Sandhills....
- Thread starter lvrgsp
- Start date
andyperry07
New member
I am going to be scouting that way next week can PM for a report if you want. My first time there so good chance I may not find much just due to my inexperience.
small munsterlander owner
Banned
if u want to get a idea if the prairie grouse numbers are up you should be able to contact a wildlife biologist for the area ur interested in hunting... prairie grouse are very ez to count on there breeding grounds they dance in the wide open in mn they do yearly counts on there danceing grounds i assume the state of nebraska kansas & sd all do the same thing i know they do on the FPNG BGNG & A FEW GRASSLANDS etc. in NE...
basicly if theres bugs and moisture for cover and bugs and the grasslands were not disturbed there will be prairie grouse there... got to wait for brood numbers to get the hole picture...
the central and northern sandhills looked much more promiseing then the allience and panhandle areas if nebraska man that country is ruff hard to think pheasants live there but i seen and herd a few... sandhills is wear id spend my time in ne... ill be hunting quai l and pheasants come dec-jan cant wait... if there was less sandburs id chase prairie grouse there but the burrs blow for the dogs...
find good prairie grouse cover hint hint look up what hight grasses they use then find some cattle near by and sunflowers if ur lucky corn or beans will do then look for some kind of water seap and hunt near wear they all meet up and ur golden...
scout them like ducks or greese get up early and watch for grouse to fly from bedding areas to feeding areas and u will figure out wear to spend time hunting.. .
basicly if theres bugs and moisture for cover and bugs and the grasslands were not disturbed there will be prairie grouse there... got to wait for brood numbers to get the hole picture...
the central and northern sandhills looked much more promiseing then the allience and panhandle areas if nebraska man that country is ruff hard to think pheasants live there but i seen and herd a few... sandhills is wear id spend my time in ne... ill be hunting quai l and pheasants come dec-jan cant wait... if there was less sandburs id chase prairie grouse there but the burrs blow for the dogs...
find good prairie grouse cover hint hint look up what hight grasses they use then find some cattle near by and sunflowers if ur lucky corn or beans will do then look for some kind of water seap and hunt near wear they all meet up and ur golden...
scout them like ducks or greese get up early and watch for grouse to fly from bedding areas to feeding areas and u will figure out wear to spend time hunting.. .
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Alliance was to far west along #2 highway, for a lot of sharptails, to flat, need the roll of the terrain. In the 1970's Box Butte, had the highest pheasant population per square mile in the country, 300+-600 birds per section! There were also huns. For sharpies go high and where there's nobody else. Alliance area is to civilized. Up north is good and east to about Broken Bow.
andyperry07
New member
Any one hunted the Ogalala National Grasslands? It is one of the closer options I have in Wyoming. I am debating between trying NE or MT for a couple weekends this fall. Montana is about 2-3 hours farther each way and the drive can be a bit trickier as fall becomes winter.
Flatter terrain, poorer cover most years, gets grazed short. I you don't know the USDA and the Forest Service, ( yes the Forest Service where the only trees are cottonwoods in the creeks, and ones they planted), determine how much grazing in a particular quadrant. It varies widely, the rangers will cut the grazing season back during drought. Others will allow it, through the grazing season, reducing game bird cover. it depends on the management. High grass, rose hips, grasshoppers, high up on the lee side of the wind but where it just on top, where they can lift off into it, are the key.
Well the pheasants were in the 70's not currently. It used to be irrigated alfalfa, with some corn, interspersed with prairie quarters here and there. Didn't have a lot of cover then, now looks like everything else. 10 miles east is good, but it's difficult country. Antioch?, Carthage? or some town named some biblical city, where the potash mines were, back east to where there's a sign which say's "sandhill area-limited services" going west is the best. Hyannis, I had great sharptail hunting, but there are more prairie chickens east. Farther south it wanes, and South Dakota border are the best Nebraska prairie grouse area. It's a lot of ground! Cherry county is something like the size of Delaware.
