Where to go in ND?

Thinking about making a trip to ND to duck hunt next year and want to get as much info so i can start planning now. I’m probably going to guide myself, i’m just looking for general locations. How does public hunting work up there?

Can anyone suggest a good place to stay? I will most likely be w/ one other person and a dog.

I have been to ND three times to hunt ducks and geese and love it. I went in 2006 and twice in 2007. Missed last year but hope to be back this year. First trip we took was with a guide and we had a blast. We field hunted and shot divers off of Devils Lake. That guide has houses you can rent even if not using him. The two trips in 2007 we stayed near Alsen, ND. This was a place that provides lodging and access to thousands of acres of private land–it was great. You could get by hunting public land, you can also hunt private land if it is not posted. I would go back and just spend a week on Devils Lake shooting divers and be happy. If you want any more info on my experiences let me know.

–Whitey

There are so many places to go its mind boggling.

If you are going to guide yourself you’ll do just fine. Access to private land is wide open as long as it is not posted or does not contain livestock or crops. Doesn’t hurt to ask but it is not illegal.

Get a PLOTS map book. These parcels in the PLOTS (private land open to sportsmen, I believe)are just that, open to public hunting, no permission needed.

Two years ago our area was dead, so we hopped in the truck and using the PLOTS found more hunting areas than we could possibly cover.

As I’ve stated in other posts, my base camp is in Newburg, just a few miles off the J. Clark Salyer refuge that runs from Canada north of Westhope all the way down to Willow City/Upham. This refuge is a 8-9 hour drive from the Twin Cities.
As mentioned, Devils Lake is a hot spot and is closer to a 6 hour drive from the Twin Cities. Those two spots however are well known and competition there is high during peak season.

I’d recommend the areas in between. Tons of water, tons of PLOTS, tons of birds. Cando, Leeds, Churches Ferry, Rugby, etc. Many of these small towns have rooms for rent cheap, open apartments for rent, etc. Cando, Leeds, and Rugby probably have chambers of commerce to help you out.

If the J. Clark refuge strikes you, let me know and I can set you up around that area. I hope to be out there for a 5 day stretch during the World Series.

Eric

Thanks for the help, looks like i’ve got a good place to start game planning!

The plots maps are a great suggestion. No matter where you head the pressure will be lighter than your used to. But if you stay away from devils you’ll likely see very few people in a weeks time.

You don’t even need a plots map, personally I find them really hard to read. Get one of those big red Gazetteers of NoDak. It’s surprisingly good at marking the water and roads. A dash board gps is also a great tool to help you figure out where you’re going, and get you back to places you’ve been.

We saw zero other decoy spreads last year. I can only recall seeing one guy hunting water in the last 8 or so years we’ve been going out. Every once and a while you’ll see some guys hunting geese or ducks in a field. We go end of Oct.

It seems a lot of us are great admirers of the ND area. One can’t fathom the amount of hunting opportunities there are in the state. It is well worth the cost of license.

Personally, I like to stay away from the crowds for waterfowl. I love the Oakes/Verona area for puddlers and spring snows. It’s especially classy if the drought is on in central ND. You might not get the birds in the thousands but you’re sure to get them to come in by the hundreds.