About Time!!!

gjw

Well-known member
Today I was finally able to get a couple roosters. These are my first since the season opened 2 weeks ago. Been seeing very few birds this year. In my neck of the woods they are way down. Still, nice to get out and enjoy the nice weather (for a change!) with my son and my faithful Raina.

Anyway, I was using my 16ga Uggie 1030 today



Best,

Greg
 
Thats awesome!! .16 is old school for sure!! Headed towards the east / central area in 10 days. Hopefully will find a few pockets of birds!!
 
Well done. Eastern Montana is also down, but the weather has been nice.Ive gotten some birds, but it's been work for sure.
 
eSetter

Thats awesome!! .16 is old school for sure!! Headed towards the east / central area in 10 days. Hopefully will find a few pockets of birds!!

Whats the area you will be hunting? We are headed out on Nov 2 driving from NJ for a 6 day hunt. West of the Missouri 50 miles or so south west of Mandan. My 23rd trip out! Hope things are better this year!! Good luck!
 
Hunt east of there . Medina up to carrington usually. Been really tough the last few years. Still going though! Best of luck.
 
esetter-Well we had a decent hunt because we are blessed with 4 good Setters 2 of which are exceptional but it was tough hunting. First 3 days near Flasher ND 50 miles or so south of Mandan it rained the first day and a half on and off and on the 3rd day 30-40 mph winds but dry with some flurries! Yikes! 2 guys we shot 6 roosters and 1 sharp tail over the 3 days. Then we went west out near Dickinson ohh about 20 miles or so north. We had very good hunting there 9 roosters in hand and 1 hun over 2 days and saw some decent numbers but not near what it should be. We had a dusting of snow which helped. I lost one bird fell on the other side of a water way and thought it was dead by the time I found a way across the bird must have been still alive in wheat stubble and ran away on it's belly! The dog never saw it go down because it was 5-6 feet below ground level and couldn't get across the water. I tell everyone that listens back home no tougher game bird on Gods green earth then a ND Rooster! We didn't want to leave but had to be back to work this past Monday! 28 hour plus ride home but we did stop over in a hotel just south of Chicago and got 5 hours rest. Can't wait to get back again next year! We hope your hunt went well!
Bill
 
Have knocked many down that weren't there when I go to them. It happens. Have never hunted that far north and west. Would love to sometime. Hopefully another year of favorable weather in the future for ND. I posted some details of my hunt in the ''Hows everybody doing?'' thread.
 
SW ND and Central ND are completely different biomes. Weather, grass, crops ... all different.
 
Yea us too! We loose some and find some but the ND Roosters are unbelievable! This was my 21st trip to ND and I hope and pray that the winter is mild, the spring is warm and has moderate precipitation and the summer has the right amount of precipitation. That's the first time we hunted that far North of Hwy 94. But I have hunted Lemmon to Hettinger. We frankly didn't know what to expect. Its near the Knife River that snakes through the landscape and the birds were along the river in the grass. It was cold and we had some snow but no heavy wind which made it tolerable with all the walking. Over all a great trip but a long drive home but well worth every mile!! Take care!
Bill
 
Top NE corner of MT and NW corner of ND is good pheasant country too. SK has a huntable pheasant population (resident pheasant hunters only in Canada though).

In fact that area long before the most recent oil boom was easily my favorite place for upland (pheasants, grouse, and huns). You feel like you are really at the edge of a flat earth up there. You learn to keep your gas tank full and provisions stocked. Those top counties are some of the least populated counties in the US. I believe both Burke and Divide are down to one HS each.
 
Definitely on my to do list! You guys who hunt that country late into the year are tough. Those days in the teens with winds to match were tough on a lifelong southerner! Have hunted NE MT , was definitely different but once we learned to hunt the irrigated fields, it got good. I had just assumed that with the oil boom that those areas were getting hammered by guys on their days off.
 
Road hunters maybe. Most wildcatter / oil men are working 6 days on or more. Most are worn out after work. Many are transplants that when they have a week off - head back to their home state.

The issue up there has been lodging for NR hunters.
 
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