Pheasant outlook

[harvey lee]

I am thinking of bird hunting where I deer hunt this fall. How far would I need to dive as we are hunting south of Leonard or approx 45 minutes SW of Fargo.

Thanks for any info.

[vman11]

There are usually decent birds south and west of you every fall, I would look to Lisbon, Forman or Oakes (20-40 miles past Leonard) for some birds, even in a down year. I usually do OK near Sheldon and have done OK near Alice, but it gets a lot of pressure from Fargo hunters.

I was out scouting deer in Central ND last month, not prime pheasant teritory by any means, and saw pretty good numbers along the road. The winter was just as brutal in that area, maybe even worse, as it was in SE ND.

According to NDGNF, numbers in the Southern part of the state seemed unchanged according to their crowing surveys.

http://www.gf.nd.gov/multimedia/news/2010/06/100609.html

If you are going to spend a week or extended weekend, it might not be a bad idea to drive the extra distance to Oakes/Ellendale/Kulm/Ashley areas. Pretty decent bird numbers in that area.

[Scoot]

Tom,

I didn't see this post until now-- I can get you some info and spots that are within about 20 minutes of where you hunt. Remind me of this in the Fall and I'll talk to a buddy who hunts out there a fair bit- he'll get me the scoop on where he's seeing birds this year.

[harvey lee]

Will do Scoot.

Thank you

[brittman]

An easy 5 miles S or W of the Sandhills puts you in pheasant country. Another 10 miles even better. The area is hunted relatively hard by Cass County residents, but see little NR pressure. Have always done best in that area after corn is down and there is some snow on the ground.

[harvey lee]

Thanks for the replies.