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hunting North Dakota

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Wildlifexpressions64

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Hello fella hunters, I kno this isn't a waterfowl forum but i'm sure some of you chase waterfowl. Has anyone ever waterfowl hunted in North Dakota? Me and some buddies are planning a trip the last week of Oct. to chase waterfowl. I'm wanting to hit the praire pothole region but kno nothing of the place. I was wondering if anyone on here has hunted North Dakota if you wouldn't mind to get me started in the right direction, I'm from western Ky and have only hunted around here. Any help at all would be appreciated greatly. Everyone have a happy new year and stay safe. Shoot me a PM if anyone knows anything about hunting there. Thanks again.

Scotty
 
Wildlifexpressions64 said:
Hello fella hunters, I kno this isn't a waterfowl forum but i'm sure some of you chase waterfowl. Has anyone ever waterfowl hunted in North Dakota? Me and some buddies are planning a trip the last week of Oct. to chase waterfowl. I'm wanting to hit the praire pothole region but kno nothing of the place. I was wondering if anyone on here has hunted North Dakota if you wouldn't mind to get me started in the right direction, I'm from western Ky and have only hunted around here. Any help at all would be appreciated greatly. Everyone have a happy new year and stay safe. Shoot me a PM if anyone knows anything about hunting there. Thanks again.

Scotty
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Scott: I have hunted ND and yes it is great...ND regs allow you to hunt land that is not posted, for the most part you can get on land fairly easy.

I would try the counties near Devils Lake, or north of Jamestown, should be plenty of spots,,,get there a day or two in advance scout and ask permission if needed.

On one occasion, a landowner (that we had never met) insisted that we hunt his farm instead of his neighbors as he had more ducks and geese.... where do you run into that situation?:drink2:
 
i have to agree with hardwoods, the people up there are INCREDIBLE. get a P.L.O.T.S. book. it will tell you where all the private land that is open to public hunting is (the vast majority of the state). get a sportsmans atlas as well. we usually go up the week before NR pheasant opens up. usually too early for migrators, just hunt local birds, but there are TONS of local birds. i would love to go up there every year. be prepared for field hunting and hunting over water.
you will love it
 
I was up there in 1995 and it was an absolute blast. I have heard that it's a little tougher finding ground thats not posted now. I would love to go back myself
 
were heading up the last week of october next year. or planning on it atleast or would you'll thats been there before recommened going earlier or later? I cant wait to make the trip out there. we plan on hunting for 7 days. What part of the state is what they call the praire pothole region? I've been told thats the place to concentrate on, but i know nothing about waterfowl hunting there except theres alot more birds there then here in Western Ky. Do i have to order the Sportsman atlas or can i pick it up somewhere when we get there? Thanks for the help guys
 
I lived in Minot for a few years and loved it. If I still lived there I'd have a trailer full of dekes and might not deer hunt as much. Amazing place!
 
ND ducks and geese

If I was you I would go to Devils Lake or south about an hour, find a hotel room and scout/ask permission 1-2 days prior to your hunt. You will find spots, try middle of the week, no competition.

Mid to late October should be great!

Find a nice farmer and they will let you hunt...I have 3-5,000 acres to hunt in my spot, and I simply cannot hunt it all, rarely turned down.
 
thanks fellas, I been doin alot of research on hunting ND and like yaw posted Devils Lake is what sticks out the most to me so Most our time will be concentrated on that area. What part of the state is Devils lake in, Western, easter or what? Thanks again fellas. Happy hunting and stay safe. and shoot em in the Face!!!
 
Spent the first 26 years of my life in NoDak... Just recently moved to Iowa. During my high school and college years I hunted waterfowl all over the state from open to close of season. I went to the University of North Dakota which is in Grand Forks, so most hunting was in the Devils lake area, but grew up in Bismarck so traveled back quite often and ended up hunting all over.

You have been planning a hunt up there but haven't even looked at a map to see where Devils Lake is at???? Looking at a map will also show you the "prairie pot-hole region" because you will see all the bodies of water that make it look like potholes. I suggest you do it.

As far as season structure and timing: ND is at the peak of another wet cycle and that does make a difference. They get tons of breeding pairs up there and the more water the better. So I anticipate the local birds and populations will be very good come next fall for the opener. It will also help displace some pressure because a lot of the temporary wetlands will have water and it will spread the birds out even more.

Residents get a week of hunting to themselves before the non-residents are allowed to come in. Non-resident opener will pretty much guarantee you a lot of birds, but also a lot of pressure. Between the weather and the pressure the birds have seen the first couple weeks of the season it can get pretty slow until a weather system will push more birds down from Canada. I would say anytime after the non-resident opener you are looking to time the weather for the migrations. Planning a trip anytime later than the last week in October can be a gamble with the freeze up of the smaller bodies of water.

Successful hunting can be done on the water or in the fields up there. I always preferred fields unless I found a sweet transition slough while scouting. Speaking of scouting... thats the key. Being you have never been up there before dont be surprised to drive over 250 miles in one evening. I knew the area and would still put on that most evenings. Also depends on what you are looking for. If a slough with 50 birds on it is good enough than you probably dont have to drive as far.

Devils Lake is a great area for duck numbers and has a good migration every year. But it is also the most commercialized area of the state for guides and probably the most pressured by freelance hunters also. So Im not sure it is the best waterfowl hunting the state has to offer the DIYer.

I could write all night on this topic, but its time to eat. Got some walleye baking that I iced in ND over Christmas vacation. If you have anymore specific questions post them up or send me a pm.
 
ND

If Devils Lake is busy with guides/etc...try the Oakes area (SE). That is where I hunt and permission is a piece of cake, thousands of ducks and geese.
 
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