Understanding game laws is no short task. In fact, it's generally a tall order, especially for one's home state. Understanding game and land laws in other states is even trickier, especially with different colloquial meanings for words. It is always beneficial for any intrepid and traveling hunter to first read the respective state's game laws. Laws are called proclamations in North Dakota. Proclamations, as far as it's concerned in North Carolina's terms, gnerally refer to an area of No Hunting. Eithe way, I quickly picked these things apart, and then started to contact others in my industry within North Dakota. Everybody in North Dakota hunts. The Whitetail Opener is almost a holiday, while pheasant season is de facto vacation for most men, children, and even women. Everybody also duck or goose hunts at least once. With all the wild game that is harvested, and indeed eaten there, it still surprises me how the state tends t have a very "robust" population. Maybe it's their nordic heritage. Either way, wild game is very much a part of the diet in North Dakota.
I'll try to break this down into three categories to give ya'll a basic understanding of game laws and myths. Trust me, it's tough to get a solid and consistent answer. I even had the North Dakota Game and Fish division give me conflicting answers. It's best to keep the regulation (or proclamation) digest with you at all times and follow it. In m experience, the game warden will just write the ticket and let the local magistrate or judge interpret the law...so always be on the safe side and err with caution!
Hunting Private Land - You can hunt private land in North Dakota - assuming it is not posted. Roughly 90% of the land is posted, and in many areas it's posted throughout. Some do have less posted lands. One point of conflict there is that the signs must be signed and dated for the current year and include the landowner's name and phone number. I saw very few current signs. However, much of the land is only posted for pheasants and deer. Most, nearly all in fact, landowners could care less about you shooting the blackheads off of their potholes. Just ask, and clean up after yourself (and anyone who has been in before you). I was never turned down for permission on posted land, but I never asked. I found ducks at other places. Posted land is considered posted if the gate to the fenced in property is posted or if the "POSTED" signs are set less than 880 yards apart. Usually, it's pretty obvious if it is posted. However, remember that it must be current for the year to be considered a legally posted land. Still, err on the side of caution and understand that odds are very good that the land is intended t be posted again. Deer season just happens to start after the good duck flights, so they haven't gotten to it yet. If you can't find a phone number, and it's not worth the effort to call the landowner, then don't sneak in to hunt it! Oh - and about the gate...if the gate is posted, it qualifies all land within the fence to be posted. If you're not sure about fenced property, find the gate! And the gates are tough to spot in some cases! "POSTED" signs will be found on wooden stobs, power line poles, fence posts, and even taped to buckets or old jugs weighted with concrete or any dense liquid! They come in all colors - Orange, Yellow, White, Black, and even very faded and natural-looking gray. Also, privately-owned land is not open to hunting by non-residents the first week of the resident pheasant season.
Hunting PLOTS Lands - PLOTS stands for Private Land Open To Sportsmen. It is marked with triangular yellow signs that state is as "PLOTS" lands. This land is abundant, and is usually left as natural grasses. It's the State of North Dakota's version of the Conservation Reserve Program. They receive credit for setting aside this land as PLOTS and aren't generally supposed to farm or graze cattle in it. But they do. I encountered this problem. It's illegal to hunt within 440 yards of livestock, but it's also against the rules to graze cattle in PLOTS land - it's kinda like double dipping. Again, err on the side of caution and report it to the proper officials. PLOTS lands do hold wildlife. Most are fairly easy to spot, and a PLOTS guide, which is a book of regional maps, shows the acreage and any roads or paths that access the lands. They are a useful tool, assuming you can read a map. Also, PLOTS lands are for foot traffic only. No driving out in the fields! Here's the deal, though. PLOTS are generally not as good as private lands. The landowners, as the legend goes, generally hunt their own PLOTS lands first, then switch to their posted lands when non-residents are allowed to go afield. It's a pretty dirty trick. Either way, not all landowners do that, and to be honest, there are some many ducks, and so many potholes, hunters can find concentrations of birds with some effort. I also utilized several PLOTS that were not visible from the road, too. Each pothole that was tucked over a hill or beyond a shelter belt held excellent amounts of birds. The walk was well worth it. And a shelter belt is the equivalent of a "wind break" in North Carolina - it's just trees planted in a row to provide cover for pheasants and to protect an area from wind.
