Tag Soup poll

[Tinesdown]

You can but the other way around, apply first, and this is a sore spot with many including myself. From my understanding from what I was told before is you can apply for rifle tag and if get denied you are still "entitled to get" A gratis. My thought is if you want to enter rifle lottery, you take your chances of getting shot down or drawn like everyone else, and not get the backup tag that is guaranteed. If you are lucky enough to draw ( not this year, sucked, but beside the point), you have just taken a license out of someone else's hand but was no big deal for you because you knew you were going to get one anyhow. Granted yes, the gratis is ( suppose to be ) On specific designated land. And I know the story, the farmers/ranchers feed the deer year round ,and for that we thank you so should get a tag.

 

[Tinesdown]

I guess hunting after the e posting will consist of walking the same sections on diffrrent days
an catching deer moving around trying to find them on available lands which is a little borring but filling a tag is possible

 

[Tinesdown]

Not real sure what u talking about! ,,Are there many deer in your area gratis is what it is. I dont think many gratis tag holders are killing the big deer?

 

[svnmag]

I killed a pretty 9pt in '09 with an "amazing" prone unsupported shot at about 400. It WAS "out there" perfectly calm and broadside. Bang/DRT It MAY be 120. It was my first experience with ground shrinkage: Doubt if I kill another buck in my lifetime.

While I relish shooting does I don't have enough motivation personally/otherwise to fool with a damn carcass. I'm into turkey and just bad enough to motivate me for improvement.

SIDE NOTE (again): These ND turkeys are near Mayflower/Pilgrim stupid. GF should work out trades with the Hills where they're not considered pests: Some golden rainbow trout would be cool in the Tailrace. Most would provide forage yet a few would make for good memories/photo ops.

If you see the GR it sees you. You're not going to catch it: Neighbor in the Hills has success by removing the rear treble from a floating jerkbait and attaching a leader tipped with a #12 black gnat: Imagine the fun casting that...damn near a Haiku.

I've caught three in my life. It would be interesting to see the results of their presence both with angling ops and effects on established predators.

They are a pretty fish IMO:

I ate tag soup. I like to type about shit:



That is all.

 

[measure-it]

Thx svnmag, I haven't heard the Kiki Dee band..".I've got the music" for a long time! 1 of those all-time ass-kicking rockers!

 

[Wall-eyes]

Just bought points again for kid and I knowing we have enough for mule buck finally and with deer numbers down will wait a few years. I know plenty of farmers in badlands so that helps and my health is not best so will save it for one more big doing. Go out of state being from Montana and have two sisters there I can get tags cheap, also hunt Colorado and Wyoming put they had bad snow killing to many too. Sad times for sure, just enjoy getting out as I get older kill is not as important and I like big horns they taste good.

 

[db-2]

For me and the kid the deer numbers have been the same these last years.
Kid sat Friday with muzzle and had 39 deer passed by, Saturday 15 passed by.
Last night a number came. And then a handful of does with a couple of bucks came by later on, behind them came a buck we know. Buck was on mission, and he felt he had 3 seconds at 110 yards to decide. So, he's done and there are 3 larger to find the sheds on. Appears to gross in 150s, clean 5x5.
The numbers are not even close to what they were 12 years ago. One night at one of our food plots i counted 126 deer in front of me give or take a handful with more in the trees. The night before i had 12 bucks come up to me within 20 yards. They were 130 or smaller deer. That same spring from a distance i counted over 400 deer in that area. So, game and fish pushed the doe permits back then and winters came with habitat going south. Numbers are way down from then but maybe too many then. db

 

[db-2]

Part of my problem with that spot the elk came and now the whitetail deer are few. I doubt if i have 20 there now with 3 smaller bucks based on the trail camera. No longer hunt there but still keep the food plot going. So thankful for other elk free spots. db

 

[5575]

In our area of western ND my family farms and ranch on a fair amount of ground. It's great deer habitat, corn and sunflower fields and big wooded creeks and big hilly sections of pasture land. None of us "like 15 adults and kids" have shot a deer with a rifle in the past three seasons in hopes of a recovery from the two years of EHD and then last winter hit.
The game and fish should have NEVER had a season on whitetails this year in our area. We hardly ever see a deer, it's by far the worst deer population I have ever seen in my 50 some years. It's going to take a very very long time to turn things around, if it's even possible. I also score several of the bigger deer contests, the one this past weekend usually has 40 entries in the adult rifle whitetail division. I think there were like 5 bucks brought in, things are bad. And yet we have the G&F ramming CWD propaganda down our throats like the feds did covid..ugh.

