# LOOKING TO HUNT NATIONAL GRASSLAND IN FEB, I HAVE QUESTIONS



## Dan P (Oct 29, 2006)

HI,
I AM LOOKING FOR A PLACE TO HUNT COYOTES THIS WINTER AND I AM THINKING ABOUT THE NATIONAL GRASSLANDS IN WESTERN NORTH DAKOTA IN LATE JANUARY AND I HAVE SOME QUESTIONS.

HOW IS THE MANGE THIS YEAR I'VE HEARD THAT IT WAS VERY BAD LAST YEAR?

IS THERE ENOUGH SNOW TO X COUNTRY SKY IN THAT AREA AT THAT TIME OF YEAR MOST YEARS?

ARE THERE A GOOD POPULATION OF COYOTES IN THE GRASS LANDS?

ARE THERE A LOT OF ATVS, SNOWMOBILES IN THE GRASS LANDS? I AM LOOKING FOR SOMEPLACE QUITE.

I HAVED CAMPED IN THE WINTER MANY TIMES BUT NEVER IN THE WEST. HOW COLD IS IT, AND HOW'S THE WIND?

THANKS FOR THE HELP, DAN


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## Migra (Sep 19, 2006)

Late January in this area is brutal. Temps with wind chill can stay well below zero for extended periods. The wind is harsh, almost constant and snowfall levels are a crapshoot. Last year the winter was VERY mild with adequate snow cover for tracking but the year before that you probably would have needed skis just to get out of the truck. The trick to hunting up here in specific areas is to have a backup plan in case weather changes your ability to hunt in the area you want. One rogue storm out of Alberta and 6 mos of planning is sitting under 3 feet snow at -25 below.

The next thing is safety, DO NOT hunt alone. If you are alone and something goes wrong they will find you in the spring. Cell coverage out there is almost zero almost all of the time. Also, when calling for dogs, watch out for cats.

I have traveled through this area numerous times for my job. I have seen a few yotes from the road but have never hunted it. (I have enough dogs in my back yard to keep me busy for a few decades) You should call the Feds/Park Service and find out about access at this time of year. I can't say that I've ever seen snowmobiles or ATVs in the area but in better weather horseback riders are not uncommon.
Mange in our area hasn't been that bad this year (so far). My neighbor has taken 15 this year and only one looked bad. I've only taken two this year but both had nice coats. Last year with the milder weather the mange was pretty prevelant.

Good luck.


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## Migra (Sep 19, 2006)

Try this site. It has a virtual tour, rules for vehicles and hunting info.

http://www.fs.fed.us/r1/dakotaprairie/tour/index.htm


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## Dan P (Oct 29, 2006)

Thanks that is just the first hand advise i am looking for.
Dan


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## Field Hunter (Mar 4, 2002)

Pick any where in South Central North Dakota...the hotels will be less than full....and I don't think any farmers are going to tell you no when it comes to Coyote hunting.....AND there are Coyotes everywhere in the state...I would think it would be better in the S Central areas. Lots of Public land and lots of Federal WPAs to hunt without ever asking fopr permisssion.

Contact Curt at the ligerwood Motel in Ligerwood ND. He can point you in the right direction and has a nice lower budget hotel.


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## Dan P (Oct 29, 2006)

thanks, but I am going to hike or x country sky along and camp at night and move on the next day.

but i will need a place on the way out

thanks dan


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## Jaybic (Sep 8, 2005)

Hey dan,

I also hunt out there and I have, in three trips last year(dec/jan/feb and several times in the previouse years going back to 2002, never seen enough consistant snow to ski very far and even if there was snow you would find rock climbing gear more helpful than skis.

It gets plain miserable trying to walk around there and i cant even imaging skiing. I suppose it wouldnt be too bad as long as you steer clear of the badlands but in there it just wouldnt be possible in alot of areas. I may be wrong and maybe others on this site have tried it but I will say I have been a downhill and crosscountry skier since I was about 12(38 now) and I even served in the Marine Corps in a cold weather unit where we played war games in the snow on skis in the sierra nevadas and in Norway and I wouldnt try it.

Its a great place to hunt but its alot of work to get into spots that have not been hit and you have to go thru brutal country to get to these spots. I am on my way out there on 8 december and againg in January and will be happy to give you the snow report but is seems the the major snowfall in ND is in the eastern half of the state. You could probably do alot of hunting off skis over there. Anyway, best of luck to ya.

