# Pheasant Opener Campgrounds



## vizslaking (Sep 24, 2004)

I've been camping in south east ND for the opener for a few years now and was wondering if anyone else ejoys this as much as I do. If so where do you all go?[/b]


----------



## always_outdoors (Dec 17, 2002)

Icelandic State Park is a nice campground, but kind of a secret.

Downstream campgrounds, Wolf Creek work well too.


----------



## jlvatns (Jan 29, 2007)

I second the selection of Icelandic State Park due to it's close proximity to Pembina; you can be in prime pheasant spots within an hour from your campsite.


----------



## Jiffy (Apr 22, 2005)

jlvatns said:


> I second the selection of Icelandic State Park due to it's close proximity to Pembina; you can be in prime pheasant spots within an hour from your campsite.


Absolutely!! :beer:

Oh wait, I mean sssssshhhhhh........


----------



## Dak (Feb 28, 2005)

Man, there ya go letting the Pembina secret out again...


----------



## Dick Monson (Aug 12, 2002)

I wonder why the tourism dept. doesn't list campgrounds that are open in hunting season? They'll promote hunting but not a darn thing that goes with it. :roll: I like sleeping in my topper with the dogs, it's still warm enough to enjoy a camp fire, and you meet some nice folks who are doing the same thing.


----------



## 123kidd (Aug 8, 2007)

He said SE ND didn't he? Isn't Pembina on the Canadian border? Or am I missing the joke(again)


----------



## Jiffy (Apr 22, 2005)

There aren't any birds in SE ND, they all died.

Pembina has open campgounds but they are usually all full during pheasant season. :beer:


----------



## Canuck (Nov 10, 2004)

You could stay on the Canadian side, lots of places to camp.
Or do you think it would be a hassle crossing the border twice a day?
:beer: :withstupid:


----------



## always_outdoors (Dec 17, 2002)

Jiffy: Are you staying with me this year at Icelandic? I need to know if I should bring some extra coolers so I can shoot your birds too.

dd:


----------



## Jiffy (Apr 22, 2005)

Icelandic Park it is then. :beer:


----------



## JBB (Feb 9, 2005)

I have been camping during pheasant season for 15 years. It is the best way to go. I used to put a cot in my van and sleep where ever I ended up, campgrounds or a old shelter belt. 5 years ago I built a 8X12 shack. Well insulated, 12 volt lights and a couple of bunks. A friend out west lets me put it in an old farmstead. It is great camping more comfortable. The experience is the best, shooting a few birds is just a bonus. 
I used to stay at the city campground in Elgin a lot and Lake Taschida quite a bit. Both good places. Going that route makes the hunting trips just that much better. A couple of dogs and yourself. Does not get any better. I will do this clear through the first weekend in Jan.


----------



## wiskodie1 (Sep 11, 2006)

LOL!!!!!
OH Pembina!!!! Man that still kills me when i read it 

From the looks of if no one what's to give out the locations of the SECRET ND STATE PARKS in the south east part of the state????

well what about little Yellowstone right on HWY 46 just a mile or so east of HWY 1, nice little spot as long as you don't mind hearing Jake breaks all night long, still its a nice little place, just south of there is Fort Ransom state park, now that's a great place to stay, everything you need during the weekend, food, fuel, drinks. what about beaver lake state park over by Burnstad? is that open during opener, I know there are more in the area just cant think of them.

But here is a good place to check out
http://www.parkrec.nd.gov/

nodak is a great state and this is a great webpage for hunters, but I cant help feel that the longer I read these posts the more I notice there are more dicks then helpful people posting all the time.
LOL the guy that started this post is from Fargo, and you guys pull out the Pembina run around like he is some sort of out of towner??? LOL the guy wasn't asking you what land you were hunting on or if he could hunt with you. LOL so much for getting together to share info and improve hunting in the state. OH that's right!!! I forgot most of you are only interested in improving YOUR hunting not the states. I keep forgetting that 

Then again you guys did a great job on the Pembina run around  
LOL Icelandic park for pheasant opener LOL


----------



## R y a n (Apr 4, 2005)

wiskodie1 said:


> LOL!!!!!
> so much for getting together to share info and improve hunting in the state.
> 
> OH that's right!!! I forgot most of you are only interested in improving YOUR hunting not the states. I keep forgetting that


Tips and tactics are roundly discussed fondly and openly.. but any topic discussing locations starts getting dicy.

