4C Mule Deer

MarbleEyez

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Well after 7 years I was fortunate enough to have the ND Deer God's bless me with a 4C buck tag! Looking for a little insight from any of you who have hunted that unit in the past couple years and who are willing to share a little information.

Was thinking of taking out the camper and parking it somewhere and bringing the horses out. I'll be going out to scout myself hopefully a few days, just trying to narrow down my area's. A lot of beautiful country out that way

Thanks in advance!
 


Marbleyes

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I've been hunting that unit for over 20 years. The best advice I can give you is to get a current map or gps that shows public and private land. Make sure you know exactly where you are and where you are going. The badlands are not like the rest of the state as far as Section lines and fence posts on damn near every quarter. Most posted signs are not on fence posts out there especially once you get away from the roads. You can easily come up on private property and not be aware of it because there aren't fences around everyone's private land especially if you plan on doing a lot of walking or taking horses. We were greeted one year by a rancher sitting right in the middle of the road on a lawn chair with a gun across his lap. He asked us what we were doing. We told him, "driving to a certain area". He then said, "this is the last time you will be driving on this road". The problem with his plan to keep people off the road was it was a public road. We decided to not challenge him for two reasons. 1. There is plenty of public land access other than that area. 2. More importantly, if a guy is crazy enough to sit in a lawn chair all day with a rifle knowing damn well that he is confronting hunters who also have rifles, that's probably not a guy you should assume is thinking clearly.

Not trying to plant something negative in your head or anything, just trying to reiterate why you should know exactly where you are and where you are going with current information on public and private land. The only other advise I can give you is to bring a good pair of binoculars and use them a lot. Also, make sure before you shoot a deer that you can actually recover the deer because there are areas that horses cannot go and you may have to quarter and carry the deer out yourself. Sorry I can't be more specific on areas and other details but 1 of the guys in our group got a buck tag out there as well and I don't think it would be fair to him to tell you essentially where we will be going, otherwise I would give you specific spots to check since I won't be getting a tag anytime soon since I drew two years ago. Good luck and enjoy the scenery.
 

Flatrock

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I would HIGHLY recommend a scouting trip sometime before season opens to get an idea of the landscape, roads, etc. Also, I don't really know why you'd bring horses. Seems like way more of a pain in the ass than benefit. And MB is right about knowing exactly where you're at. I would definitely have a GPS with the onXMaps chip.
 

Fly Carpin

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I'm gonna wait until MarbelAyes chimes in on this one. Is this a punk? Are we getting punk'd?
 


sweeney

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I've been hunting that unit for over 20 years. The best advice I can give you is to get a current map or gps that shows public and private land. Make sure you know exactly where you are and where you are going. The badlands are not like the rest of the state as far as Section lines and fence posts on damn near every quarter. Most posted signs are not on fence posts out there especially once you get away from the roads. You can easily come up on private property and not be aware of it because there aren't fences around everyone's private land especially if you plan on doing a lot of walking or taking horses. We were greeted one year by a rancher sitting right in the middle of the road on a lawn chair with a gun across his lap. He asked us what we were doing. We told him, "driving to a certain area". He then said, "this is the last time you will be driving on this road". The problem with his plan to keep people off the road was it was a public road. We decided to not challenge him for two reasons. 1. There is plenty of public land access other than that area. 2. More importantly, if a guy is crazy enough to sit in a lawn chair all day with a rifle knowing damn well that he is confronting hunters who also have rifles, that's probably not a guy you should assume is thinking clearly.

Not trying to plant something negative in your head or anything, just trying to reiterate why you should know exactly where you are and where you are going with current information on public and private land. The only other advise I can give you is to bring a good pair of binoculars and use them a lot. Also, make sure before you shoot a deer that you can actually recover the deer because there are areas that horses cannot go and you may have to quarter and carry the deer out yourself. Sorry I can't be more specific on areas and other details but 1 of the guys in our group got a buck tag out there as well and I don't think it would be fair to him to tell you essentially where we will be going, otherwise I would give you specific spots to check since I won't be getting a tag anytime soon since I drew two years ago. Good luck and enjoy the scenery.

Who was sitting in the road with a gun? Where at?
 

Marbleyes

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He was a rancher and it was in the northern half of 4C. I'm not going to drag his name through the mud on the internet. The weird part about it was we had hunted his unposted land a few years prior to this happening and he was one of the nicest guys you'd meet. We exchanged jerky and hunting stories and he had shown us a few pictures he had in his truck of nice bucks he had taken on his land in the past. Super nice guy the first time we met him but a few years later he was the same guy in the middle of the road. I don't think he had recognized us from before. Something clearly happened to piss him off so bad. I don't know if some idiots shot his cattle or house or what so I don't think it would be appropriate to drag his name in to it. We know another guy with posted land who's land we would hunt occasionally with permission. Some idiots shot two of his cattle one year and he shut it down to everyone. Can't say I blame him. Stupid people ruin shit for everyone.
 

