Missouri has more ducks than it did two weeks ago and three times the specks. It still has almost no mallards. Here is what the November counts show, what Wednesday's cold front means, and how I would hunt it with geese opening tomorrow.
TL;DR
Loess Bluffs NWR went from 43,775 ducks to 74,337 in a week, and only 710 of them were mallards. Gadwall, green-wings and pintails still run the show. Specks tripled to 34,600 the week before goose season opens on November 11. The best managed-area shooting in the state is Bob Brown, at 4.4 ducks per hunter last weekend. Wednesday's cold front will move some birds, but South Dakota is back above normal by Sunday, so the big mallard push is still ahead of us.
Where the Birds Are in Missouri
MDC's statewide count posts about every other week, and the next one is due this week. Until it lands, two sources are fresher: the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service count at Loess Bluffs every Tuesday, and the duck counts and harvest numbers MDC posts for each managed area every Monday and Thursday.
Loess Bluffs NWR, November 3
| Species | Nov 3 | Oct 27 |
|---|---|---|
| Gadwall | 24,400 | 7,565 |
| Green-winged teal | 22,305 | 13,855 |
| Pintail | 20,830 | 16,020 |
| Shoveler | 1,905 | n/a |
| Mallard | 710 | 170 |
| White-fronted geese | 34,600 | 11,600 |
| Canada geese | 118 | 265 |
Loess Bluffs is a refuge, so treat it as the barometer for the northwest corner, not a place to hunt. Shoveler were not broken out in the October 27 figures we reported.
Gadwall now lead the refuge count, ahead of green-wings and pintails. Mallards went from 170 to 710, which sounds like progress until you see it is still less than one duck in a hundred. The specks are the real story. 34,600 white-fronts sitting in Holt County the day before goose season opens is about as good a setup as the northwest corner gets.
Managed Wetlands, Latest Area Counts and Last Weekend's Harvest
| Area | Zone | Ducks now | Oct 26 | Hunters Nov 7-8 | Ducks per hunter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bob Brown CA | North | 29,177 | 14,147 | 82 | 4.39 |
| Fountain Grove CA | North | 22,000 | 18,000 | 158 | 2.13 |
| Grand Pass CA | Middle | 15,000 | 18,000 | 124 | 3.47 |
| Ted Shanks CA | North | 10,000 | 7,200 | 172 | 2.34 |
| Otter Slough CA | Middle | 9,295 | 11,861 | 196 | 2.08 |
| Duck Creek CA | Middle | 9,150 | 5,260 | 137 | 1.65 |
| Nodaway Valley CA | North | 8,300 | 4,485 | 72 | 2.21 |
| Four Rivers CA | Middle | 5,000 | 4,920 | 98 | 2.89 |
| Schell-Osage CA | Middle | 3,325 | 2,512 | 133 | 2.32 |
| BK Leach CA | North | 1,300 | 885 | 54 | 1.20 |
Duck counts are MDC's area estimates posted between November 2 and 7. Ducks per hunter is total harvest divided by total hunters across Saturday and Sunday, November 7 and 8. Grand Pass staff put the area's population near 25,000 ducks in a November 8 update, above the posted 15,000. Species mix is not broken out in the area reports.
Bob Brown more than doubled its count and turned it into the best shooting in the state, 4.39 ducks per hunter on only 14 positions. It sits in the same corner of Holt County as Loess Bluffs, which is not a coincidence. On the Middle Zone side, Grand Pass opened at 3.47 and Four Rivers at 2.89. Otter Slough drew 196 hunters over the weekend for a little over two ducks apiece, which is what crowded poor lines look like. If you can hunt a weekday, do it.
Water and Food
MDC's mid-October wetland status rated moist-soil food Excellent at Grand Pass and Bob Brown, Good at Otter Slough, Ted Shanks, Duck Creek, Nodaway Valley and BK Leach, and Fair at Fountain Grove and Schell-Osage. The water problems flagged then still apply: a down well at Otter Slough, sand in a Duck Creek well, a dry Unit 3 at Four Rivers until real rain shows up, and a short Missouri River navigation season that could limit late pumping at Grand Pass and Bob Brown. The forecast has no meaningful rain this week, so call the hotline before you drive: Grand Pass 660-595-2437, Nodaway Valley 660-626-1798, BK Leach 573-898-5905, Otter Slough 573-624-5821 (press 2), Four Rivers 417-395-4495, Schell-Osage 417-853-4596.
What Is Happening Up the Flyway
Iowa is starting to fill with mallards. South Dakota still says it is far from peak. That puts the greenheads somewhere between Pierre and Des Moines, waiting on a reason to come the rest of the way.
Iowa
Iowa DNR counted 83,179 ducks the week ending November 6, up 20.3% in a week and 15.1% above the same week last year. Mallards are 18% of the count and rose 38.6%. Specks were up 40.5%. The biggest single count was 16,895 ducks at Riverton in Fremont County, just north of Missouri's northwest corner.
Source: Iowa DNR, week ending Nov 6South Dakota
The James River Valley report reads "a fair number of mallards can be found as well but we are far from peak mallard numbers." Mallards are hitting cornfields in the northeast and showing up in pockets in the southeast. White-fronts are strong and the first snow geese have arrived. Heavy rain filled the seasonal wetlands, which gives birds up there one less reason to leave.