Waterfowl Production Areas (WPA's) - WPA's just sound like they should be packed to the gills with waterfowl. Sometimes, they are. Many of these WPA's though are intended to PRODUCE WATERFOWL, as in nest waterfowl. Migration time finds these areas generally useless, though. Certainly, many of them held birds, just not great amounts. Generally, WPA's (which are bought with Duck Stamp dollars) are permanent wetlands, and have a lot of alkalinity to the water. Therefore, they don't feature the amazing plantlife that many temporary or season potholes contain. Still, the permanence of the WPA's does allow for nesting on islands and in the deep cattails...which keeps ducks protected from predators. I'd say that about 50% of the WPA's I saw had ducks. Only about 2% of them had a huntable amount of birds. And by huntable, I mean, at least two different species, and at least 3 different concentrations or rafts in the same area. Also, ponds and potholes with swans were a good bet, too. Swans will use an area more heavily and consistently than migrating ducks, but they do seem to always have ducks with them, whether they flew in three days, or three hours before. Also - many of the WPA's, since they are permanent, are also fairly deep. Some are as deep as 30 feet in the middle. However, they are excellent places to shoot divers. When I hunted WPA's I tried to select smaller ones, so that the persistent wind would blow the deceased to the far side and I would only have a short walk to retrieve it when the hunt concluded.
Other Lands - There are Wildlife Management Areas, which are the equivalent to North Carolina's Game Lands, as well as State Surface Land tracts, National Wildlife Refuges (some are open to hunting), Pheasants Forever Cooperator Land Tracts (most open to hunting), Nature Conservancy lands (Most open to hunting), National Grasslands (Some open to hunting), and then there are the larger bodies of water - such as rivers and very large lakes) that are available to. Devils Lake - the lake, not the town - is open to hunting in most stretches of open water. The western part of the lake is a bit shallower and tends to have more vegetation. It held hundreds of thousands of divers while I was there. A layout rig of float rig would be devastating there. Some roadside hunting on causeways was done, but it seemed strange. Also, many people will tell you that roads are laid out in square mile blocks and that travel is easy. Actually, the roads are laid out fairly evenly, but there is not necessarily a road every mile. Some are grown up, some are impassable, many are covered by water (but some are drive-able), many hold signs that say "No Winter Maintenance", and some have real life street signs. Most of the roads are very slick thanks to the bentonite clay. When it is wet, it swells and becomes very slippery. It's tough to drive and walk on. Also - under powerlines, you'll see small white signs...they don't say "POSTED"...insted they simply read "Do Not Cultivate Under Power Line". The truth is that there are lots of lands that are accessible, but walking will take as much time as driving.
Other facts that you should know about the state, that I found to be factual, anyway...
1) The beef there is great. I had a couple of very good steaks.
2) When it gets cold, it happens quick. And the wind is incessant. It is a constant companion, both the feel and the sound.
3) Minnesotan hunters are everywhere. They are the equivalent of our South Carolina non-residents. Most seem to be a little ignorant or rude.
4) There are little to zero ducks west of the Missouri River. But there are bison (which North Dakotans pronounce "BI-zen"), mule deer, pheasants, wild sheep, wild horses, cougars, wolves, bears, and even moose west of the Missouri.
5) The landscape of the state, east to west, goes from flat to hilly to rugged.
6) There are potholes almost everywhere. And the sky and the land seem much, much bigger than in North Carolina. The elevation in North Dakota ranges from about 1200 feet to over 3000 feet on the prairies. Expect some hills to ascend and descend to get to that magical pothole.
7) Canola is a real plant and it gets planted in North Dakota...along with wheat, corn, soybeans, sugar beets, and almost any other commodity crop.
8) Most radio stations play country music interrupted by the reports of the weather and the farm exchange in Chicago. I always found it entertaining and educational.
9) Goose hunting is much more prevalent in the northern reaches of the state.
10) The 10 best towns to headquarter yourself, based on where others were headquartering are 1) Devils Lake, (2)Minnewauken, (3) Rugby, (4)Lakota, (5)Cando, (6) Grand Forks, (7) Hampden, (8) Rolla, (9) Rollette, and (10) Langdon. I'm not sure that these towns were preferred based on ducks, but more so on the lodging, fueling, and food-getting opportunities that barely abound.
I'm sure I'll think of more stuff, but as I get into the hunt details beyond this post, there'll be informative hints I'm sure I'll drop...
