# Great Experience



## JOSHENME (Jan 22, 2003)

I would just like to reflect on the great experience i had snow hunting this past week. I visited the devils lake area and hunted north west of there. I ended up hunting alone due to the fact that both my buddies had to cancel. I did not know what to expect since this was my first year. First i would like to say you guys some of the most gorgous land i have ever seen. I was really nervous about approaching the farmers because i have heard horror stories about farmers not liking out of staters. However i was amazed with the fantastic farmers i met. They were great, they granted permission and i even drank beer with one farmer on friday night. I was very pleasently suprised before i even started hunting. However my trip got even better when i started seeing all the birds. It was the most unbelievable sight i ever seen. I never seen the amount of ducks and geese as i did in the four days i was there. You guys have a fantastic resource and you are lucky to be able to experience it every day. I was able to harvest a few birds, however i learned alot of lessons very quickly. I did not ever imagine so smart those snows would be. They are a game bird that i now have the upmost respect for. I will definitly approach the birds different next year.

I would like to thank all of you that do a great job promoting ethical hunting and those of you that treat the farmers right so they have an open mind to allow other hunters on thier land. I would also like to say you have some of the nicest people i have ever met. From the farmers all the way to the bar owners. There were several places that were more than open to giving me every tip to allow me to be sucessful. To those people i would like to say you are the reason your state will see repeat visitors and people that are very willing to support the local economy. I have been invited by several farmers to return next year for the fall hunt as well as the spring. I am very excited and feel privaliged to have a farmer offer me hunting oppurtunity next year. :beer:

Finally, i would like to thank all of you that put time and effort into this web site. It has been very informitive and has provided me with usefull information that otherwise i would have not had. Keep up the good work. You have a great thing going. Thanks agian


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## brent weyer (Mar 31, 2003)

I'm palnning on going to nd devils lake area for the first time to try to bag some snow geese. I was just wondering if anyone could give me some information on where I could lodge and if I can have my dog there. I have about five hunters that want to come with me and I'm scrambling to find a good place with reasonable rates and within reach of a good hunting area. I also was wondering if it is still a good time to come out at the end of april. I know the mature ones have probably migrated but I really want to get the north dakota experience. I have a new five month old black lab that I would like to bring out with my buddies mature lab just to get him started on the right path. He is very obedient and very relaxed and calm for his age. He was born a waterfowling dog from a good bloodline and has me excited for the future. His retreiving skills seem to get better every time out and he can retreive heavy things already due to him already being 52 pounds and growing. So if anyone could help me it would be greatly apreciated.


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## Fetch (Mar 1, 2002)

Trailswest Motel 1-800-453-5011 Tell Beautiful Barb (Manager) Fetch sent you


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## brent weyer (Mar 31, 2003)

Thanks alot fetch, it's greatly aprecited.


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## brent weyer (Mar 31, 2003)

Although I know nd is the melting pot for waterfowl I have had a great time hunting waterfowl in mn. With the grouse falling off on their down cycle I tried duck hunting and after one day I was hooked and now it's all I think about. I like to fish, I like to deer hunt but I love to duck hunt. I hope that everyone respects the wildlife and the land so the oppurtunity for my kids and grandkids can enjoy the outdoor life. If anyone has any tips for hunting snow geese calls, hunting gear, etc. that would be great. I heard about electronic calls but I don't know anything about the calling a snow goose or how to set out the decoys and what the best decoys are.


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## KEN W (Feb 22, 2002)

You could be a little late by the end of April.There might still be some left,but I would suggest you check the GNF hotline and read the reports here before buying a license.


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## gandergrinder (Mar 10, 2002)

Brent,
Unless you have alot of decoys and an e-caller. Decoying snows could be pretty tough. We have been running between 700 and 1200 northwinds this spring and to say the least it has been tough. We usually use 3 to 5 ecallers and everyone is in blinds. We have been shooting geese but after 8 plus months of being hunted the birds are pretty wary. If you don't have decoys then it would probably be best to try and pass shoot or jump shoot the birds.