I don't know understand why nobody thinks there are pheasants around Alliance? Maybe it's a lack of public land??? My best friend owns a "Wheat Ranch" north of town and we have killed plenty of roosters there including quite a few sharpies. This year things are looking great in his area.
andyperry07
New member
My guess it is the lack of good public land Frangler if that is the issue. I cannot decide between pursuing MT or NE this year for weekend opportunities... tough decision.
small munsterlander owner
Banned
south central to sw central ne also has ok prairie grouse hunting a better mixed bag hunt and far far less sand burs along the ks border not much burrs and not sandhill countryi hunt turkeys near the sandhills and its not for everybody i like ks alot flater ground to hunt on they dont call em the sandhills for nothing...
i agree that northern sd ne border is great prairie grouse country with a few pheasants thrown in but the pheasants are hurting in that are the drought must if hit em hard... i always wondered why nebraska never had any huns with all the sandhills and cattle rangeland??? good to hear they were in the state at 1 time...
its funny to drive around and see more quail then pheasants and as many sharptails as pheasants that was the case in ne the last 2-3 yrs for me at least...
i agree that northern sd ne border is great prairie grouse country with a few pheasants thrown in but the pheasants are hurting in that are the drought must if hit em hard... i always wondered why nebraska never had any huns with all the sandhills and cattle rangeland??? good to hear they were in the state at 1 time...
its funny to drive around and see more quail then pheasants and as many sharptails as pheasants that was the case in ne the last 2-3 yrs for me at least...
small munsterlander owner
Banned
not sure about the nenf near halsey drove by it this spring it does not look as hash or arid as the ne/sd border and if its anything like wear i turkey hunt no there will be not many sandburrs... i found most sandburr country to have tons of yucca and cactus havent seen much of that not nearl as much as up in nc ne... seen prairie rattlers up in nc ne also so i wont bring my dog there so many other places to hunt rattle snake and sandburr free...
that area has both prairie grouse species so u mite bag another chicken there??? they live in different terrain most times but u can & will encounter both species there... i like flar lands for chicken.... shruby mess near prairie for sharpy .. .
there are plenty of pheasants left to chase in ne same for bob white quail just got to hunt wear there is habitat and there is birds left.. ill be down in ne come late season to pheasant quail and prairie grouse hunt. ..
if no luck on sharpys in ne try mt or nd nothing but sharpys in them states... plus a chance at a hun at same time...
that area has both prairie grouse species so u mite bag another chicken there??? they live in different terrain most times but u can & will encounter both species there... i like flar lands for chicken.... shruby mess near prairie for sharpy .. .
there are plenty of pheasants left to chase in ne same for bob white quail just got to hunt wear there is habitat and there is birds left.. ill be down in ne come late season to pheasant quail and prairie grouse hunt. ..
if no luck on sharpys in ne try mt or nd nothing but sharpys in them states... plus a chance at a hun at same time...
For over a 100 miles east and west, and from Stapelton on a line east and west, to the S.D border to about Chadron. It's all sandhills all the time! The sand burrs, cactus, spanish bayonettes, ( yucca), all sharp and everywhere. There are more porcupines, not as many snakes, near Halsey, population is about 7 sharpies to 3 chickens . Same at Valentine NWR, North and west, a lot more snakes, not that bad for porks, as said fewer prairie chickens, in fact I have never seen a chicken NW of Brownlee, ( If you know where that is!) A hill is a hill, hard, some steep, at least where the sharpies live. I don't see any difference in size, just subtle differences in habitat. Now east into Rock County and Brown it's sandy and not as hilly, there are more chickens than sharpies, but both are there. Don't discount the pheasants, they are in all three areas, but you have to know where! might surprise you here and there.
