# SOBs 1-2pm Shooting Hours Closure



## Dave in Mpls (Apr 26, 2004)

Just curious how long the daily 1-2pm closure (i.e. no extended hours) for SOBs has been in effect.

I was talking to a friend of mine the other day, and he was all up in arms about the 1-2pm closure "this year", with no extended hours Wed or Sat. Without trying to make him sound like a moron, I tried to explain to him that this was nothing new, but he would have no part of it.

Just curious

Thanks!


----------



## fungalsnowgoose (Sep 11, 2004)

Dave I believe it's been at least 2 or 3 years since they closed it to all day hunting on wednesdays and saturdays. Your friend has to realize that with all dayhunting pressure the birds leave too quickly and don't stage at all and thats why the state removed the all day hunting in an effort to bring the old level of goose hunting back to North Dakota. Hopefully this year with the growth of the Hudsons bay colony, the unprecedented juvenile flight, and the almost complete lack of crops in MB North Dakota could have a good snow goose season again


----------



## Dedeye (Sep 10, 2005)

I think Game Wardens were getting Writer's Cramp from writing tickets out to MN and WI hunters the year they closed the all day hunting for SOB's. Don't those guys read regs?


----------



## 870 XPRS (Mar 12, 2003)

Last year was the year that they shut down the all-day hunt for snows on wednesdays and saturdays. Some people feel that this is the reason that they aren't in ND like they should be, but in my honest opinion that is foolish thinking. What has happend in CA over the past few years and weather is the biggest reason snows do what they do in the fall. Being pushed around 2 days out of the week has a pretty minimal effect. That isn't why they sit in CA for as long as they do, it may push them south earlier, but it isn't the reason they sit in CA.......but then again i'm no expert and even those qualified can't consider themselves experts on this matter.


----------



## h2ofwlr (Feb 6, 2004)

They had an afternoon goose closure back in the 70s in ND right through until very recently. I do not know back further than that. Maybe Ken remembers or knows a old time goose hunter that remembers back to the 60s or 50s

The geese started by passing ND becuase of the jumpshooters always harassing them and heavy hunting pressure in general. I saw flocks move in from MB down 40 miles into ND, and be pushed back into MB within 2 days time becuase of the hunting pressure. They skip into SD and over pass ND now. Hardly anybody hunts Snows in SD in the fall, especially NRs because most will go after darks or ducks instead.

Fall Snow hunting in ND is not even 5% of what it was like in the 80s.


----------



## dakotashooter2 (Oct 31, 2003)

The 1 pm closure is or has been the norm in ND since I started hunting in the mid 70's. The all day Wed and Saturdays was an experimental thing that was only tried for 4 or 5 years. Not sure why it was dropped but most just considered it a "bonus".


----------

