KWAT’s Outdoors Report for week of October 26, 2020
Aberdeen Area Fishing Report
Minimal activity due to the cold weather.
Hunting Report
Waterfowl: Hunters are having good success with a bunch of birds moving into the area. Field hunters are having best success in the midafternoon to late evenings. Cold weather and snow have pushed into the area. Strong push of Snow geese, swans and Sandhill cranes pushing though the area.
Pheasants: Hunting was hard over the weekend due to the cold weather. Birds have been holding tight and hunter success was pretty good. Hunters saw good numbers of birds.
Archery Deer: Starting to see some pre-rut activity. With the colder weather the deer are on the move.
Clark County
Fishing Report
Little activity observed on area lakes.
Hunting Report
Pheasant: Hunting has turned to a cold winter wonderland. With harvest at a halt, it is still showing tough on public lands. Another week of issues related to road hunting violations and trespassing. Please be aware of all the regulations and road hunt in the proper manner. Respect the landowners and ask for permission as well.
Waterfowl: Have seen a big push of snow geese into the area but is rapidly moving south with the current weather pattern. Most seem to be pushing through very fast and not feeding consistently in the same area.
Codington County
Fishing Report
Goose: Boat fishermen are still catching a few walleyes, most of which continue to be between 14 and 16 inches. A few perch are getting mixed in as well. The boat ramp in the NW corner has been repaired and is functional and the drive approach leading into the ramp is complete as well.
Kampeska: Fishermen continue to catch a mixed bag of fish from shore and by boat, including (northern pike, white bass, perch, crappie, bluegill and walleye.)
Pelican Lake: Little fishing activity.
Blythe Slough: Opened to boating on September 1st, with no motor restrictions.
Hunting Report
Geese: Starting to see the front of the northern push as the temperatures have dropped.
Ducks: Seen a good influx of ducks into the area over the past couple of days.
Deer: Rut is drawing closer, starting to see some early morning and late evening buck activity.
Pheasant: Hunters continued to average about 1 bird per hunter this past weekend.
Day County
Fishing Report
Due to the high water and safety hazard of a potential vehicle and pedestrian accident, the county is no longer allowing pedestrians on the Grenville grade, Day Co 1 north of Hwy 12 to 140th St., and Yellowstone trail from Main St. to Day Co 1. Also, if you are shore fishing make sure you are parked in a legal parking spot and it is not posted as no parking.
Rush: is starting to freeze up not much fishing pressure
Waubay: starting to see a good perch bite size is not as good as last year at this time
Bitter: still not seeing much for fishing pressure
Hunting Report
Waterfowl: Still seeing good numbers of geese and ducks in the area. Good numbers of Gadwall and Ring-necked. Have been seeing snow geese in good size flocks flying south. This report should be looked at day to day with a freeze up and thaw in the forecast which will affect waterfowl activity or lack thereof. There were a few swans in the area over the weekend as well.
Deer: are becoming more aggressive, seeing and hearing report of pre rut activity going on.
Pheasant: hunters are starting to concentrate their efforts towards the heavier cover and have been successful.
Hamlin County
Fishing Report
Poinsett: With colder temps fishing pressure has slowed down.
Hunting Report
Deer: Good movement with colder temperatures into the feed sources early in the day.
Ducks: with these cold temps we should begin to see the migration pick up.
Canada Geese: Plenty of opportunity to harvest some birds as harvest continues.
Marshall County
Fishing Report
Little to no fishing activity observed in the county.
Hunting Report
Waterfowl- Good numbers of waterfowl are located around large bodies of water. Smaller bodies of water are frozen over. Good swan numbers have been observed in the eastern portion of the county.
Deer- The deer are really moving in the mornings evenings. Good rut activity has been observed. Great time to be in the stand.
Pheasant- The crop harvest has come to a standstill. Hopefully with nicer weather around the corner the farmer will be able to remove the remaining corn fields. Hunters are having good luck in cattails close to harvested crop fields. Good luck and be safe.
Park Report:
Pelican Lake Recreation Area:
Come on out to Pelican Lake Recreation Area during the month of October and take part in the self-guided activity “Creatures of the Night Hike and Seek”. Can you find what goes bump in the night? In this self-guided activity, we’re challenging you to find several nighttime creatures of South Dakota! Just hike the trails at participating state parks and Outdoor Campuses, keeping your eyes open for the informational signs and hidden nocturnal animal pictures along the way. Find them all and email us the secret code words to enter the prize drawing! You can find the full list of details by going to https://gfp.sd.gov/hike-and-seek/.
The dump station has been winterized due to freezing temperatures. That doesn’t mean camping season is over! The west campground comfort station will remain open a while longer for those of you looking to enjoy some fall fishing, hiking, and a cool campfire at night. Follow us on Facebook at Pelican Lake, Sandy Shore, and Lake Cochrane Recreation Area’s for more updates!
