Lottery

[1lessdog]

I am actually seeing a lot of partridge in the west here, I drive a lot of country roads for my work, and see them much more often than previously

We can't say that for central and Eastern N.D. I do see lots of them in the cities of Fargo/Moorhead. I see a Covey by Costco just about everytime I go there.

 

[Jiffy]

I hunt the Forbes area and I saw more partridge last year than I've seen in decades.

 

[Wall-eyes]

Thats to many points to be throwing at 3f1 the unit is a fair odds with 2 points. Best mule ground in that unit is around white butte.

True very hard unit to hunt on locked up hard, hunted it for 20 years wife's uncle ran fertilizer plant for CO-OP so he knew allot of farmers. Go to bar downtown and get with locals if need places to hunt of for help. Not too many hunters running around. White butte area is posted pretty good. Alot of hiding draws can't see diving around. Give her hell. Blue tongue is always hard on herd if dry year.

 

[Wall-eyes]

Drew the line ast River any deer down here only 50 tags and after land owners even less. Guess it times to find a big Muley 180 or bust

We always hunted unit 3f2 than week or two later hunted own in SD across border was blast very nice deer and we have tried big Muley's east river a lot of boots to ground and there is some nice ones killed every year.

 

[Kurtr]

Congrats!

When the heck are West River results coming out???

I heard july 2nd but thats just internet chatter

 

[wslayer]

I understand that harvesting of does is part of population control but when numbers are low I agree that doe tags should be limited or eliminated until the population rebounds. In the bottoms South of Bismarck where I live the population has dropped considerably yet the G&F last year was still giving out depredation doe tags. Just a few years ago on a normal night I would have 10 to 15 deer in our yard but the last two years there may be 3-4 and it only happens a couple times a week. On a good note I did have 4 bucks in my yard at the same time two weeks ago which I haven't witnessed in a few years, they were all young deer.

I do have whitetail doe tag again in 4D this year. I have hunted that area since the early 90's and there were more whitetail deer last year in that area than I have ever witnessed. If the numbers are anything like we found last year I will take a doe, if they are down I will not take one.

How much of that land is all locked up where depredation tags are needed?

 

[Traxion]

I grew up hunting the regular season, no youth season. It had its joys and was a staple in our calendar. But the world has changed and giving kids a wider opportunity to shoot a deer helps compete with all the other things that pull families in 10 different directions each fall. If you need less doe harvest, take it from the regular draw and allocate to youth. In 20 years it may help prop up hunter #’s. We need to keep kids in the game.

 

[wslayer]

Back in the day ND didnt have a "youth hunt". I like my buddies waited until we were 14 put in with everyone else and waited to see if we drew a tag. I cant even remember if i drew right away; it didnt matter as the hunt wasnt about me -- the hunt was about the group and the stories that were told years later. Today its all about the size and all about "me".

Back then when you got your first deer you were proud. You were a rookee and you had to work harder then the group walking that extra mile or two. All the jrs had to walk the "shit" while the elders got to walk the easy stuff up on top. It was all worth it. All the elders were watching you, to make sure you stayed in line, you hunted conservatative and safe or the elders were on your ass. Your gun was handmedowns, it was old but shot straight, your clothing was from your dad or brother; hung on ya a little bit. Wouldnt have it any different now if i was doing it again.

I am not saying to change the system that we have now -- just pointing out how it was.

If you want to blame population -- blame it on Randy Kreil!!!! - ha. Remember when he came on fishingbuddy.com all hot and bothered. OMG fun fun.

I realize that and I went thru the same phase. I just have a really hard time thinking the youth are putting a big hurt on the deer population.
Let them hunt the season and close it completely for adults, don't really know the answer
Game & Fish would be in a tough spot then without their $$$.
1 bad winter and you would be right back in the same boat.
Habitat just keeps disappearing at an alarming rate.
We can say that we got to participate in the "hay day" of hunting when the CRP program was around.

 

[Jiffy]

The days of a buck tag and 4 or 5 doe tags is gone and probably never coming back.

Did some excellent terminal ballistics testing back then. You can't beat killing animals and skinning them for learning first hand what your bullet is or isn't doing.

 

[Trip McNeely]

What's up with 3F2? Why are there so many leftover? Is it always like this? (I don't pay attention)

No access?

Most of the unit is reservation. And it’s a cwd unit so transport laws in effect.

 

[shorthairsrus]

I realize that and I went thru the same phase. I just have a really hard time thinking the youth are putting a big hurt on the deer population.
Let them hunt the season and close it completely for adults, don't really know the answer
Game & Fish would be in a tough spot then without their $$$.
1 bad winter and you would be right back in the same boat.
Habitat just keeps disappearing at an alarming rate.
We can say that we got to participate in the "hay day" of hunting when the CRP program was around.

no doubt
that was always the issue GF relies on those licenses. Without them its just the 10% excise tax money they get from the feds. They could fund it via the general fund like other states. Then its going to look like MN in which the DNR is involved in everything

I dont have an answer -- however i know they cannot be independent on how many tags get issued as that is how they eat. Thats where Randy and I had it out on FB.