Source: SD Game, Fish and Parks, week of Nov 2The Front
NWS Kansas City expects a cold front Wednesday afternoon with gusts to around 35 mph, highs in the 40s and low 50s Thursday, and a widespread freeze possible Saturday morning. In northeast South Dakota, Thursday highs only reach the 30s and 40s, then temperatures climb back above normal by Sunday or Monday.
Source: NWS forecast discussions, Nov 10This front is a nudge. It is enough to shake loose birds already sitting in Iowa and southern South Dakota, and too short to empty North Dakota. Hunt Thursday and Friday hard, then watch for the next one.
Drake AdamsHow I Would Hunt It This Week
Gadwall have moved to the top of the count, so mix a few gadwall blocks in with the pintail and teal decoys and keep the spread modest. Thursday is the morning I would want. Birds that ride the front in will be looking for a place to land on a north wind, so set up with the wind at your back and give them a wide hole to drop into.
Grand Pass and Four Rivers posted the best opening weekend numbers. Otter Slough and Duck Creek drew the biggest crowds and the lowest averages. Pick a weekday if you can, and check which pools are wet before the draw.
34,600 specks at Loess Bluffs and a 40% jump in Iowa say the northwest corner's field hunting starts strong. The limit is 2 white-fronts. Canadas are still thin, 118 at the refuge. Scout the picked bean and corn fields around Holt and Atchison counties, and run a speck-heavy field spread.
Otter Slough and Duck Creek opened with the Middle Zone on November 7, so confirm your spot on MDC's zone map before you plan Thanksgiving around it. If you are below the line, this is the month to brush the blind and sort the boat.
Iowa's mallard share went from about 16% to 18% in a week. When that number starts jumping and South Dakota stops saying "far from peak," the push is on its way.
Glass the Flock Before You Call the Shot
I spent eight years in sales at Athlon Optics, and the most underrated tool in a duck blind is the binocular hanging around your neck. This year it matters more than usual, because Missouri's marshes are full of gadwall and pintails and the daily cap on pintails is 3. In flat early light at 40 yards, a hen pintail, a hen gadwall and a hen mallard look a lot alike, and the hen mallard cap is 2.
For a blind I like an 8x42. The wider field of view lets you follow a working flock without losing it, and the 42mm objective keeps the image bright at legal shooting light. A 10x earns its keep on a goose field when you are picking out specks from Canadas at distance, but it is harder to hold steady on birds that are moving. Waterproof and fog-proof are not optional around water. Whatever you pick, put it on a harness so it is not swinging into your gun barrel when the birds commit.
Shop BinocularsSeason Dates and Limits That Matter Right Now
| Season | 2026-27 Dates | Daily Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Ducks, North Zone | Oct 31 to Dec 29 | 6 total: 4 mallards (no more than 2 hens), 3 pintails, 3 wood ducks, 2 redheads, 2 canvasback, 2 black ducks, 2 hooded mergansers, 1 mottled duck, 2 scaup (1 for the last 15 days) |
| Ducks, Middle Zone | Nov 7 to Dec 13, Dec 19 to Jan 10 | |
| Ducks, South Zone | Nov 26 to 29, Dec 7 to Jan 31 | |
| Canada geese and brant | Nov 11 to Feb 6 | 3 in aggregate |
| White-fronted geese | Nov 11 to Feb 6 | 2 |
| Snow and Ross's geese | Nov 11 to Feb 6 | 20 |
Shooting hours are one-half hour before sunrise to sunset. Nontoxic shot only for ducks and geese. You need a small game permit, a Missouri Migratory Bird Hunting Permit and, at 16 and older, a federal Duck Stamp.
This is a summary, not the full regulations. Zone lines follow roads, not county borders, so confirm your spot on the MDC duck zone map and check current rules with MDC before you hunt. Full zone details live on our Missouri duck season page.
Gear for the Week Ahead
Quick Answers
Have the mallards migrated into Missouri yet?
Not in numbers as of early November. Loess Bluffs NWR counted 710 mallards among 74,337 ducks on November 3. Iowa's count is 18% mallards and climbing, and South Dakota reports it is far from peak mallard numbers, so the main push is still north of us.
What ducks are in Missouri right now?
Mostly gadwall, green-winged teal and pintails. Loess Bluffs NWR held 24,400 gadwall, 22,305 green-winged teal and 20,830 pintails on November 3.
Where is duck hunting best in Missouri right now?
On MDC's managed wetlands, Bob Brown CA averaged 4.39 ducks per hunter over November 7 and 8, the best of any area. Grand Pass CA was next at 3.47 on the Middle Zone's opening weekend.
When does goose season open in Missouri?
Canada, white-fronted and light goose seasons open November 11, 2026 and run through February 6, 2027. Confirm with MDC before you hunt.
Sources
- USFWS Loess Bluffs NWR Waterfowl Survey, November 3, 2026
- MDC Waterfowl Harvest Reports, area counts and harvest through November 9, 2026
- MDC Missouri Waterfowl and Habitat Survey, surveys October 26 to 29, 2026
- MDC Pre-season Wetland Area Status, mid-October 2026
- MDC 2026-27 migratory game bird and waterfowl seasons
- Iowa DNR Waterfowl Migration Survey, week ending November 6, 2026
- South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks Migration Reports, week of November 2, 2026
- National Weather Service Kansas City Forecast Discussion, November 10, 2026
- National Weather Service Aberdeen Forecast Discussion, November 10, 2026
Work to Live. Live to Hunt.
MDC surveys its wetlands about every other week through the season. This report updates as new counts come in.