Yes and No. I suppose there should be a "Sand Hills" dog. Most dogs will tolerate sand burrs by learning to avoid areas where they are, they are pretty obvious, light brown, almost always near a windmill, ( doves eat them), blow outs are the real reason they are at windmills, those are wallowed out by cattle, along the road edges too! Anywhere there is soil disruption, trampling, grading. Dogs will get down and pull them out, they get sores from them, so will you! you'll never walk around without shoes, no froo froo sandals here! Dogs who do best, have real hard feet, have a paw which is compact, doesn't spread easy, light on their feet, after a while it's just part of the drill. Prickly pear cactus is just as bad, it will get swept up by a tail in bed it's self along the flanks, dogs will pull that out too, but may get it stuck in the mouth. I used setters, seemed better able to shed cactus, but had sand burrs along the feathered hair on the legs. Be careful about excercising a dog, flat gravel driveways or roadside rest areas are chock full of burrs. Actually getting into the hills, and it might be a walk from where you parked, Like Valentine National Wildlife Area, there are small avoidable areas of sand burrs, sand burrs need disturbance, very little of that on the grassy slopes. Getting water out of a windmill is a sure trap for sandhillers, man and dog. There is water everywhere, but no up top where you need it! Down there a 2 mile walk up and down to get there, water, pigweed, sand burrs too! I have made way in the expedition to carry camel backs of water, and a crushable water proof hat. I don't need a bunch of shells, I would sacrifice all items which are expendible on the foot safari. You won't need a heavy shirt, even though it's cold in the morning, light cotton faced pants, to deflect burrs, lightweight broken in boots,( I have two in camp) they get dew soaked and need to dry early. A heavy tee-shirt, light manuverable, and ability to stay up there hunting. You see you might be out there 5 minutes and shoot 3 birds....or you could be several hours up there, see wild flushing birds, or no birds, till viola! you stumble into an easy triple, or maybe 1 every hour or so. I rest in the heat of the day, If I need to, I go up the hills as they get shady in the evening. Be aware of where you are! Getting lost is common place, coming out a mile or so from the car routine, If you have to walk to a road, it's a long way, with very little traffic. If you have a medical emergency, you or the dog, Valentine, or North Platte, Hyannis, west, back east Broken Bow. At least 35 miles, cell phones ????? where you are. I use a satellite phone at camp. A little more involved than a quail hunt! But worth the sweat, and labor. As far as dogs and snakes, I have preached about that before, porks, well I never had a problem, but I saw dogs who will not lay off them! leatherman! The pricklies will not kill you, but are problem. By the way don't camp near the cottonwoods near one of the lakes! While inviting in the afternoon, they are wicked with mosquito's at night...all night! I should have said, I never had good luck with boots on dogs. Some people do. the inner tube home made which I have never used look promising, but you have to acclimate the dogs to use them in advance, and they look like prickly pear attractants!
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By the way, I should say to dog hunters, I don't want to disturb the shooting sharptails over spectacular points. But the fact is you get them where they are! Prairie chickens are usually in heavier grass,or work there way into that cover. sharp tails are open sparser prairie birds, nervous, most points are more like stop to flush, thus is based on countless bird dogs, at least a 100. All who were death on quail and pheasants. If you are only going to shoot pointed birds, hope for a still day, be close to the dog, young birds, or be prepared with shoe leather, training camp fitness.
small munsterlander owner
Banned
i wonder if the spookyness or the bumping or flash pointing of prairie grouse has to do with the way prairie grouse rely so much on there eye sight and just see us coming??? or maybe its the the fact that prairie grouse do not leave the same kind if scent trail as pheasants & quail do? i mean pheasants & quail walk most the time to & from say roosting or loafing areas to feed sources and vise versa prairie grouse most the time in my experience just fly from prefered place to place they will loaf on the edge of crops & grass but its very common to see a flock of prairie grouse just go land some place & dig in like ticks very much like huns can do after flushed wild... but for me prairie grouse fly 100 times farther then huns when flushed very rarely do u walk up a wild flushed flock of prairie grouse... u may catch a stragler late to fly from the 1st wild flush... prairie grouse dont run as much as quail & pheasants so i think they are faster to flush that and dogs bump them when they finely do run into there scent...
that being said tons and tons if guys take pointers to the sd nd ne & ks prairies to train there dogs on great holding young birds... if its hot they dont like to fly i guess that mite help??? for me young prairie chickens hold great for pointing dogs many in ur face flushes and shots early season and they do eat good when young...
that being said tons and tons if guys take pointers to the sd nd ne & ks prairies to train there dogs on great holding young birds... if its hot they dont like to fly i guess that mite help??? for me young prairie chickens hold great for pointing dogs many in ur face flushes and shots early season and they do eat good when young...