot Cafe in downtown Jamestown. 

You’ll also love the juicy, hearty flavor packed into a Bison Burger!  A couple of Jamestown restaurants serve this tasty burger.  You can try one at the Sabir’s Buffalo Grill, located downtown, or at the Frontier Fort Bar & Grill.