Oh, and I agree with migra. I wouldnt hunt alone out there. The badlands have all kinds of fun stuff like burning coal viens and mountain lions and hypothermia that will be happy to do you in. Bring a buddy because on a trip like you want to do, it can go from fun to serious real quick.

Jaybic


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## Dan P (Oct 29, 2006)

JABIC,

Thanks for the info I don't want to climb rock or more likely fall off one. I am thinking of the area north of I94 and east of 85 along the little Missouri river. I have never been there but on the national grasslands web site the pictures seem to show a rolling broken ground with buttes that could be gone around.

BUT since you are from Minnesota, let me ask about the other place I was thinking about going. I had thought about the national forest outside the Boundry Waters. There should be lots of snow and if the ice were good I could move along on the inland lakes. This is the sort of hunting I do in Michigan and the only way to get back into a lot of places but the ice and snow are not dependable in my area. 
Also I am looking for something different, a place where I can see farther than the next tree, and shoot farther than 70 yards. Frankly, I never see them hunting Minnesota in the coyote porn videos. So how is coyote hunting in the boundry waters?

Thanks for the good advise.
Dan


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## Migra (Sep 19, 2006)

Dan,
Can you hunt in or near the Boundry Waters? I took survival training out there in the Ely, MN area and the whole place seemed to be overrun with granola eatin' tree huggers. All they wanted to do was canoe around, smoke weed and be left alone. I know what you mean about wanting to see past the next tree. I was in Ely for a week and I felt claustrophobic the whole time. Trees everywhere. I never saw the sun rise or set on the horizon. Couldn't wait to get back to the wide open spaces of NW North Dakota. 
If you are looking for wide open give the northwest corner a look. We just got about 5-7 inches of snow and it's pretty easy to spot or track right now. It's nowhere near as picuresque as the Badlands but you can see for 10 miles and the whole area is gentle rolling hills and agricultural fields. Towns about every 10-15 miles in case of trouble and farmsteads in between. For hunting you can't beat these old abandoned farms. There are hundreds of them in Divide and Williams County alone. They all have tree rows around them and wide open killing fields several hundred yards in any direction. Just settle in the brushline and start calling.

JABIC, 
I completely forgot about the burning coal seams. Nasty things, those.


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## Dan P (Oct 29, 2006)

JABIC,

I'm sure your right about western ND and I have thought about it, but I'm looking for public land where I don't have to find the land owner and ask permision only to end up jambed up by neighbor when I cross one too many fences. I can do that in Michigan and then go home to sleep with my wife.
I want to be alone. wander where I want. Camp when I want and chase the coyotes as far up the wind as I can and that means public land.

You could be right and the Little Missouri National Grass Lands are too harsh for anything good to happen.
Thanks,
Dan


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## 1lessdog (Feb 4, 2004)

Dan P,

I hunt the Badlands 3 or 4 times a winter. If you get a Grassland map you can hunt all week and never go on Private land.And still have land to hunt for the next month. There are 1000's of Acres to hunt. But to camp out there its going to be Cold. You don't have to hunt the real rough stuff. And you will still have a good Hunt. Good Luck


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## Dan P (Oct 29, 2006)

Less Dog 
Thanks for the encouragement if you have any more good advice I'm all ears
thanks, Dan


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## mifox (Oct 31, 2005)

DanP,
Interesting that you want to head west from Michigan to hunt coyotes. I've wanted to do that ever since I went to SD in 2003 on a guided whitetail hunt. The vast miles of rolling hills and wooded valleys rang with the sounds of coyotes every night, and we saw them daily. I went so far as to get "Walk-in" maps of SD that show where private lands open to public hunting(walk only) without permission are located in every county. I'm an old geezer and have been reluctant(chicken!) to go alone. After reading this thread I'm glad I was. For sure it would be much more fun to call coyotes where there aren't houses over every hill and in every woods like here. I'm in mid-Michigan. If I went I'd take my pick-up with a slide in camper and pull a utility trailer with a small freezer(big enough to hold a pile of skinned coyotes!) and my quad. One of these years....(LOL). I hope you can arrange the trip of your dreams out there. Best of luck!


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## 1lessdog (Feb 4, 2004)

Dan P.