The ideal pass shoot is to find birds trading between the roost and a field or two fields. Get in between find some cover and just sit untill birds start coming by you. This works best in high winds and overcast conditions. This is hard to find sometimes but if you find it it could be the best shoot of your life.

The other way is to try to push birds over friends or to sneak. Place your guys hiding, usually down wind, have one guy walk out and try to push them over the others. In some instances it is possible to sneak right up to them but this is really tough with snows.

If you want to decoy birds then you will need to start buying decoys. Some guys use Texas rags but up here the birds have seen many spreads and they are very, very tough to decoy. The more dekes you have the better.

Come to ND to enjoy the sights and the birds but I wouldn't expect to shoot a ton of geese because odds say that it won't happen. Be content to shoot a few and have a good time. Snows are the toughest birds to hunt in waterfowling and if you harvest some you should be very proud. Good luck and I hope you have a great trip.


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## brent weyer (Mar 31, 2003)

Thanks to everyone who is helping me with my trip. I'm a little worried about going at the end of april. It's not that I'm hoping to bag a large number of snow geese, it's that I want to get the full experience of seeing the spring migration. On the other hand I can always go again next year to. I can't wait for this fall though, I love to hunt duck and I'm gonna catch some canadiens in southern mn in late oct beginning of nov. My cousin owns some land down by the st.cloud area where we can hunt the fields and hopefully bag some huge canadiens. I mainly shoot wood duck, bluebills, and bufflehead. I shot some mallards but had a hard time decoying them in they seemed real weary like they had alot of hunting pressure before they made it to me. I shot a beautiful drake bufflehead, I wish I had mounted it but I passed on the oppurtunity.


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## KEN W (Feb 22, 2002)

If you are looking to see the spring migration through here,you are probably to late.The main flights went through ND a week ago.That's when you could see flocks that stretched as far as you could see.Those birds are now in Canada.
There are still geese in ND but they will be scattered around.The last flocks are the young of last year,that are not in a hurry to get up to the arctic.They are the easiest to decoy.But it can be hit and miss to find them.


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## JOSHENME (Jan 22, 2003)

brent,
as i said in my post, it was my first year hunting snows in nd. It was the most unbelievabe sight i have ever seen. It was an experience i will take to my grave. Just like everyone else says dont expect to shoot a ton of birds. After my trip i have the upmost respect for snows. They are a beautiful bird, however they are very smart. Enjoy the sights and sounds and have a good time. As for accomidations i stayed at the comfort in. It was 50 a night but it had whirlpool, pool and refrig and freezer in room which was nice for the birds i did get. There are many hotels for cheaper however, just take highway 2 into devils lake and you will find anything you need. As a side note if you want a GREAT steak you have to go to the "ranch". They had one of the best pieces of cow i ever had. Any other info you might want just drop me a message i will try to help since i was there a day ago. Good luck


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## Dean Nelson (Mar 3, 2002)

Ken DL is still holding there part of the flight because of a snow line north of town. We are forcasted to get 6 to 10 inches of snow so this will stall the birds that are left. The bad thing is many of the birds in this area are on land you have no chance to get on.


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## GooseBuster3 (Mar 1, 2002)

Stall them, lets hope they fly back south!!


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## Matt Jones (Mar 6, 2002)

Speak for yourself GB3!!!


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## goosehtr4life (Dec 16, 2002)

We hunted in the Devils Lake area last weekend and were only turned down by one land owner(he was an [email protected]@[email protected]#$) Other than him everyone was very nice......If you are looking for a new way to shoot snows try this. Last year I met some guys from Nebraska and they told me to try a Cow decoy...I know it sounds dumb but we tried it last weekend and belileve it or not it worked. By walking behind it we were able to get into range on two big flocks.


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