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Lehr/Wischek conditions

5726 Views 8 Replies 5 Participants Last post by  prairie hunter
I hope to head to Lehr or Wishek this weekend... any news on water freeze-up? I'm assuming that only the bigger water is left open by now... Any duck reports? I would think things should be pretty hot if you can find some water...
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Well, I guess I'll answer my own post: the duck hunting was poor. Few birds around and everything was frozen except for the biggest water. I hear reports now that birds are there but in the fields. I'd be happy to hear any additional reports.
Seabass
I was in the area over the weekend and found lots of birds but nobody wanted to allow us access,we even had a woman yell at us for asking to hunt. I won't be returning to southern ND anytime soon,I had the opportunity to speak with several local sportsmen at the hotel in Steele on sat. night at the DU banquet and they said it was very tough for them to get access to hunt as well.I headed north on mon. afternoon and found ducks and also the ND hospitality that I have come to know and love. I was able to get access to a cornfield with about 10,000 mallards using it and my kids and I had a great time.
Gooseroller,

Sorry you had a rough time in Southern ND. I'm glad to see a post of two like this because I feel it reinforces some of the land access problems that we as residents have begun to face in light of the great increase in hunting pressure from NRs.

I spoke to a couple of farmers last week in South Central ND over coffee (no pickles were offered) and they related they had never seen the numbers of people that had been asking for permission as they had seen this year. Many said they have posted because they never have anyone ask permission to drive on fields or hunt if they don't post. They're just plain getting tired of all the hunters week after week that want to hunt. One guy mentioned he was really upset with all the empty shotshells that are left laying around after huntiing.

When you plan your next trip to ND you may want to avoid the week or two before the deer season. Many people post their land and generally don't want people messing around the slough bottoms and CRP that the deer are using this time of year.
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I think you are right on the money with the deer hunting observation. I hope it didn't sound like I was whining because I couldn't get access I just learned a lesson ,stay away from the phesant areas and don't go south of 94 to hunt waterfowl.Good luck to all who are hunting deer this weekend,judging from what I saw you should do great.
I will say that I know a few locals in this area and I think the reason for this more widespread disdain for non-residents is due to a few cases where a few ruined a good situation for everyone else. Just last year a guy (Mpls. hunter) blatantly shot some pheasants on posted land. When the landowner asked him what he was doing, he replied "I'm shooting some $$#!#%^ pheasants... what does it look like I am doing??!!" He was basically saying this on the guys posted land. Well, word travels fast in a small town and this generated a more widespread use of posted land this year...
We experienced a similar situation this year down by Mott...some NR's asked to hunt a farmer's property who we knew. The draw they wanted to hunt was going to be hunted later on in the day by their son but the farmer was kind enough to give them access to a different spot (not as good as the first one but free access by Mott for anything is pretty hard to come by). When we drove by they were just finishing walking the draw that they knew they weren't supposed to be on. When we asked them what they were doing they pretended to play dumb saying they 'Thought' this was where the farmer told them to go...what a bunch of A*$holes. It was the same group of guys who 'horned in' on a PLOTS field we were at first earlier that morning. Just slob POS hunters.

Needless to say that farmer won't be allowing access to anyone anymore as neither him or his son were very happy after what these jerks did. :******:
Is this one of those areas that I continue to hear about where there is no problem with over crowding? You know where no one ever hears another gun shot all day. To be fair, I've seen plenty of residents do the same thing. This weekend, while deer hunting in South Central ND, had one guy inform me that since he lived in the area 22 years ago, he didn't have to ask permission to hunt posted land as he knows all the landowners. Trouble is my grandmother had the family post the land and didnt want anyone else on for the deer season. I could have gotten all bent out of shape but there's no use. Must have been 25 trucks a day on every priaire road in the area.
Slob hunters are not restricted to NR or resident status. Plenty of a**#### to go around.

Deer hunting brings out the absolute worst in a few (if not many) ND "hunters". Pheasants would be a distant number 2.

Sorry to say there is no bigger a**#### than a lazy man with a pickup, a rifle and a deer permit. Road hunting is all too common. Blame access, poor planning, or simply lazy - whatever the reason - growing up deer hunting in ND I remember more guys driving around gravel roads looking for deer running in the open than guys working cover.

I grew up with access to a lot of fantastic deer hunting land, guys would park along gravel roads and watches us hunt. If we move a small group of does they would try drive close enough for a shot. If it was a buck - bullets would whistle into the posted field or pasture.

Sad thing is my relatives pretty much gave anyone permission to hunt after we filled our tags. Safety and hunt quality were the reason these people had to wait until after opening weekend. Few bothered to ever ask. Those that did often got bigger deer than we did during the opening weekend caos.

Do not expect any sympathy - but now between the outfitters grabbing half of the NR deer licenses and NR landowner gratis tags grabbing essentially the other half - got no chance to go back and join the family group on another deer hunt.
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