PM sent


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## Dan P (Oct 29, 2006)

MIFOX
Thanks for the encouragement I hope to have a great time.
Dan P


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## Dan P (Oct 29, 2006)

1LESSDOG 
Thanks, check for return PM
Dan


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## jakester (Apr 13, 2004)

I am from Ely and you can hunt in the BWCA, but I doubt you'll have
much luck. There aren't many coyotes up here as they don't coexist well with the wolves, of which there are at least a few thousand.

If you decide to come, be sure you're prepared for extreme cold and subzero temperatures. Although we have a lot of ice, many lakes have 
bad spots and they can kill you quickly if you screw up. I wouldn't recommend winter camping up here alone either. It's much easier said than done.


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## Jaybic (Sep 8, 2005)

Hey dan, I agree jakester about the BWCA area and have spent time up there as well. Beautiful but you will not find it very open. There are forests that go for miles upon miles and its probably more dangerous that the Badlands(see wolves/possible cats/falling thru ice/bears and thats not factoring in the weather. That area is not called the "icebox of the nation" by weathermen for no reason.

I have hunted the area in ND that you are talking about and had luck but I know it gets considerable pressure. I went out to that area 3 times for a total of nearly a months hunting and brought back 7. Doesnt speak well of my skills I guess and I am certainly no expert but many things contrubuted to that including forgetting to load guns, misses, a broken radiator, wised up coyotes and just about every other screw up you can imagine and to top it off, a 55-60 degree spell the weekend of the Nd coyote classic, which by the way is based out of Dickinson ND

Also, when i was out last January hunting(not it the tourny tho) and could not get permission in some prime looking spots because they were already spoken for by the tourny hunters but you will have that. I was also told by a pretty respected fella on this site that to go that far to hunt means that you are passsing by a heck of alot of good area.

I should also clear up one thing and maybe the ND guys can explain it better that I but the Badlands are just part of the Little Mo Grasslands and I dont think its all horrid terrain(anyone?). There is some nice looking areas of it also as I recall. I am also sure you can find areas that you can hunt without asking(public) but keep in mind that not all land in the grasslands is public. Even tho its in there there are still many private ranches that you would want to ask at and most of the grasslands lays on the west side of 85. I know they make national grassland maps that have the ranches on them. I have them but cant remember where i got them and they are really helpful. I am also thinking of trying the west edge of the grasslands. I dont think it gets hit as hard but I am just guessing.

Best of luck to ya


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## Migra (Sep 19, 2006)

Try this site. ND Game and Fish. Under General Information they have contact numbers for some of the staff and under the Hunting section they have some links to mapping sources. If you find yourself heading for the northern part of the park, call and find out about any left over turkey tags. They are pretty thick along the river areas with heavy trees and brush. They just got the 5th cougar so the season for them is over. Oh well, there's always next year.

http://gf.nd.gov/


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## varmintz (Apr 25, 2006)

Not to ask stupid questions, but why would anyone want to hunt coyotes in North Dakota, when there are areas like around Elbow lake, that has tons oy coyotes, that they have to put electric fences around the WMA areas, just so the waterfowl will have a place to breed and hatch their eggs. There is also a lot of red fox and bobcat, if it was not so much for a non-resident furbearer licence, I would hunt over there. Just strikes me as weird why someone would give up a golden area like that to just hunt coyotes alone....... They also have the brush wolves in Minnesota also, Detroit lakes is another goldmine!


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## Dan P (Oct 29, 2006)

WELL NOW YOU SEE THAT IS WHY I POSTED. SEE I HAVE NEVER BEEN MORE THAN 300 YARDS OFF I94 IN ND OR MN. BUT, WHAT I AM LOOKING FOR IS SOME PLACE THAT IS OPEN BOTH TO HUNTING AND TO SEE ACROSSED. SOME PLACE WITH LOTS OF COYOTES AND GOOD SNOW COVER WHERE I CAN CAMP ,YES IN THE SNOW, AND CAN SKI ALONG AND NOT BE RUN OVER BY SNOWMOBILES OR QUADS. EVEN TO ME THIS SOUNDS LIKE A LOT TO ASK, SO I HAVE POSTED OUT THERE TO LOOK FOR GOOD IDEAS. SO I WELL COME YOUR ADVICE TELL ME MORE.


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## varmintz (Apr 25, 2006)

I do not know the exact places, but fine the public hunting areas between Elbow Lake and Fergas Falls areas, and also check with the local farmers, the ones I have asked are very acceptable to coyote hunters, but the only reason I have not is the price that MN wants to charge me.....


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