# Devils Lake Area



## waterfowler06 (Aug 10, 2006)

I have been hunting Devils Lake area for that last 6 years now. We make a trip every October and to me it seems like it gets worse and worse to find some where to hunt. Sure you can hunt the big lake and backwaters connected to it but what about potholes and fields. It never got bad until this past year we were turned down from land owners left and right. To me it seems like 100% of the land is posted north of town until you get way way up there the same thing if you go east and west. By the time you get far away enough from town there isnt as much for water if there is its usually posted. Of course you cant hunt south because its on the reservation until you get way south. My question is does anyone else out there have similar problems. Why is all the land posted? For me maybe it was just my bad luck but we contacted about 15 different land owners and never got accepted once. I had heard that all the guides lease up everything they can and thats why I cant get in anywhere. I have also heard that the farmers post it so the guides cant get on it because the guides are making this money off the farmers land and they arent getting anything out of it. Whats your reasoning and experieces?

Thanks


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## nodakoutdoors.com (Feb 27, 2002)

Devils Lake has gone through cycles. In the 70's (I don't know from experience due to being born in the era, so I'm going from what I've been told by many), there was a lot of commercial outfits around. I used to hear about big companies such as 3M having huge leases in the area. DL was one of THE areas at the time for snow geese. When the drought hit the area and the waterfowling went down so did hunting pressure, posted signs, and commercialism.

In 1993 the rain returned. We hunted that fall of '93, '94, and '95 hard up there. To get a room at the Sunlac in Lakota was never a challenge, we didn't even think about it ever being full. To see a posted sign was rare, and it was even more rare to see another hunter or hear another gun shot. I could tell stories for hours, here's one of my favorites I wrote about last year on this area:

http://www.nodakoutdoors.com/deadendslough.php

But like the story said, we first noticed the pinch 11 years ago in 1996. And since then the area has went from quiet to a zoo (not always, but pretty common, especially in October). With a lot of people means there's going to be a percentage of idiots that come with it. Those idiots, in my opinion, is why the posting is so bad in that area. You can't blame a landowner for wanting to know who's out there when they've been burned by slobs. And with a waterfowl mecca comes those who want it for themselves so of course purchasing/leasing of the area is becoming more and more common.

ND is just catching up to the commercialism of the rest of the country and Devils Lake is one of the prime areas for it. You can still hunt the Devils Lake area, but like you stated you have to do a lot of homework and knocking on doors. Many will still let you hunt, you probably knocked on the wrong doors.


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## Dick Monson (Aug 12, 2002)

Everything Chris said is true. The commercialism was running full bore there even before statehood. (See "Wildfowling in Dakota" by Duebbert) The large scale leases of the early '70s were crimped in the legislature in I think 1976 or there abouts. That is also when zones were implemented. However the commercializers fought hard to water down or eliminate those laws and too, the number of zones have steadly been reduced to a joke. $$$$$$$ Those folks have organized well while sportsmen have not.

There has been a massive tourism effort by DL and ND Tourism Dept. to draw hunters to the area but zero effort on their part to assist those hunters with access. A letter to the editor might go a long ways.


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## Rick Acker (Sep 26, 2002)

I've been hunting on the fringe of this area my entire life. I've gone from barely seeing another hunter all day to heavy competition even on the week days. I find myself getting further and further away from the original area where I hunted. Best thing I can say is form relationships with landowners now, before it really shuts down. Of course a good drought would slow it down again, but I don't think anybody really wants that.


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## Hunter_58346 (May 22, 2003)

We hunted from Jamestown to lidgerwood last fall a couple times and we were amazed at tha lack of hunters and the duck numbers. Never really had any access issues for waterfowl or upland. Now with all the rains down in that area, that just may be the place to head for.


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## USSapper (Sep 26, 2005)

No, I think DL has had more rain and less competition.......


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## Hunter_58346 (May 22, 2003)

I didn't think it would take long..... :beer:


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## dosch (May 20, 2003)

I agree head south!


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## shiawassee_kid (Oct 28, 2005)

had no issues last few years . alot of farmers let us do our thing....only got turned down 1 time on a 10 day trip.


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## goalieman (Apr 17, 2006)

Last fall we found that about 90% of the places we had hunted for years was posted. Most of it by guides( from talking to the land owners) we didn't get turned down if it was the landowner posting it. But it was harder to find spots to hunt in the DL area. This was our 7th year hunting that area. We have found the farmers and people in town to be great people.


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## NDTerminator (Aug 20, 2003)

More & more land is being leased up here around DL every year. This is not just by G/O's but private parties from out of state as well. Money talks, particularly cash...

I have a neighbor that leases to the same NR every year, but I have carte blanche access to everything during Early Goose, everything they don't specifically lease during the General Season, and all the rest when they finish their hunt and leave...

I have a group of rather well heeled friends from Mn who bought a full section (basically one big slough) with a farmstead and fixed it up nice, just for a couple weeks hunting every year. They have it posted but I have full access to this as well, it's just far enough away that it's not really worth the drive unless I'm visiting the boys when they're up.

I make no judgements on this subject and the above is in no way intended to turn this into a G/O or NR bash fest. When land is leased or purchased it locks out most residents and NR alike...


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