sweeney

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must have been a bad year, I have seen a lady with a crossbow a few years back but they are gone, they found out how to become a millionaire ranching in the badlands....start with two million, other than that I have never ran across anyone with guns and I have ran around that unit and 4b since about 96
 

guywhofishes

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must have been a bad year, I have seen a lady with a crossbow a few years back but they are gone, they found out how to become a millionaire ranching in the badlands....start with two million, other than that I have never ran across anyone with guns and I have ran around that unit and 4b since about 96

:confused:
 

Marbleyes

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must have been a bad year, I have seen a lady with a crossbow a few years back but they are gone, they found out how to become a millionaire ranching in the badlands....start with two million, other than that I have never ran across anyone with guns and I have ran around that unit and 4b since about 96

We started hunting 4C in the mid 90's and that was the first and only time for us being met with a gun.

On a different note, I am used to not getting drawn for a deer tag since that is the only unit we ever hunt. People who complain about not getting drawn always makes me laugh since it was tough to draw a mule buck tag in our area even before the numbers were down. Guess we are just used to it and our group just hopes someone draws a tag just so we can all go and enjoy the badlands.
 


sweeney

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:;:smokin

- - - Updated - - -

it used to be almost a guarantee in the late 90's 3-4 years you would have one, when they redrew the units we switched over to 4b to hunt the squaw creek area but we switched back to 4c about 10 years ago, I have had 4 buck tags out in 4b and 4c since 1997

- - - Updated - - -

i didn't realize the guy with the rifle was that long ago
 

Marbleyes

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It was 3-4 years ago that this happened, so not that long ago.

- - - Updated - - -

Anyway, didn't mean to hijack this thread. The whole point of me bringing up the guy with the rifle was to reiterate the need to know where you are, where you are going and how you are going to get there.

- - - Updated - - -

I've had similar results as you Sweeney. I've drawn 4 buck tags in 4C in 20 years.
 

PrairieGhost

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Quote of the day right there.
Absolutely. There is one alternative to the story. He could have started an outfitting business on the side.
I have been hunting that area since 1978. One guy on Government Creek was good until he started an outfitting business. My ears are not that bad and I was having coffee with this one rancher and his neighbor called up and chewed on him for letting me hunt. His excuse was a man has to make a living. So I guess it was wrong of his neighbor to be a nice guy. The phone was loud enough I heard every word. Then north of Upper 30 road you will run into a certified nut job.

On the other hand before gps we camped on what we thought was public land. My wife and I were in a camper. Someone knocked on the door and I said come in. No one came so I went out. He informed me I was on his land. I apologized and said I would move. He said no you guy run a really clean camp, good luck hunting and left. Once in a while you run into a gem.

Edit: The way roads run odd directions and the mix of land gets a person mixed up on this particular section, but the rancher never posts it anyway. He still doesn't post that section. It had one of my favorite prairie dog towns for a while.
 
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Bowhunter_24

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must have been a bad year, I have seen a lady with a crossbow a few years back but they are gone, they found out how to become a millionaire ranching in the badlands....start with two million, other than that I have never ran across anyone with guns and I have ran around that unit and 4b since about 96

ha
 


Allen

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I think the general premise here is that we as hunters need to do as good a job as we possibly can of staying where we have permission to hunt. I have zero tolerance for anyone laying claim to public land, and will rat their ass out to the NDGF and land managing agency when I run into it. What they do with it after I complain is up to them unless I think charges need to be filed concerning someone illegally interfering with my legal right to be there hunting.

Most of all, take a chill pill. The vast majority of douche bags in the badlands and the rest of the state (they aren't exclusive to the western 1/4) aren't that difficult to avoid.
 

Rowdie

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Someone sitting on a public road with a gun making threats should be reported to law enforcement immediately! No different than NODAPL thugs.
 

gst

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Absolutely. There is one alternative to the story. He could have started an outfitting business on the side.
I have been hunting that area since 1978. One guy on Government Creek was good until he started an outfitting business. My ears are not that bad and I was having coffee with this one rancher and his neighbor called up and chewed on him for letting me hunt. His excuse was a man has to make a living. So I guess it was wrong of his neighbor to be a nice guy. The phone was loud enough I heard every word. Then north of Upper 30 road you will run into a certified nut job.

On the other hand before gps we camped on what we thought was public land. My wife and I were in a camper. Someone knocked on the door and I said come in. No one came so I went out. He informed me I was on his land. I apologized and said I would move. He said no you guy run a really clean camp, good luck hunting and left. Once in a while you run into a gem.

Edit: The way roads run odd directions and the mix of land gets a person mixed up on this particular section, but the rancher never posts it anyway. He still doesn't post that section. It had one of my favorite prairie dog towns for a while.


;:;banghead
 

Rowdie

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Oh, and one more thing, I'm not sure why you wouldn't post his name? You say you don't want to drag his name through the mud. IF he actually did this, than why not? Anything someone does in public, can and should be discussed in public. BTW, why didn't you bring this up on the other now dead outdoor website?
 


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