9 day Pheasant Odyessy

PTM

PTM

Active member
Spent the the last 9 days in N Dak and S Dak hunting with a buddy from MT and some others on the site in SD. First Five days in Central N Dak and N Central N Dak. Birds were down but certain spots with the right combination of habitat including “water” were better than average, spots without water were especially bad.

The next three days in South Central SD appeared to be kind of the same scenario but more unharvested crops. Nd seemed to be way ahead in the harvest and had more soybeans which were all clipped.

We had a lot of fun and I think most days had a two bird average per hunter, and our common motto was we should of had our limit, the last day in SD we pulled it off with three guys despite challenging winds. For sure some areas have been grossly affected by the drought but if a guy is willing to remain mobile and walk his tail off there are birds to be had. I was inspired to drive around Gettysburg going home, after reading an entertaining thread on it but icy roads prevented it. My travels included private, public, private/pay, wpas, state areas, family land, and even a few road ditches.

Good luck to all Dakota hunters North and South

Patrick
 
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You're living the dream Patrick! I wish i couldve gotten out to SD to hunt with you guys but it just wasn't in the cards this time. Give those dogs an extra treat for me buddy.
 
Thanks Robert, with less birds I got to watch other people’s dogs a little more it was really fun. Toms Dog Buddy amazes with his birdiness and marking ability, he had a 100 yard plus and went straight to the bird and got him he has an eye for the sky. I watched a rooster come back to life and took off running faster than any rooster I’ve ever seen. Jon’s dog Max some how got through a four strand and ran him down. It was thick cover and he checked a couple hunters first before finding Jon. That took some expierence to catch the Carl Lewis Rooster.

I got to watch Brian’s dog Jetta methodically put up bird after bird. She’d get birdy and point before going in to work the cover and then she’d go on a strong point if the bird allowed. She is really a graceful Hunter.

Hopefully we can find a place to chase Quail next year. I have a buddy in Tucson that would be all about it. He’s retiring and has a house with a view and a pool. I know a few good spots from way back when I used to live there.
 
Just got back from a four day hunt in central South Dakota with my son and his two dogs. A lab and a young shorthair who is a real runner. Winds first day were ferocious but we managed to get our limit every day.
Hunted milo strips and saw hundreds of pheasants each day. If had more guys for blocking and "surrounding" the area a bit, would have been easier, but we saw so many birds that we always had a shot at a couple.
The birds are down, but we did not notice it since on the private land we hunted. We had access to over 2500 acres of fabulous land filthy with pheasants.

Good luck to all and if you have any tips regarding real high quality quail hunting I would very much appreciate it. Willing to pay for a hunt on private land any where there are wild birds in good numbers.

Steve
 
Nice trip man. Just got back from a Montana / North Dakota trip myself. Was spotty. Where in Central ND? I have been hunting there for years.
 
Pretty much the same scenario on 9 day hunt, all north central and northwest SD. Avg. just over 2birds per day with a few grouse and Huns thrown in. Saw more birds than expected, but less than last year for sure. Short cover, windy dry conditions made for wild birds and tough pointing dog conditions. Lost two birds only though and I gave up on one when it turned into a coon fight. One bad porky encounter and hit a large 4x4 Muley between Pollack and Mobridge. Otherwise satisfying trip.
 
esetter said:
Nice trip man. Just got back from a Montana / North Dakota trip myself. Was spotty. Where in Central ND? I have been hunting there for years.[/QUOTE

Hey don’t know if this was for Steve or myself but I was on land on both sides of Lake Sakakawea, Douglas bay on the North side as a land mark and a lot of the south shore. I also hunt north of the lake Plaza/Makoti and some real fringe areas around Minot, this is the first season in ND in awhile, I’m from here originally but just spent the last 3 years in MT. In some areas I think the States assessment was low and closer to 90 percent mortality but in other areas it was high with about 20 percent lower than last year with good chick production. I haven’t hit NW areas like Crosby/Fortuna but plan on trying that area next. Haven’t seen any Hunter reports yet but the state predicted devistation. Use to hunt there when numbers were off the charts.

Patrick
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It was certainly tough going when I was there. I hunt east of Bismarck and north of 94. That whole general area. All of the CRP loss has really been taking a toll , then this past years deep snow and drought finished them off. Moved a few birds but not like it normally is and certainly not like it was 7-10 years ago. We did better in Montana. Still love ND though.
 
Esetter if you come back shoot me a pm and I can give my most up to date Intel. I try and get out a lot and talk to a lot of folks who all go out in different directions. I finally found a preserve close by so tommorow I’m taking the young dog out for some individual time.
 
The porcupine incident was terrible. How many men does it take to get about 80 quills out of a dog? Four---two literally lying on the pouch and two pulling quills. Got it done and Poco is doing fine. Have not dealt with the deer collision yet.
steven vecchio said:
Uncle Buck, it seems that you can deal with some pretty big hassles with no problem. Good man!
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I only get a chance to go up there once per year , but really really love it. Ive made some really good friends over the years. It took 3 of us to get 30 or so quills out of my friends GSP up in Minnesota last year. It was quite a task!!
 
I hit a big whitetail between Ludden and Ellendale two seasons ago just about this time of early November. I think it was November 5. Totaled my Tundra, right at first light in the morning. Looking back, I'm still not sure I could have done anything to avoid it, but if I had it to do over, I'd be travelling about 10 mph slower in the early dawn on that road. Live and learn.
 
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