North Dakota

[Birddogz]

Anyone know how the upland hunting is near Rugby, ND? I know the waterfowl is great, but I was curious about the upland. How far would I have to drive to get into good populations of huns, sharpies, and phez?

[BigShooter]

Pheasant Hunting Opportunties exist throughout North Dakota however, some of the best pheasant hunting is found in the west, south central & south west parts of North Dakota. Sharptail grouse hunting is common in the central, west central part of the state. Ruffed grouse hunting is normally only found in the extreme northern part of North Dakota. I've seen pheasants around Harvey (about 41 miles south of Rugby) but have not hunted there.

Hopefully someone more familiar with the Rugby area will chime in.

Go to the ND Game & Fish Web Site to find maps of each bird's primary & secondary ranges. Also at some point the spring roadside counts will be in and we'll have more info on how the bird populations are this year. Phez were down substantially last year. If I remember correctly the Phez mortality rate is about 70% every year so the most important factor to the pop. is the spring nesting conditions each year.

[rkelly]

You can find some huns and sharpies around there but pheasants are few and far between. If you plan on going during pheasant hunting and want a mixed bag I would hunt the wishek area. Sharptails can get a little jumpy after pheasant season opens if the temps are down.

[BigShooter]

Some hunters from around Minot, west of Rugby reported it was difficult to find cock phez in the area last year ... but it was down pretty much all over the State.

[Birddogz]

I'm not going on a trip to Rugby, I may move there. I ws just curious how far I would have to go for some decent Phez hunting. I was thinking @ 30 miles.

[rkelly]

In my opinion to get into decent pheasant country from Rugby is at least a 2 hour drive. Even a 2 hour drive is a marginal area. To get into the better areas of the state you are looking at 3 hours plus.

[Birddogz]

2 hours, wow. My friend hunts around Minot somewhere. He usually does really well on pheasants, but I don't know in what direction. 2 hours away is going to put me 60 miles west of Minot. I have to go that far for decent pheasant hunting? I have hunted around Williston before. Did great there, but it seemed like I drove by a ton of birds to get there. LOL

[BigShooter]

We frequently hunt in an area that doesn't hold exceptional numbers of birds but often fill out because we know where they are and can usually get permission. Once you get to Rugby and start talking with the local area residents we'll be calling on you to tell us where the birds are in that part of the State.

[rkelly]

There are a few birds around Minot. I have hunted that area before. It is better west of Minot towards Sakakawea and the river, which is around 2 hours from Rugby. My mom grew up around Rugby and I have quite a few relatives that farm that area. Great waterfowl and deer hunting, but they drive SW towards bismarck to chase pheasants. My cousin is the president of the local wildlife club. They have been trying to release pheasants for years, the ND Game and Fish released some manchurian pheasants in the area years back. They are supposed to be a little more hardy than ringnecks. My only guess is the winter is just a little too harsh in that area. On the brightside 2 hours to drive for good pheasant hunting is a lot less than most other people have. I grew up in ND and would be tickled pink to again be within 2 hours of decent phez with plenty of land to hunt.

[BigShooter]

Bismarck is only about a 7 hour, non-stop drive from Minneapolis. Driving out that far isn't so bad but when coming back late after hunting hard for several days it gets tough to find someone who is still awake enough to drive safely. They talk about tired truck drivers on the roads .. it's the tired gundog owners that you have to look out for, coming back late from trialing or hunting long distances from home. Two hours is nothing.

On another note hunting near Bismarck isn't the best area to hit either because it is the third largest city in the State and the local Bismarck hunters do a good job of cleaning up the birds close to home. You should try turkey hunting once you get to ND. It's a residents only season & there are lots of birds along the MIssouri river.

[Birddogz]

I am a turkey fanatic. I used to be a guide. My 7 year old shot 2 on his birthday this year. My 10 year old daughter killed 1. I shot 2 opening day. Where I live now is the best turkey hunting in the world.(central Nebraska) I'm serious. I have hunted spring turks in 24 different states, and I have never seen anything like it. Opening day I set up near a canyon, and watched 300 turkeys fly down. There were over 50 toms strutting at once. I can take a 20 minute drive in the winter when they are flocked up and see 2000 turkeys. I am not BSing at all. Incredible numbers.

I talked to my friend in ND last night. He is 40 minutes north-west of Rugby. He says that the Huns and Sharpies are thick, and the pheasants are spotty. He said that if you hunt for 4 hours you should have limits of all three. He also said that he has limited on ducks and Canadas in the morning and then limited on huns, sharpies, and phez in the same day. I'm getting a little excited! My DD is going to sleep very well, and my geriatric Britts are going to need some pain killers.LOL