 

[Obi-Wan]

How much of that land is all locked up where depredation tags are needed?

This is developed area with many homes and some larger undeveloped area. all the land is posted except for the Apple Creek WMA ( not sure if the depredation applies to the WMA area ) Back before the 2011 flood there definitely was reason for depredation tags, even after the flood there were enough deer to justify them but after EHD the numbers dropped drastically to where you wouldn't see a deer for days. Most of the landowners will allow bow hunters if asked, and not over crowed already.

 

[3Roosters]

Wouldn't be a stretch of the imagination to require the use of an EV if purchasing a hunting license.

 

[Tymurrey]

I wonder what the carrying capacity of a lot of the units are. I would like to think our game and fish should manage off biological reasons and not social. Its tough to manage the deer when it's mostly private land. I know i enjoyed having lots of deer on my property but knew the carrying capacity during a hard winter was lower than what I used to have on there. Its the normal cycle of wildlife I feel, numbers go up from good years and then a bad winter or storm or ehd come along and wipe them out. The areas with good habitat will rebound, areas of no or poor habitat will never rebound. Everyone likes to have lots of wildlife until they are starving during the winter. A lot of us on this site would supplement or feed them but we are the minority when it comes to hunters I think.

As far as hens vs does. If the limit on hens was 5 a year per person it probably wouldn't have much of an effect on population. Just because you give a youth hunter a tag doesn't mean they need to fill it either. Thats on us as the mentors to let them know they don't need to shoot one but we can still spend the time in the field and if we see an old dry doe, let them harvest her.

 

[Allen]

What's up with 3F2? Why are there so many leftover? Is it always like this? (I don't pay attention)

No access?

It's Sioux County. Tags are available, but access is tough from what I know and made even tougher as I am pretty sure you will also need Tribal hunting licenses to hunt public land down there.

I've never hunted that unit, but maybe someone with more experience in that neck of the woods can chime in on the Tribal licensing part.

 

[Rowdie]

It's Sioux County. Tags are available, but access is tough from what I know and made even tougher as I am pretty sure you will also need Tribal hunting licenses to hunt public land down there.

I've never hunted that unit, but maybe someone with more experience in that neck of the woods can chime in on the Tribal licensing part.

Any "public" land is open to ND hunters and no tribal tag is needed.

 

[Traxion]

I heard july 2nd but thats just internet chatter

I just got my WR results. Successful.

 

[Tinesdown]

I wonder what the carrying capacity of a lot of the units are. I would like to think our game and fish should manage off biological reasons and not social. Its tough to manage the deer when it's mostly private land. I know i enjoyed having lots of deer on my property but knew the carrying capacity during a hard winter was lower than what I used to have on there. Its the normal cycle of wildlife I feel, numbers go up from good years and then a bad winter or storm or ehd come along and wipe them out. The areas with good habitat will rebound, areas of no or poor habitat will never rebound. Everyone likes to have lots of wildlife until they are starving during the winter. A lot of us on this site would supplement or feed them but we are the minority when it comes to hunters I think.

As far as hens vs does. If the limit on hens was 5 a year per person it probably wouldn't have much of an effect on population. Just because you give a youth hunter a tag doesn't mean they need to fill it either. Thats on us as the mentors to let them know they don't need to shoot one but we can still spend the time in the field and if we see an old dry doe, let them harvest her.

U seem to know your shit u by chance realated to cecil murray the animals down that way dont think they ever died of not getting enough browse (deer can live off twigs on a bad winter. I think those deer where yarded up in ranches run off all the time. An couldnt deal with the deep snowpack ie 2011 die off. They come to your cattle yards or farm tring to survive.

 

[Tinesdown]

U seem to know your shit u by chance realated to cecil murray the animals down that way dont think they ever died of not getting enough browse (deer can live off twigs on a bad winter. I think those deer where yarded up in ranches run off all the time. An couldnt deal with the deep snowpack ie 2011 die off. They come to your cattle yards or farm tring to survive.

Ok read the bottom of your post so u talking pheasant there are very few birds around the area my post was dictating. So prolly not a murray im referring. Sry

 

[Tinesdown]

This is developed area with many homes and some larger undeveloped area. all the land is posted except for the Apple Creek WMA ( not sure if the depredation applies to the WMA area ) Back before the 2011 flood there definitely was reason for depredation tags, even after the flood there were enough deer to justify them but after EHD the numbers dropped drastically to where you wouldn't see a deer for days. Most of the landowners will allow bow hunters if asked, and not over crowed already.

So talking Bismarck residence or hunt 3c i think the gnf because they are bases there. They were more quick to close the whitey rifle season as another area. I mean we had a 80% die off 3b1 an they still issued tags was that much worse because it was so close to gnf headquarters.