# Hunting on refuges



## BigNorsk (Mar 12, 2004)

Hi,

There is a lot of discussion about the problems finding a place to hunt waterfowl in ND. One thing I notice that might be part of the problem is the refuges. It seems if you go anywhere other than ND the refuges have public hunting blinds with some sort of lottery to use them. In ND the refuges aren't used that way, they seem to be to concentrate the waterfowl for the leased land around the refuge. Seems to me the no public hunting on the refuges has really encouraged the lease hunting because the birds come off the refuge undisturbed. Most days it seems very few birds make it outside the refuge and leased land.

What do you think? Would you like to see public access to hunt on the refuges in North Dakota like everywhere else?


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## KEN W (Feb 22, 2002)

No I would not....why would anyone want to see hunters lined up shoulder to shoulder or snow fence blinds every 100 yds.then show up at 4:00 AM to draw one of them.Then in order to keep from skybusting putting a limit of 10 shells in your pocket....That's not hunting...it's shooting.

I don't think ND is at the point where we have to do those things YET.


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## Perry Thorvig (Mar 6, 2002)

Ken,

You must have been to Lac Qui Parle in Minnesota. That's what they do. I was there once, in 1977. Haven't been back since!! Kind of a dumb way to hunt, if you ask me.

By the way, why do they call them REFUGES?


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## Brad Anderson (Apr 1, 2002)

NO, the birds will just leave the state that much quicker. They need a place to sit and not get shot at. By the way, some refuges have public land adjacent to the refuge. I forget what they call them. Oh yeah, "border" something or another.


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## RonS (Nov 20, 2003)

Unless I'm mistaken, ND Refuges were authorized by Congress as waterfowl sanctuaries. It would literally take an act of Congress to open them to waterfowl hunting.

National Wildlife Refuges in California offer very high quality hunting, with spaced blinds that you have to draw in a lottery, and they're hunted only three days per week. Pretty good quality hunting - FOR CALIFORNIA, but it's not like ND>


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## fishhook (Aug 29, 2002)

I don't think it would be a good idea. I can't believe some states allow this? Makes no sense to me. Like a couple people have said the birds do need a place to rest and it wouldn't seem like hunting.

Even though I wouldn't like it and it's just a bad idea in my opinion, it would have the advantage of maybe screwing over some of the g/o's that lease up all the land nearest the refuges...hee hee hee.


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## KEN W (Feb 22, 2002)

Perry...that's about the time I made my one and only trip to Lac with my dad.

Ron...there are quite a few public hunting areas that are part of the refuge...and there are retrieval zones along the edges of some.


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## RonS (Nov 20, 2003)

A lot of states that allow refuge hunting is because that's the only place for the "unattached" hunter to go. In CA, for example, 40% of the wetlands are state and federal wildlife areas, and 60% are private duck clubs. You can lease a blind in a rice field for about $4000 for two guys for a season, or hunt refuges or over-packed state wildlife areas. If you can't afford a lease or a duck club membership in most states, you have to use refuges if you want to hunt.


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## Fetch (Mar 1, 2002)

I can remember the days Lake Lorretta North of Michigan held Snow Geese- No one could hunt the water & a zone around the water. There were firing lines of hunters (shooters) that would go there on weekends & if some one actually shot a goose, it was always a joke you needed tennis shoes to claim the goose. Either that (people running to get it) or else dogs raced for it :roll:

I know Lake Alice has quite a bit of open area to hunt (public) Just look for all the duckboats & out of State plates - I have been there years ago, it was good because it had vegetation & islands etc. But with the high water in the region it is not that good any more - A couple areas are still good - But too crowded for me - Some of the new areas the high water has created will eventually be good - But some are so big that & you cannot use motors, so it is almost impossible to get to them safely ??? I sure wish ND would do more to open up many of our State owned waters & do something to manage them. Provide better access, maybe move them around(huntable zones) within the Refuges & get more plots type access to fields around Refuges - Hire someone to lease for the State based on crops planted that birds like & will use. This would require someone to look at the areas each yr & find the landowners that plant the right crops. (I bet many would plant the right Crops if they were compensated very good & not have to worry about Liability. Chain Lake was a good example of this - a Public Lake but the commercial folks did everything possible to keep us out :******:

Look at that lake south of Leeds (Isben ???) ??? It has become a guide /outfitters Refuge because they have most all the fields around it & won't let the public on it --- This is wrong & I bet there are alot more just like it around the State ???

Along this same theme there also needs to be more / New Waterfowl Rest Areas made where especially the SOB's want to roost - they are trying to use new places but get burn't off - again it changes every year as crops & water in the area changes - seasonal leases by the State would go along ways to Help provide more access around any & all wetlands - Heck there are many private areas that have become Refuges (we all know where there at after a little scouting each fall) Sure would be nice to see some kind of concentrated effort to open up fields around many of these - (This is something towns, that want more hunters, could do to help their towns)

There are lots of things to improve hunting ---But are they getting done ??? :eyeroll:

These things are one of the reasons I have trouble getting real excited about PLOTS - they are more for Deer & Pheasants - I have seen some nice water in some (thanks tsodak) but overall it is not going to be that big of a deal to waterfowlers.