There is enough pressure on everyone's personal areas as it is... guys just want to keep an additional pressure away.. I can understand the hesitancy to suggest any camping site that might encourage some random browser of this topic to possibly go to "X" because it was suggested on a thread. Especially if they are open to going anywhere within the state and are willing to be mobile.

They are indeed only interested in learning better tactics and not encouraging more hunting tourism... I can see the logic ...

Can't you?

With as many pheasants that are spread out all across the state especially this year... there will soon be huntable populations in all corners.. so suggesting the new honey hole of Pembina might not be far fetched (ok maybe just a little but not much).. plus aren't they entitled to their own opinion? Suggesting a location is like the "caveat emptor" saying right? 

Ryan


----------



## wiskodie1 (Sep 11, 2006)

Ryan I do agree with your logic and their's up to a point. I would not give directions to my honey pot on the form, BUT they are state parks!!! Paid for by us, half of them are not even open by the time pheasant opener starts. I think that's a shame, most of us don't have time to get out into the country side during our busy short summers, then HUNTING!!! WOHHOOO!!! Starts up and half the state parks are closed down for the season, right when so many people could use and enjoy them. On top of this there are PLOTS and public lands all over this state. Free to anyone that wants to hunt them.
What's really the worst thing that will happen by telling people where they could stay while they enjoy their hunting holiday? Are you all worried about more road hunters?? I don't know why you would bother; first off there are plenty of them already. Secondly if you give them a nice place to stay year after year there is a better chance that they will not only learn the area but might come to love it as well, they could and will learn were good plots land is and maybe even start to groom relationships with the locals and gain access to hunt it. Or they might like it so much they buy there own land!! Are any of these things bad??? 
If we continue to push the public hunters away, they will look for land that they can pay to hunt on, if there are people looking for a place to pay to hunt then you can bet you bottom dollar that there will be people willing to provide it for them. Those providers are going to buy as much land as they can, taking even more land away from the public, which raises prices so that only the rich can afford to buy, who in turn post there land cutting off even more public hunters and in turn rising the price of pay to hunt property. In the end the whole state is owned or the hunting rights are leased out to rich corporate hunting clubs. The only people that get to hunt are now the ones that can afford the luxury of it. Which in turn makes the far greater number of hunters give up on the sport because of lack of money and places to enjoy. They stop buying guns and hunting gear, stop teaching there kids to hunt, the kids grow up without owning guns or seeing any need for them, and vote the second amendment down the tube 50 years from now. 

RYAN Ill bet you a 6 pack that's what happens 
In 50 years we can see who the winner is
Set the date on your calendar now, we can meet at
Icelandic state park Pembina, 9-8-2057
Don't forget the 6 pack 

LOL come on guys!!! It's a state park the guy was asking about!!! There are a hundred of them across the state.

None of us are able to stop of even reduce hunting pressure, its like trying to stop rain. I'm not saying you have to like it, we could try to do something a bit more constructive about it. after all this is NODAKOUTDOORS!!! You don't get better then this place  its a good tool if we chose to use it as such


----------



## BIRDSHOOTER (Jul 18, 2005)

Honest topic gone bad. Amazing... Where have I seen this before. :eyeroll:


----------



## hunter9494 (Jan 21, 2007)

boy, i agree. we shouldn't see or hear such bickering on a nice forum.

i am a NR coming out for the first time this year and i haven't asked for any directions or info on places to hunt. i will figure that out on my own just fine, after hunting for 40 years i think i can handle that and i suspect most other guys have gone through the familiarization process on their own as well, so i don't see what the big deal is? sure, it may cost you a day or two finding where you want to be, but that is why they call it hunting, right?

anyway, i can understand why the locals get tired of hearing and seeing the different ways people try to glean specific info here. relax you NR guys, just get in the truck, come out and do your homework when you get here. if it is your first year, you just "pay your dues" and next year will be easier.