Friday, November 2, 2012
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Me vs. North Dakota - Planning Part 2 in a series
Taking a trip to Wal-Mart is a logistical nightmare. I've always taken pride in my efficiency as an upright man. Wasting time is my biggest pet wasting energy and money, follow respectively. Of course, plainning a day trip to Wal-Mart or to the local duck marsh at Cattail Point is fairly simple. Planning for North Dakota is just like planning for any other duck hunting excursion. You have to remember to have decoys, a change of clothes, some cash money, and a way of navigating. It's just on a larger scale. Here's how it went down - and remember it was a 10 day trip, driving included...
Clothing - I packed 5 days worth of civilian clothing. This wasn't necessary. When you're out there, you can expect to live in your hunting clothes, or at least some scaled down version of it. Most people can get away with taking 2 pairs of pants, a couple of sweater, a couple of button down shirts, and maybe a hoodie. Pack a warm jacket, too. The temperatures ranged from 60 down to 10 degrees, with the windchill included. It is important to pack plenty of socks and underwear. I packed just enough.
Hunting Clothing - I packed 2 pairs of waders. This was pretty smart because I always seemed to fall in. The boot dryer I packed was also a good idea. It's nice to swamp a fairly dry set of waders every other day than to swamp wet waders, day after day. I also am a strong believer in wool. Wool keeps the body warm, even when it's wet. I packed three high quality sweaters - the kind with the waxed cotton sleeves and Windstopper liners. They're pricey, but I've had them for several years. They can also substitute as civilian clothing, assuming all of the feathers and blood gets removed. I also like to wear regular jeans or slacks under my waders. I'm most comfortable in them and most hunting or camouflaged britches have cargo pockets and pockets with flap closures, which tend to hang up in waders. I did pack a pair of longjohns, but didn't wear them at all. However, I don't mind being cold. And since I was slugging through water and had several half-mile walks across cut corn fields, I would rather not have had to sweat. I also packed a down jacket. They are always warm. I don't wear gloves, so I didn't pack them, and there is always the tendency to either soak them or lose them, both of which are conducive to swearing out loud. I also packed some hip boots, just in case of high water scouting. A cap and a beanie were also thrown in the luggage.
Guns - I packed three guns. No gun is reliable enough on the trip of a lifetime. I also packed replacement parts, like springs and caps. Along with these things, I packed a can of scrubber and a can of oil, along with lint free cloths and steel wool for cleaning. A small hammer and finishing nails were tucked away, too, for releasing the pins that hold the trigger and action in it's housing. Pipe cleaners rounded out the gun cleaning kit. I also packed all of my guns in hard cases because they stack easier when packing and the foam insulation was good on those bumpy prairie roads.
Decoys - I took 4 dozen, which is way too much. If you're going to goose hunt, I can't help you. Pack a trailer full of whatever you like. I did, however, pack some mallard field shells, which were of no use. They are currently for sale. All that's needed, at maximum, is a dozen puddle ducks, and a dozen divers. While I was there, there were Gadwalls and Shovelers everywhere. I like to use Gadwalls everywhere, though. Shovelers are also a favorite decoy of mine, because Shovelers are also found everywhere from ditches to dams. Blackheads and Redheads were the most prevalent divers. Make sure to be liberal with the use of hen decoys. The next time I go, I'm taking only 2 dozen, and it'll be a couple of mallards, several Gadwalls and Shovelers, and 6 a piece of Redheads and Blackheads. Cans are out there, too, but they usually just mix right in. Teal decoys would also be a good idea...those guys were everywhere. And teal decoys are light. I also rigged everything on 5 feet of line with 4 oz weights. That'll keep you safe in almost all potholes. I never lost a single decoy and was able to decoy birds into the shallower reaches of the ponds.
Etc. Gear - I packed a North Dakota Gazetteer for traveling the backroads. It was helpful, but not entirely necessary. An atlas was also mostly neglected. I did, however, carry maps of areas that I intended to hunt. I used Thunderstorm Maps from the USFWS that demostrate duck nesting density. I carried Cropscape maps, which show where certain crops are generally planted. Cropscape maps also show wetlands and grasslands, which are important for recognizing areas where resident birds might be prevalent. I also used Google Earth Maps to give me an idea of pothole size and shape. However, the GPS I packed was useful only for marking areas once I was there. I did use the GPS before ever leaving to mark certain areas that were open to public hunting. It turned out to be overkill and a lot of extra work. Save yourself the time and money and just order a PLOTS guide. It is sufficient as a map and atlas, while highlighting all public areas open to hunting. I also packed a good pair of binoculars - which was very necessary. The First Aid kit with pain meds and different liniments was also handy. I also packed several cooking implements such as tongs and spatulas that I never used. I enjoyed eating at the local greasy spoons. Also, take a good amount of cash money. Most, MOST, gas stations are well out in the prairie. Sure, the towns have a lot of gas stations, but the towns are few and far between. Other things I packed were a coffee pot, several dozen pounds of assorted snack food (nabs, ClifBars, and hard candy), and extra decoy weights & line. All were handy or would have been handy. Oh yeah - my Yeti Cooler was perfect and held ice and duck breast all week without ever having to re-ice - make the investment on one of those!