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## Field Hunter (Mar 4, 2002)

I can remember hunting, I think they called it McDonald Slough, East of Rock lake a little. It was a WPA and usually had many snows on it for opening of waterfowl in the Fall. (those were the days) Unfortunatley, every morning saw an onslaught of local ND boys surroundng the slough in the morning.....they just couldn't figure out why the geese left the area so quickly. Sort of like puttng a duck boat on a large slough in the fall and shooting the ducks off the loafing water during the day. Keep the refuges as they are...NO HUNTING. One of the only places they have left that aren't attacked on a daily basis. And along those lines, it might be nice to get the honker rest areas back....would give the ducks a place they could rest during the day.


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## fishhook (Aug 29, 2002)

Field hunter r u sure?? I'm from Rock Lake and I've never heard of a Mcdonald's Slough.

I can tell you though there is a wpa north of rock lake that used to be good for holding sob's. That was until every fall for about 7 years straight a camper would go park on the approach to it. I'd tell u where they were from, but it doesn't matter. They screwed up many a hunt for us. One morning in particular a buddy and i had our decoys out in an adjacent field, we got there real early to beat the next guy and wouldn't you know it, we were lying out in the deeks and about 45 minutes before shooting time we could here a boat on the water...next thing you know about 5-10,000 of the damn sob's are flying about 15 feet over our head. AN HOUR BEFORE SHOOTING TIME!!! It was quite a sight though. We damn neer could have jumped up and grabbed them by the neck. Needless to say that wpa is crap anymore. The geese rarely use it. The guys in the camper don't even come back anymore. But the damage has been done.

Hopefully everyone uses a little common sense and has fun this spring and next fall.


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## Field Hunter (Mar 4, 2002)

Fishhook, I thought it was the eye sight that was going first but it appears its the memory. As I recall, it was close to a town called called Sarles. Long ago. So I guess it could have been East or West. Oh well the point is, let the rest areas alone.


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## fishhook (Aug 29, 2002)

I agree. And Sarles is north-east of Rock Lake and there very well could be a slough up there called that. I never hunted up around sarles too much, stayed closer to the land my family and my buddies owned.


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## tealeye (Mar 14, 2004)

For the record guys -- 99% of the WPAs (federal waterfowl production areas) are open to public hunting, and many federal National Wildlife Refuges also offer some limited hunting programs (and some of the best late season pheasant hunting around). But you are correct in that NWRs are generally tasked with providing a refuge for migrating waterfowl. Not so WPAs, which are primarily used as production areas -- and fulfill that role in the spring. Some of us hated nonresidents did very well on WPAs last fall the first week of pheasant season... Our duck stamps at work!


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## adokken (Jan 28, 2003)

I am sorry Tealeye but majority of us here n ND do not hate you nonresidents, But there is a lot of us that have no love for the G/O element. In fact hope to have a nonresident father and sons join me this fall for a little free lance hunting, They were really disillusioned with the out fitter they had last season. :beer:


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## zogman (Mar 20, 2002)

Was it Moscow slough????? Been there in the 60's


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## Field Hunter (Mar 4, 2002)

Tealeye,
99% of the resident ND hunters appreciate the contributions that visiting hunters make to our state. Many of us hunt with many NRs every year. I hope you were being a little sarcastic. And I don't think that anyone would disagree with you that the WPAs are open to hunting....they just aren't in the same catagory with Federal and State refuges. I'll have to agree with you on the WPAs. The majority of the WPAs have as good if not better cover for pheasants that the PLOTs have. And NONE of them were closed to NRs during the first week of pheasant season.


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## nodakoutdoors.com (Feb 27, 2002)

Tealeye,

Why do you worry so much about WPA's when you're buying your own? Do you not hunt your own land or is it only for customers?

According to your website:



> Located in the famous prairie pothole region of central North Dakota, the 840 rolling acres of the PS Ranch contain over 30 wetlands ranging in size from 1 to 40 acres.


I think your prices are way too steep though ($3000 a week???). You can get a lease for an entire season over on the Eastern Shore in Maryland for cheaper than that.

I can see your complaint though as your website quotes:



> Guests also have access to over 30,000 acres of public hunting land nearby.


Come spend $3000 so you can go hunt public land???


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## Skeptic (Jul 28, 2003)

> why would anyone want to see hunters lined up shoulder to shoulder or snow fence blinds every 100 yds.then show up at 4:00 AM to draw one of them.Then in order to keep from skybusting putting a limit of 10 shells in your pocket


Sadly, thats why we hunt the refuges here in MI. To keep parties 100 yards away. On the opener or a weekend on public land you can expect the city boys to set up 40-50 yards away and think it's alright.

Keep thing the way they are in ND.


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