 

[db-2]

Agree, game and fish needs to put that same kind of effort into increasing habitat and then listen to the people that live out there. We do have problems and CWD is not the major one. I have very little knowledge of cwd and so does game and fish so they feel they need to do something but are not sure what to do. db

 

[zoops]

Agree, game and fish needs to put that same kind of effort into increasing habitat and then listen to the people that live out there. We do have problems and CWD is not the major one. I have very little knowledge of cwd and so does game and fish so they feel they need to do something but are not sure what to do. db

Not sure what GnF can do about habitat on a large scale with the budget they have.

 

[wslayer]

Not sure what GnF can do about habitat on a large scale with the budget they have.

Nonresident fishing license for ND is dirt cheap. We could be upping the price for that to recoup some funds. Another $50/ is'nt going to stop them from coming. Minnesota / Wisconsin people here in droves in the spring because their season is closed during the spawn. They've bought up all the places in small towns, so we know there coming. Money not being spent at motels and restaurants because of this. Why not up the fee for giving them the resource ?

 

[db-2]

I am not sure either but maybe by visiting we can come up with ideas using incentives from ag programs. Education in the value of creating habitat. Awards to recognize those land owners that have provided for wild life.
I cannot began to count the trees i have planted on land that i do not own or food plots i have planted on that land in return for hunting rights. A couple of times this has provided for their family members also bring personal rewards for me. I feel the list could go on. db

 

[db-2]

About 20 years ago a father asked me to teach his young son about bowhunting as he knew nothing.
Bought a bow for him and work on shooting. Build stand with junk lumber he had. Father allows me to plant some food plots on his land. I sat with him as he shot his first deer with the bow. It was an up-and-coming deer that i wanted to save but it was the deer that came up. Been hunting and planting food plots (habitat) ever since on this land. Shot my largest deer (167 and some change net and my son shot one of his largest deer on this land). The owner's son went on to hunting on his own. Built two other food plots on his land. db

 

[wslayer]

I am not sure either but maybe by visiting we can come up with ideas using incentives from ag programs. Education in the value of creating habitat. Awards to recognize those land owners that have provided for wild life.
I cannot began to count the trees i have planted on land that i do not own or food plots i have planted on that land in return for hunting rights. A couple of times this has provided for their family members also bring personal rewards for me. I feel the list could go on. db

Between drain tile being put in and sloughs burnt off and filled in, tree rows being completely uprooted, its gonna be hard to catch up.
I have never seen, since the first couple yrs of the CRP program, so many tumbleweeds scooting across the prairie as I did this year. There is just absolutely nothing out there to stop them anymore. Corporate farming is killing everything.

 

[bravo]

ND is about 97% private land that the game and fish can’t touch. Not their fault there is no habitat.

Things were pretty bleak for decades in the state until the populations took off in the 90s. Lots of people with short memories or just feel like they should see big bucks everywhere on the landscape. You can’t beat Mother Nature. 3 decent winters and some summer rains and we’ll be fine.

 

[db-2]

I feel in the early nineties when all the rain came. Land that my father and us/his kids-built haystacks on for the cattle all turn to cattails and still is all in cattails. No longer hay land for the last 30 years. These cattails became prime homes for the deer, and we found ourselves walking cattails and not just trees. Food value was maybe not there, and they did fill up with snow, but it was cover for them. db

 

[Tinesdown]

I feel in the early nineties when all the rain came. Land that my father and us/his kids-built haystacks on for the cattle all turn to cattails and still is all in cattails. No longer hay land for the last 30 years. These cattails became prime homes for the deer, and we found ourselves walking cattails and not just trees. Food value was maybe not there, and they did fill up with snow, but it was cover for them. db

Have been hunting ancestoral lands for my whole life. The whietail deer has lived in the prarie since agri farming practices. Those low spots cattail are great cover for deer but isnt the only spots they need to live. Wind blows hard where i hunt and whiteydeer are few an far between. ,Missori breaks have grown some great whitetailed bucks in the past! But the deer are gone now and prolly 3 to 5 years for a young bucks recover

 

[bucksnbears]

Not sure what GnF can do about habitat on a large scale with the budget they have.

They cant!.
Bottom line is, you guys in Nodak are probably worst then any other state when it comes to habitat.
You all can plant foodplots but without COVER, a horrible winter and coyotes are gonna take toll.
Good habitat is key. You have little and without it, and bad winters, it's gonna be a real problem.
Sucks for sure but it's what you have.

 

[Tinesdown]

They cant!.
Bottom line is, you guys in Nodak are probably worst then any other state when it comes to habitat.
You all can plant foodplots but without COVER, a horrible winter and coyotes are gonna take toll.
Good habitat is key. You have little and without it, and bad winters, it's gonna be a real problem.
Sucks for sure but it's what you have.

Can tell u dont hunt where i hunt !can u hunt spots out in my area. I have been walkimg rock piles an the partrige are thick but hard to get on they run and they fly quick. Killing roostrrs late season u cant beat long tails.