Other things I planned were an average fuel cost for the trip and lodging, of course. The North Dakota State Parks offer some lodging in climate controlled cabins. Unfortunately for me, the State Park I made reservations for, failed to inform me that they would shut down the shower facilities. It made several days miserable for me and everyone I walked past. Hotels are usually in the $90 per night range. The State Parks are about $40 per night. The Parks, however, lack television, internet, and sometimes, showers. But the cabin became a home away from home that I came to love a little bit. For 10 nights total, I think two were in a hotel, and the other 8 were in the cabin. That brought the total to approximately $500...or $50 per night. This cost is the most liable to change, based on preference.
From North Carolina to North Dakota, the trip is roughly 1800 miles. I discovered that the vehicle I traveled in got about 400 miles to the tank of gas, and that each tank cost about $63 dollars. I knew it would take me roughly 4.5 tanks to get there, and 4.5 tanks to get back. I had no idea on how much I though it would take to scout and hunt, so I planned liberally, for a tank per day. Gas is slightly cheaper there than here, too. Overall, the entire trip was about 5000 miles. Overall, the vehicle cost 16 cents per mile just to operate on gas. The total fuel cost was around $800. This cost is the most liable to change based on how hard your group elects to hunt.
I also wondered about where I'd eat. Since I did plan to dine out at least once daily, I planned for $100 of dining dollars. This was about right. The rest of the food I ate was from the grocery store and it was light snack food, deli meats, and bread. This cost me about $40 total.
The only things I wished I would have packed were a filet knife (for helping out with the possession limit), and a fishing rod. Sure, the walleye fishing is great out there, but retrieving ducks with the rod is a lot easier than watching the ducks float to the other side. I walked and waited around a lot of potholes.
Next time, I'll talk about the preconceived notions I had and how they were wrong. I learned a lot about duck hunting while I was there, but it's stuff that I can only use while duck hunting in North Dakota. And yes, it is very different than Duck Hunting in North Carolina.
Clothing - I packed 5 days worth of civilian clothing. This wasn't necessary. When you're out there, you can expect to live in your hunting clothes, or at least some scaled down version of it. Most people can get away with taking 2 pairs of pants, a couple of sweater, a couple of button down shirts, and maybe a hoodie. Pack a warm jacket, too. The temperatures ranged from 60 down to 10 degrees, with the windchill included. It is important to pack plenty of socks and underwear. I packed just enough.
Hunting Clothing - I packed 2 pairs of waders. This was pretty smart because I always seemed to fall in. The boot dryer I packed was also a good idea. It's nice to swamp a fairly dry set of waders every other day than to swamp wet waders, day after day. I also am a strong believer in wool. Wool keeps the body warm, even when it's wet. I packed three high quality sweaters - the kind with the waxed cotton sleeves and Windstopper liners. They're pricey, but I've had them for several years. They can also substitute as civilian clothing, assuming all of the feathers and blood gets removed. I also like to wear regular jeans or slacks under my waders. I'm most comfortable in them and most hunting or camouflaged britches have cargo pockets and pockets with flap closures, which tend to hang up in waders. I did pack a pair of longjohns, but didn't wear them at all. However, I don't mind being cold. And since I was slugging through water and had several half-mile walks across cut corn fields, I would rather not have had to sweat. I also packed a down jacket. They are always warm. I don't wear gloves, so I didn't pack them, and there is always the tendency to either soak them or lose them, both of which are conducive to swearing out loud. I also packed some hip boots, just in case of high water scouting. A cap and a beanie were also thrown in the luggage.
Guns - I packed three guns. No gun is reliable enough on the trip of a lifetime. I also packed replacement parts, like springs and caps. Along with these things, I packed a can of scrubber and a can of oil, along with lint free cloths and steel wool for cleaning. A small hammer and finishing nails were tucked away, too, for releasing the pins that hold the trigger and action in it's housing. Pipe cleaners rounded out the gun cleaning kit. I also packed all of my guns in hard cases because they stack easier when packing and the foam insulation was good on those bumpy prairie roads.
