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Joined: 31 Mar 2006 Posts: 35

Just got back from 4 days in North Dakota. Hunted the very eastern part of the state at Hankinson,Lidgerwood. Hard to get any birds........lots of corn around. Went west about 50 miles and concentrated on areas with no corn. Looked for areas with cut beans and cattails..........then we hammered them. Monday came and all the locals were gone and just us and a couple trucks from Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Indiana.

It is the 1st year I used the my Citori 16ga. I loved it and it killed its fair share but it took a few times before I finally left the Benelli M1 in the truck. The Browning is nice but when the cattails are loaded with birds or the wind is fierce the 12 gauge auto diffentially puts more birds on the ground............but strange enough I got a lot more enjoyment from shooting birds with that 16 gauge.

I love North Dakota......I have hunted for 12 years and am alway surprised by the local hospitality......if you havent tried it you should. Buy some groceries, gas, lunch, stay in a hotel in the small towns.......they love it........its helps their lively hood. Good luck to all rooster hunters out there. Very Happy

Joined: 15 Oct 2004 Posts: 787 Location: Indiana

granite: I know what you mean about the small town hospitality ! In 1998 a friend and I went out there---hunted sharptails, Hungarian Partridge and ducks around the little town of Binford. We loved the place. It had one cafe, the kind of place where there are pictures of the patrons on the wall---and the people in the pictures are sitting in the restaurant ! The owner (and literally chief cook and bottle washer) always came out from the kitchen in his apron to ask how we liked the food...

The farm where we stayed NEVER locked their doors and that family was one of the friendliest I ever met---and as an ag banker I do know some farmers....and oh yeah, we got the birds ! Sharptails and huns, and so many ducks I got sick of cleaning them. Then we went up north to Bottineau, in the wheat country, and shot snow geese, blue geese, lesser and greater Canadians...It was one of the best hunting trips I've ever had, or ever expect to have. Can't wait to go back....

Joined: 09 Sep 2006 Posts: 863 Location: NoDak

Granite and Wolfchief, I just wanted to take this time to THANK YOU so much for your kind and wonderful comments on my state NODAK. I live in a small farm town here about 20 miles so. of Bismarck. It's wonderful to here these kind of comments, all to often we hear that we are a bunch backward hicks, who have no knowledge of the "outside" world.

Jokes like "Do you have power yet?, How about cars, phones regular mail not pony express). Don't help people from out of state much.

So again, thanks for your kind words and please come back soon!!

God Bless!!!!

Greg

Joined: 01 Sep 2006 Posts: 68 Location: MN

Yes Nodak is a great state for hunting, great people we didn't go this year but in the past 6yrs we just hammered the birds looking for a new spot the rancher started to charge big time for the hunting just can't pay the costs should have been looking in the past years O'well.What 16ga did you buy? O yes I was born in North Dakota the family moved out and here I am in Mn for the past 30 yrs.