S.D.or N.D. or CANADA DUCK AND GOOSE HUNT

[DCF]

Promised my boys to take them somewhere this fall duck and goose hunting. What is the best way to find a place to go in N.D. or Canada. Is it possible to just go and find places to hunt? Do you need to book a trip with a service. Not sure what to do. Any help appreciated. Thanks

[guppie]

I've gone to ND for the past couple of years and hunted 4 different areas with out a service or knowing anyone. What I would recommend for sure is a atlas or better yet a plot book for the county or counties you plan on hunting. There is alot of posted ground but if you track down the land owners most of them are nice and will let you hunt(I've heard if you have kids with your odds are better) Also when plannig where to go look for areas with medium to large wetlands cause alot of the small ones are or will be dried up. Just be respectful of property and resources because your minnesota license plate stands out more than you think, if you read forums about nd here and at other sites there are some residents that like to get exicited about disrespectful non residents.last but not least, dont jump hunt all day,get some good scouting in the night before and you wont need to jump shoot the next day!

Don't shoot the roost, youll chase the birds out of the area.

[carpshooterdeluxe]

south dakota limits the number of non resident licenses available. if i take time off from chasing geese in minnesota i will definetely be knocking on doors in north central sodak, theres a lot of water around abereen and surrounding areas this summer and no shortage of ducks from what ive seen so far.

[crappeyeslayer]

I have never hunted with a guide in ND and I have been going there for 7 years now, twice a year. But from what I have found in the last few years is that more and more land is being leased to the large guide outfits combined with dried up wetlands is making hunting increasingly more difficult for the do-it yourselfer. We always have fantastic hunting everytrip out there but we also scout about 5-6 hours a day. That is alot of miles!! I guess it depends on wether you are looking for a relaxing trip with your kids or if you are hard core sun up till sundown Best fo luck to you!!

[Ufatz]

Went to NoDak last fall and did not fire a shot. The year before that some resident thugs made out lives miserable because we had MN plates on the truck. Sure, there is some nice hunting ground available out there, but we have pretty much concluded that the hassle just isn't worth it. Chase around looking for a place; try to obey posted signs while watching others drive right through them; no reasonable way to track down who owns what; most waterfowl bunching on the posted stuff;big outfits owning/leasing more land than you think and you find that out the hard way. Crappy cell phone service and no place to eat. So there ya go....head for Nebraska and enjoy yourself.

[iffwalleyes]

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Chase around looking for a place; try to obey posted signs while watching others drive right through them; no reasonable way to track down who owns what; most waterfowl bunching on the posted stuff;big outfits owning/leasing more land than you think and you find that out the hard way. Crappy cell phone service and no place to eat. So there ya go....head for Nebraska and enjoy yourself.

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Well not every town in ND has a McDonlads but most of them have very good cafe and small town bars. Yes phone service isn't the best but it gets better every year. It is much easier to find out who owns what here in ND due to the posting of land. I have hunted MN, SD, and ND and it is much easier to find land to hunt here. If you aren't able to track them down usually it is a Non Resident that owns land out here. But if you decide not to come out here it just leaves more ducks and geese for me .

[Ufatz]

Hey Iff....you got it! Ha! More for me.....etc. Nothing personal against NoDak-lots of NICE folks too. But it has just been TOO frustrating for us to (A) find a place and then find out who owns (controls) it and ( get permission to get in. So you're right, odds are we won't try again, thus leaving more for you guys!

[iffwalleyes]

You are right about it being hard to locate the person some of the time. Like I say lots of land has been bought up by people you can't find they come out hunt 2 or so times a year for ducks or pheasants and post everything up. Then even though they aren't around you can't get on their land for deer or anything else. It is a pain and it is getting worst. More paid access for hunting. I will quit hunting before I give any guide a red nickle for right to hunt birds. Big game maybe but that is a pretty small maybe there too. But I will still say it is easier here locating people with the posted signs that it is in MN or SD. Try going out west and figure out whose land you are near when the nearest house might be 15 miles away and that rancher owns everything. Then try to find the guy. It is tough. I think one has to plan more time scouting for hunting locations on a trip than actual time in the field.

I can tell stories till blue in the face about guys I have ran into in the field that can't respect ones right too hunt both resident and non resident. It doesn't matter where they are from.

