[H2OfowlND]

This is something I've always wanted to ask every NR that hunts ND....for what reasons do you come to our state to hunt??

A.)Amount of wildlife?

B.)Access to land(public or non-pay private)?

C.)Just the ability to hunt since your home state is too hard to hunt?

D.)Relatives?

E.)Your state doesn't offer certain types of hunting that we have?

These questions are not intended to start a yelling match, I'm just curious to know the reasons why so many people include ND in their hunting plans. Please choose whatever situation fits you and just explain so more of us here can understand why you travel to hunt here. Thank you for your time.

H2OfowlND

 

[djleye]

I will take the liberty to answer for one of my out of state buddies that grew up here. He comes back because of:
1.) Tradition- we grew up hunting together and remember it well as the best times of our young lives. :beer:
2.) Nothing else compares- He now lives in Seattle and they occasionally go out and shoot hens and rosters that are released at an old Army base out there, impossible to hunt waterfowl out there. uke:

 

[Perry Thorvig]

E, B, A in that order.

We started going to North Dakota because of the snow geese in the 1970s. It is probably 75% of the reason we go there. There are no appreciable numbers of snows in Minnesota. Therefore, it is our only choice.

The prevalence of ducks over the last 10 years has kept us coming even if the geese numbers have declined. But, I am afraid that it won't be long before we start skipping North Dakota to go to Canada to goose hunt. However, that does not mean we won't return to North Dakota if licenses are available. We may come once a year just to spend a weekend with the friends we have made there in the last 28 years. That would be tough to abandon.

 

[prairie hunter]

1) Relatives, family, and friends

2) Familiar with the area that I hunt. Know where the game is. Know the layout of the land. Know landowners. Comfortable hunting where I have hunted for the past 25 - 30 years.

successful hunting in MN - but taking the time to scout new areas is more time consuming then returning to ND.

 

[David S Proffitt]

I started coming to ND four years ago. My new wife had family their and I came to visit and hunt Pheasants and Sharptails and then later Ducks. We hunt the western third of the state. I have hunted Dickinson area opener for pheasants for the last four years and have never felt crowded. Prior to ND I have hunted Iowa, Nebraska, Montana, and mostly SD. The bird numbers are better in ND, the people are GREAT, and the place is fantastic. I hunt PLOTS and not posted private land. Ducks are on my in-laws and surrounding farms around their place Northwest of Minot. Never have had any trouble finding places to hunt or feeling crowded. We hunt Sharptails in the Grasslands. Which are frequently abandoned by any other hunters. I realize that the eastern part of the state may be way different - pressure wise - but where I have been pressure really isn't what someone who has never been here would think by reading these posts. I will say that I hunt a lot during the week and always have a place lined up for the opener so I am not their on the opener. My in-laws frankly do not appreciate all the talk about how the numbers of nonresidents are hurting the hunting. They say they get asked for permission about once a year although a few are observed hunting the land without asking. This doesn't bother them. No they do not get any fiscal gain from use of their land. But they do have out of state family besides me who hunt a few days a year.

I love North Dakota. I invite new people every year to enjoy the hunting and people and the experiences with me every year.

 

[Dino]

I would say A. Amount of wildlife AND
the total outdoor experience. Seeing a big mulie. Viewing the beautiful, wild countryside. Getting away with loved ones. Exploring new areas. I could shoot a lot of birds in MN, but I like the "trip" aspect of going to ND. Oh, and lack of people. Compared to SD and Iowa, there is a lack of people.

 

[northwind]

We enjoy the hunting in North Dakota because of the following:

Ease of access (90% of landowners will let you hunt unless saving it for relatives)

Lack of crowding (the ability to often hunt without seeing or hearing another hunter or group of hunters)

Quantity of game (plentiful upland game populations, we get tired of only shooting ruffed grouse in Vermont)

But the main reason we love to hunt in North Dakota is because of the people. North Dakotans are the most warm-hearted and accomodating people we encounter on our fall endeavors.

 

[BigDaddy]

I'll take a crack at answering this one. I am a native of MN, and I moved to ND three years ago from Indiana. I gave up around $25,000 a year because I love the ample hunting opportunities in ND.

I still have lots of friends in MN, WI, and IN that tell me how much they love to come to ND and hunt. They routinely give me three reasons why ND is attractive for NR hunters:

1. ND's posting laws mean that people can hunt any land that isn't posted.

2. You can pick up a nice PLOTS map anywhere (even the airport) that will easily direct you to public property in the state.

3. Because of ND's economy, $50 or $100 will easily give you access to hunting land. Evidently, in many states, you have to spend much more than that to gain access. However, $50 (or even $25) means a lot to a landowner in rural ND.

Bottom line: Unlike most states, hunting land is easily accessible non-residents.

BigDaddy