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rdja
PostPosted: Fri Mar 09, 2018 12:14 pm  Reply with quote
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Joined: 02 Sep 2010
Posts: 829
Location: SW Ohio

I am more of a waterfowler, if you are going through North Dakota, the middle of Oct is just after opener for waterfowl for non-residents. The middle eastern third has been my destination for about 15 years. Big pothole area. I own a house in the area and if you are interested in stopping for a few days, I am sure you will find birds. Its all self scouting, but being prairie it is easy scouting.
I normally go the end of Oct, early Nov to try and hit the migrating mallards, but earlier there are still plenty of birds and diver hunting is something special, at least to me.
My area of N. Dakota has some chickens but not much for pheasants, they are better in the west part of the state.
Just some advice for the lab, be sure to get some "Mushers Secret"
http://www.gundogsupply.com/search2.html?query=mushers+secret
Coat the feet with it before upland hunting, saves on a lot of wear on the feet. I also use it if there is ice on the water, when waterfowlering.
Have fun, take you time, take a day off occasionally, and be flexible. a 2 week trip like this can really test your relationship. I know times can get testy with the best of friends, just go with the flow.

Nate
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WyoChukar
PostPosted: Sat Mar 10, 2018 8:41 pm  Reply with quote



Joined: 16 Jul 2015
Posts: 2124
Location: Hudson,Wy

Gran 16, as far as what type of hunting do you prefer goes, I will elaborate. Some guys want a slower paced hunt that eats up a day pretty well. Other guys are more driven. I personally love mixed bag hunting. Getting in a few species in the same day is great.

That brings up the whole idea of variety. I see most guys travel clear to North Dakota, then only chase pheasants. Pheasants are great, but being in prime Sharptail grouse country and not going after them really cheats these guys out of one of life's grand experiences.

Then there is the matter of terrain. Some guys prefer flat land hunting, others prefer mountains or canyons (think chukars and blue grouse). The options are tremendous when you start unfolding maps. Heck, here in Wyoming alone we have almost every habitat type imaginable. Almost.

Bird species? Well, since you are willing to travel this allows the following choices: all five species of quail, chukars, huns, grouse (blue, ruffed, sage, sharp tailed, prairie chicken, and white tailed ptarmigan), pheasants, and doves. Oh, and there's the matter of Himalayan Snowcock in Nevada. Overwhelming huh? You have 5 months free, right?

A word of caution. If you do plan on blue grouse or snowcock, spend some time at mid elevations of say 5000-7000' first. I have friends who have hunted blue grouse or fly fished with me at 9,000-10,000, friends from Michigan and Wisconsin, and the elevation was a bit unkind to them and they are in real good shape. Don't go to high too fast, Edema kills people. Also, rattlesnakes can be an real possibility until November in most states out west. The higher the elevation, the earlier the dirt bags hole up for winter.

Any birds on a "bucket list"?

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WyoChukar
PostPosted: Sat Mar 10, 2018 8:42 pm  Reply with quote



Joined: 16 Jul 2015
Posts: 2124
Location: Hudson,Wy

I forgot to mention, some areas of the intermountain west have wolves. Not a good thing for wide ranging dogs.

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Dogchaser37
PostPosted: Sun Mar 11, 2018 5:25 am  Reply with quote
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Joined: 08 Aug 2011
Posts: 1946
Location: Central CT

I have a hunting buddy who had his dogs bitten by rattlesnakes over the years hunting prairie chickens and sharp tails in the Sandhills. Never lost a dog but has come close, he now has his dogs vaccinated just in case. The vaccination is something you may want to look into. He starts hunting from the opener in September and the early season is when he runs into snakes. By the time I get there in November the snakes are hibernating.

I agree with the folks that don’t get locked into one specie.......even in November in the Sandhills there chances to hunt pheasant, quail, chickins, sharpies and even turkeys.

I went to South Dakota once, with just me and one dog. I knocked on doors and was never turned down. I took it easy on the dog only hunted maybe 3 hours a day.

I will caution folks that are new to hunting in the west and the midwest. You don’t have to hunt the largest parcel you can find, especially if you are chasing pheasants. Hunting anything larger than a 1/4 section of set aside is a big task. 5 to 40 acre parcels are much easier on you and the dog and you will do just as well if not better. I would much rather hunt several pivot corners than a 1/2 section when I am alone. Why? Pheasants run and it is a lot easier to put them in a spot where they have fly on a 20 acre piece than a 160 acre piece.

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WyoChukar
PostPosted: Sun Mar 11, 2018 9:00 am  Reply with quote



Joined: 16 Jul 2015
Posts: 2124
Location: Hudson,Wy

I will give one piece of golden advice with wild pheasants. Do not go for the "big score". Every hunter wants to see hundreds of birds in a field and thusly those spots get pounded relentlessly. Add to that the fact that once a bird or two jumps, the fuse is lit and they all go (for the most part). It's really great bird watching, but you probably are there to hunt instead.

Find little out of the way nooks and crannies with a dozen or two birds, the spots that nobody else wants to bother with. These may only hold 5-10 roosters, but those birds will be naive and approachable. Well, at least as approachable as wild roosters can be.

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Riflemeister
PostPosted: Sun Mar 11, 2018 9:25 am  Reply with quote
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Joined: 27 Jun 2012
Posts: 1111

Hunting multiple bird species on one hunt can be challenging, but also a whole lot of fun. A good dog will point and hold any game bird, although some dogs seem to do better on the spooky Huns and running rooster pheasants than others. My one load for multiple species is the Fiocchi Golden Pheasant #6's. I would go for #5's for wild roosters only, but the 6's will do the job if you're not taking long range going away shots.

My buddy's Idaho ranch offers an opportunity at what we call a "ranch grand slam", where we try for chukar, Huns, pheasant and California quail all in one day. So far, the best I've done is all but the Huns in one day, as they are the hardest to find and bag. I think this year I'll set aside a few days where I'll go for the known Hun habitat first thing in the morning and if successful, I'll devote the day to the slam. I should have two good dogs, GSP's 8 and 4 years old, that I can swap off to keep them fresh during the day. I'll likely be the weak link in this whole endeavor, being 77 this coming season.

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