NDPheasant
Well-known member
On Halloween, I experienced something that may impact hunting access for everyone in our area. My family were preparing to hunt pheasants at a slough on my in-laws’ land in North Dakota when we saw a group of hunters from Georgia drive their truck straight into a harvested cornfield. They circled the perimeter of the slough, pushing countless pheasants out to neighboring cover before heading toward us. When they stopped to talk, my son-in-law took the high road and listened to them explain they were “just scouting for ducks.” They admitted they’d seen the pheasants (not showing any interest in the pheasants) and argued that since the field wasn’t posted, they thought they were within their rights.
I reminded them that driving off-road without explicit permission from the landowner is illegal here, whether the land is posted or not. They apologized, but I couldn’t help wondering if there "we are sorry" was because they’d been caught or because they truly understood the harm they’d done. While we could have reported them, we chose to educate them instead, hoping they'd realize the importance of respecting our access laws.
This may be the final straw for my in-laws, who farm between 8,000-10,000 acres and have always left their land unposted as a gesture of goodwill to both resident and non-resident hunters. North Dakota is one of the few states where this level of access to private land is still an option, but careless actions like this threaten to close it down. For those of us who cherish North Dakota’s unique hunting opportunities, this loss would be deeply felt.
To my fellow hunters, especially those visiting from out of state, please remember: asking for permission to use private land isn’t just about legality; it’s about respecting a trust that keeps these lands open for everyone to enjoy. Let’s work together to keep this tradition alive.
I reminded them that driving off-road without explicit permission from the landowner is illegal here, whether the land is posted or not. They apologized, but I couldn’t help wondering if there "we are sorry" was because they’d been caught or because they truly understood the harm they’d done. While we could have reported them, we chose to educate them instead, hoping they'd realize the importance of respecting our access laws.
This may be the final straw for my in-laws, who farm between 8,000-10,000 acres and have always left their land unposted as a gesture of goodwill to both resident and non-resident hunters. North Dakota is one of the few states where this level of access to private land is still an option, but careless actions like this threaten to close it down. For those of us who cherish North Dakota’s unique hunting opportunities, this loss would be deeply felt.
To my fellow hunters, especially those visiting from out of state, please remember: asking for permission to use private land isn’t just about legality; it’s about respecting a trust that keeps these lands open for everyone to enjoy. Let’s work together to keep this tradition alive.
at the wheel again?