Thinking about heading to ND Dec 14th

F

Flushing Mutt

New member
I'm planning a trip to western ND next week for pheasant, leaving 12/14. 2 guys, 2 experienced flushing dogs. Looks like a storm is pushing through as we speak. Any advice regarding hunting after the storm, should the snow help or hurt? We're still undecided on exact location but figure we'll drive through the SW corner and evaluate the conditions as we push north. Is the national grassland worth some time or should be stick to plots? Has anyone noticed birds filling back into the plots after the early season pressure?

Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thank you!
 
Wiith blizzard conditions in the offing. I would be sure to be self-equipped for a tough slog. I would have equipment to motor in drifted snow. Food to keep you alive, and clothes,blankets, heat, and fuel to last a while. If you think you may need it, bring it with you! The clothes to make it enjoyable in those conditions, shells to give some down range distance. No wind resistance out there! Some of the greatest hunts I have ever had. Mostly farmers will let you hunt by now. Tell us the tale when you get back.
 
1-6 inches of snow on the ground tends to concentrate birds into obvious covers and tracks will give away the fact that "we found you - we know you are here". Walkable depths of snow very much simplifies the bird finding equation!

If this helps:

My absolute best condition to hunt pheasant in is 2-5 inches of FRESH snow, 25 degrees and dead calm with sunny skies.
 
Look for areas with a good food source near good heavy cover. Lots of pheasants will be holed up in groves around farmsteads. Look for cattle feeding areas with shelter (almost always the case). Usually out West there are hundreds of bunched up birds in these areas once there's significant snow cover.

The grasslands with the brushy draws and coulees hold pheasants and sharptail. Winter/Spring 010-011 was brutal on the grasslands birds. Before that the grasslands were good late season hunting. Don't know how pheasants recovered?
 
I can't thank you guys enough for the advice. More than anything I'm making the drive to get in the dog work. My dog is in his prime and I can't bear to let a full season go by here in Colorado with so little action for him after getting used to the last couple banner years. MNMTHunting mentioned birds heavily congregated around cattle feeding areas. Sounds intriguing and I've seen pics of this phenomenon but not sure that would be conducive to good dog work. I'm hoping there will still be a few birds to be found in cattails and shelter belts?

Sounds like it will be an adventure, I appreciated the advice on the cold weather survival gear. We'll be keeping an eye on the weather. I'll be sure to give a full report if the weather cooperates.

Thanks again.
 
SW ND is in the "banana belt" with winter often drier and warmer than other regions of ND. Less wetlands, cattail sloughs, etc... in that area.

Once snow hits SW ND (I mean deeper snow), the birds do move to farm yards, ranch yards and to river ecosystems with good woody cover.

Access to farm and ranch yards can be very difficult because the birds take up residence amongst the house, tractors, barn and hay bales. Not just anyone will be given permisson to hunt these areas. Often becomes a drive and post only hunt. Dogs become less useful in finding birds because they are often visible as the run ahead of you. Dogs are still useful in retreiving birds.
Active ranches help carry alot of pheasants, wild turkeys and even deer through the rougher ND winters.

If you can get access to those woody river bottoms. Willows are the ticket!
 
wllows??? is no willows in that area! your right the birds will go to the hay piles and farm yards where they are safe and very hard to get acess. By the way almost all the plots were cut this fall for hay!
 
daryl1801 said:
wllows??? is no willows in that area! your right the birds will go to the hay piles and farm yards where they are safe and very hard to get acess. By the way almost all the plots were cut this fall for hay!
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I call them willows. Not talking about the farm yards with planted shelter belts. Head down to the river bottoms. Thick woody cover. Birds are there.

Sandbar Willow is a medium shrub, native along riverbanks, lakes and sloughs throughout most of North Dakota. It suckers profusely so not recommended in home landscapes.
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When winter snow sets in, sharptail grouse are fun too. They will fly mile(s) between their winter roost areas and farm fields. Most we shoot that time a year are passhooting.
 
Lots of the good areas in SW ND are leased to commercial operations. No use knocking on those doors unless You want to pay to hunt. Get out of that area and You have a much better chance of a private land access.
 
sw n. dakota

i'll tell you what sucks, two pages of bullshit and no help for the guy, not a town named, country, road, nothing, what's up with you egg heads
 
I'd let the recipient of the advise be the judge of it: "I can't thank you guys enough for the advise".

A large part of his question was about hunting in snow conditions which I think is an IMPORTANT question.

Mustistuff, no one is stopping YOU from offering advise on a specific location to hunt, so put-up or SHUT-UP!

That said, I agree that free access in SW ND can be difficult. Generally, I would hunt NW ND, Central ND, or South Central ND(east of the MO River). Plenty of birds and access is much less problematic.

Also, if this guy learns what good habitat/cover looks like with snow conditions, he'll do best finding the specific locations, through experience, on his own.
 
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