doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Bird hunting season

What? J.R.! Are you telling us that ND birds hatch two or three weeks ahead of Eastern Montana's and SD's?

I am deep within the withdrawal depression from last season. The openers are much to far away.

For all of you planning on heading up here to hunt Montana, please make some phone calls before hitting the road. This oil boom has sprawled as far west as Cutbank, south to Lewistown, west to Round Up and and south to Hardin. There is pretty near no rooms to let anywhere within the play as the oil hands have rented everything with a door on it.

Check too your hunting grounds. Much of the areas that were pretty isolated are now laced with site roads and truck traffic and drilling/production crews have moved the birds off of traditional grounds.

I am so sincere about what I tell you that two days ago I bought another place down in SD, just to get away from what this oil boom is doing to the countryside.

What RCC said, I understand, also applies to western North Dakota. Dickinson on west, I think. Make sure you have a place to stay.

I live in northern Wisconsin, but I celebrate our grouse opener by heading west to hunt prairie grouse. I can wait on the ruffs until some leaves come down, it's not quite so warm, and for woodcock season to open.

Bob-

Sorry to hear that. I hope the new place works out better.

Interesting piece on stuff happening in ND:

http://www.propublica.org/article/the-ot...g-with-prosperi

Quite a price for progress.

OWD

Any news on South Dakota's hatch this year?

Has anyone hunted in WI for Grouse or Prairie Chickens. How is it and where are the public lands?

RCC, hope I'm not being nosey but where in SD did you purchase some land?

I have hunted the area around Gary, SD for several years. Thinking about puchasing some land in SD myself.

Looking forward to the Fall too.

I head to MT every Sept 1st to hunt. I hunt there throughout the season due to I work over there on a weekly basis until snowfall.

I work in the oilfields and see the activity. It is ramping up in MT. No where near the activity in ND yet but it is coming. Get rooms early and be prepared for possible sticker shock. Prices skyrocket when the boom hits. For example, a cruddy hotel we would only stay at if nothing else was available in Dickinson, ND used to go for 33.00/ night; today it is 165.00 per night and they have not updated it one bit. In fact it is in worse shape.

Here are a few pics from last year on the 1st.



My wife and I shooting a couple of Sage Grouse


My wife with her grouse.


My old mutt bringing back a sharptail. My old GWP is pointing another off in the distance.


Big birds indeed.

I can't wait for the season to start. My youngest pup is running her Natural Ability test on Sunday.

I haven't heard anything from my friends in SD yet. I suspect it would be a good hatch with the mild winter. I'm hopeful the eastern area around Huron improves over last year. Last season was pretty bleak compared to past years.


Although the state says that a few years back was one of the best, I recall 20 yrs ago it being much better. I think the state counts and estimates are often overly optimistic. SD wants to keep their high standing as the pheasant capitol of the country.

Seen my first little guys. Must have been an early screw. I should have worded it we're going to have a nice hatch.

I have seen a couple broods on the east side of the river as well. The nice weather I think had the critters getting excited a little earlier than normal.