[guppie]

When we go we try to get there right away in the morning and spend the entire day scouting so we can have a quality hunt the next morning. Then we scout every afternoon and only hunt in the mornings. we would rather have a couple quality hunts and bag a bunch of birds as compared to hunting twice a day and then spend every night wondering where and how we are going to hunt the next morning. It just makes for a better trip when you arent 2nd guessing yourself with the decision you made.

[crappeyeslayer]

Read the posting laws, they have to have a sign every half mile, on the corners, and at every enterance. They also must have thier names writen on the sign, if you cant find the name in a local phone book move on. It gets tougher every year. I am just glad that I have a relationship with a few farmers that will insure me a good place to hunt for many years.

[MwildN]

I have been going to ND the last 6 yrs. Our first yr we did alot of driving but meet alot of great people(farmers). We then meet one guy that didnt want hunters to hunt his land cause they trashed his fields. BUt he let us hunt his land one night the next morning we were going to hunt his moms property. He meet us there that next morning and told us how respectful and clean we were. So every year we have a sweet place to go.. we are the only ones that hunt his land now. And the days we dont hunt his land to let them rest we hunt his friends land and sloughs or look around in the area for other places. BUt we do very well.. My point is be respectful and dont be affraid to sit down with them and talk. It might be a couple hour talks but well worth it.

[mnhunter2]

Have hunted in all the places you are looking at and they all have there good and bad points, SD you have to draw a lic and it is good for only one period to hunt in, ND and canada have the over the counter lic and you would have to travel more, most all these places the locals want you to field hunt and if thats what you want to do a guide of some type makes the hunt a lot less work. We hunt ducks more traditionally, over water in blinds with boats I have built and over decoys I have carved and painted and don't have any trouble finding a place to hunt. My best thought would be ND!!!

[Fish'n guy]

Well here is how I would got in order as to quality of hunts in my opinion:

1. Canada

2. East river South Dakota

3. Eastern North Dakota

If you want to see and shoot ducks like you have never seen I would go to Canada! Alberta and Saskatchwan have the best duck hunting that I have ever seen and by no slim margin at all. Getting guns into the country isn't easy and things are much more expensive up there in cluding gasoline. You should be prepared to put on a few miles but when you find them you jaw will drop to the floor! Shooting 90+ducks a day and 40+ honker days are part of the deal! Not saying thats the way its gonna go all the time but I know that it happens a lot for some friends of mine who guide uo there. If you are willingto put in the time you will be rewarded!!

Otherwise for staying in the US South Dakota has my vote but that is just because I only hnt in SD. I have never hunted in ND but I see many more ducks and geese in SD than I do in ND. Ducks are plentiful especially in the northeast part of the state. Lots of field hunting mallards canadas and snows and if your into the water hunting there are several big water areas where you can really work on the reds, cans, buffys, bills, mergs, goldys, and ringnecks. Not too hard to fill a limit when the birds are moving!!

Anyway hope you have a good hunting season!!

[walleyewacker]

I have never thought of and never would hire a guide just because I like to and can do my own thing but in all reality the more I think about it the more it makes sense if you are traveling to an unfamiliar area in the states canada may be different. To pay a guide a couple hundred bucks to get you on good fields constantly is change compared to what it takes to pull your trailer and do your own scouting nowadays. It is against my morals as well but do you agree with this if you are looking to take a trip and close to guarantee a quality hunt?

[Fish'n guy]

Ya Brian I would have to say you are right. If it comes down to hunting an unfamiliar area and you don't want to or can't put in the time to scout paying a guide may be the best option.

[UGUIDE]

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Promised my boys to take them somewhere this fall duck and goose hunting. What is the best way to find a place to go in N.D. or Canada. Is it possible to just go and find places to hunt? Do you need to book a trip with a service. Not sure what to do. Any help appreciated. Thanks

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DCF, I have some ND options for you and your boys.

952-484-0955

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[mrwalleye_13]

I have gone to college at und for 3 years going on 4.... hunt ducks and mostly geese literally every morning before school and weekends... I have had my Minnesota plates in every area many times never had one word spoken.. but i totally understand why residents don't like non-residents after seeing some of the stuff thats goes on...