Decoys - I took 4 dozen, which is way too much. If you're going to goose hunt, I can't help you. Pack a trailer full of whatever you like. I did, however, pack some mallard field shells, which were of no use. They are currently for sale. All that's needed, at maximum, is a dozen puddle ducks, and a dozen divers. While I was there, there were Gadwalls and Shovelers everywhere. I like to use Gadwalls everywhere, though. Shovelers are also a favorite decoy of mine, because Shovelers are also found everywhere from ditches to dams. Blackheads and Redheads were the most prevalent divers. Make sure to be liberal with the use of hen decoys. The next time I go, I'm taking only 2 dozen, and it'll be a couple of mallards, several Gadwalls and Shovelers, and 6 a piece of Redheads and Blackheads. Cans are out there, too, but they usually just mix right in. Teal decoys would also be a good idea...those guys were everywhere. And teal decoys are light. I also rigged everything on 5 feet of line with 4 oz weights. That'll keep you safe in almost all potholes. I never lost a single decoy and was able to decoy birds into the shallower reaches of the ponds.
Etc. Gear - I packed a North Dakota Gazetteer for traveling the backroads. It was helpful, but not entirely necessary. An atlas was also mostly neglected. I did, however, carry maps of areas that I intended to hunt. I used Thunderstorm Maps from the USFWS that demostrate duck nesting density. I carried Cropscape maps, which show where certain crops are generally planted. Cropscape maps also show wetlands and grasslands, which are important for recognizing areas where resident birds might be prevalent. I also used Google Earth Maps to give me an idea of pothole size and shape. However, the GPS I packed was useful only for marking areas once I was there. I did use the GPS before ever leaving to mark certain areas that were open to public hunting. It turned out to be overkill and a lot of extra work. Save yourself the time and money and just order a PLOTS guide. It is sufficient as a map and atlas, while highlighting all public areas open to hunting. I also packed a good pair of binoculars - which was very necessary. The First Aid kit with pain meds and different liniments was also handy. I also packed several cooking implements such as tongs and spatulas that I never used. I enjoyed eating at the local greasy spoons. Also, take a good amount of cash money. Most, MOST, gas stations are well out in the prairie. Sure, the towns have a lot of gas stations, but the towns are few and far between. Other things I packed were a coffee pot, several dozen pounds of assorted snack food (nabs, ClifBars, and hard candy), and extra decoy weights & line. All were handy or would have been handy. Oh yeah - my Yeti Cooler was perfect and held ice and duck breast all week without ever having to re-ice - make the investment on one of those!
Other things I planned were an average fuel cost for the trip and lodging, of course. The North Dakota State Parks offer some lodging in climate controlled cabins. Unfortunately for me, the State Park I made reservations for, failed to inform me that they would shut down the shower facilities. It made several days miserable for me and everyone I walked past. Hotels are usually in the $90 per night range. The State Parks are about $40 per night. The Parks, however, lack television, internet, and sometimes, showers. But the cabin became a home away from home that I came to love a little bit. For 10 nights total, I think two were in a hotel, and the other 8 were in the cabin. That brought the total to approximately $500...or $50 per night. This cost is the most liable to change, based on preference.
From North Carolina to North Dakota, the trip is roughly 1800 miles. I discovered that the vehicle I traveled in got about 400 miles to the tank of gas, and that each tank cost about $63 dollars. I knew it would take me roughly 4.5 tanks to get there, and 4.5 tanks to get back. I had no idea on how much I though it would take to scout and hunt, so I planned liberally, for a tank per day. Gas is slightly cheaper there than here, too. Overall, the entire trip was about 5000 miles. Overall, the vehicle cost 16 cents per mile just to operate on gas. The total fuel cost was around $800. This cost is the most liable to change based on how hard your group elects to hunt.
I also wondered about where I'd eat. Since I did plan to dine out at least once daily, I planned for $100 of dining dollars. This was about right. The rest of the food I ate was from the grocery store and it was light snack food, deli meats, and bread. This cost me about $40 total.
The only things I wished I would have packed were a filet knife (for helping out with the possession limit), and a fishing rod. Sure, the walleye fishing is great out there, but retrieving ducks with the rod is a lot easier than watching the ducks float to the other side. I walked and waited around a lot of potholes.
Next time, I'll talk about the preconceived notions I had and how they were wrong. I learned a lot about duck hunting while I was there, but it's stuff that I can only use while duck hunting in North Dakota. And yes, it is very different than Duck Hunting in North Carolina.
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