----------



## Jiffy (Apr 22, 2005)

What's wrong with Pembina? :huh:

Reverse psychology at it's best. You guys think I'm joking about sending people to Pembina because there are no pheasants up there. Just go a head and keep thinking that! Have you ever hunted pheasants in Pembina?

Didn't think so. 8)

Edited: Believe it or not, I do know the difference between physiology and psychology. :roll:


----------



## goodoleboy blaster (Sep 27, 2007)

this is why i hunt in sd. i was hoping to try some different areas, but it looks like it's the same people in a different state. just better football and hockey in nd. and if your worried about someone shooting your birds forget it. if i want to i could head out opening week and shoot as many birds as i want road pounding. it's easy and you can limit out in the last hour before dark because pheasants come to dirt roads to eat pebbles. they have to. oh, i've never been turned down by a farmer to hunt and they are right hunting is coming the rich man's sport. too bad. for those who care the lidgerwood area can be good and there are some campgrounds in the area. but for the serious hunter you might as well head to sd. more birds, but less public land.


----------



## Scraper (Apr 1, 2002)

It seems like if you keep your eyes peeled you can usually find a nice place to ask a farmer if you can set up a tent and watch the stars all night around a lantern and a cooler of beer. there is nothing better than waking up in the morning near where you are going to hunt and make some deer sausage on your campstove while you listen to birds crowing and waking up.


----------



## vizslaking (Sep 24, 2004)

:beer: wiskodie1, I'm buyin you a beer sir.  Good lookin out. As for the rest of this topic, there have been a handful of people who have posted some cool stuff. I should have known better than to ask a simple NON INVASIVE question like "Enjoy camping for the opener? Me too! Where do you all enjoy the great outdoors?" I was looking more for stories and encounters and general info about camping during this, the best time of year. Like this:

I stayed in Ft. Ransom State Park (that's on the map if you're curious and want to join us). There was a young couple with their two kids staying at the opposite end of the campsite from us and that was it.... just us and them. Well my Dad's Vizsla enjoys the company of kids and wanted to trot over and welcome them to the campsite. All of a sudden the young father starts sreaming in a high pitch, never before heard scream, and running at our dog. I was on my way over to say hello too and was about 50 yards behind the dog at the time of is mental breakdown. The next thing I know the dog is yelping, going full bore, tail between the legs, past me and headed toward the safety of the truck. Now this guy is still running full speed and screaming but he's coming right for me! I stop dead in the road and brace myself for a collision with "geeks to go, never been camping or in the wilderness for that matter, 150 lbs soakin wet, super dad". I am no small man (wish I were every time I steped onto an airplane though) and didn't feel too threatened by the chargeing horse jockey. About 20 feet before impact he encountered a slight incline where the grass came up to meet the road. This caused an all out header in the gravel right in front of me. It was a 10 foot face skidder in the dirt. I helped him up and he said (bloody and crying) "Are you going to put a leash on that thing or do I have to?!?!" I said I was sorry and that I would take care of it. I still to this day laugh my a$$ off thinking of that poor super dad, trying to make a story to take back to the water cooler of how he saved his family from a hilbilly and his wild dog. :lol:


----------



## Dick Monson (Aug 12, 2002)

You always get better hunting stories from camping than a motel!


----------



## Burly1 (Sep 20, 2003)

I didn't think a Vizsla's tail was long enough to tuck between it's legs. Good thing the geek wasn't a lawyer. I haven't been to all of 'em, but the state parks I have visited required all dogs to be leashed at all times. Just hosing you a little pard. :wink: Sounds like you and your dad will have all the ditch parrots you can handle this year. The Southeast and Northwest are supposed to have above average hatches. 'Course everywhere else is supposed to be average, which ain't at all bad. The name of that fine red dog that you're the king of is spelled correctly at the start of this post. Not pickin' , but if you're the king...... well....... :bowdown: 
Have a fine season, I'll keep my fingers crossed that it doesn't snow on your tent! :snow: 
Burl


----------



## vizslaking (Sep 24, 2004)

Oh yea, their tails are long enough! the King has spoken. :lol: And yes, it is law in all state parks to have your dog on a leash but I left out the fact that we had just pulled into the camp site and as soon as the door swung open the V was on her way. I was partly walking over to get her and partly walking over to say hello.

Thank you Mr. Spellcheck :wink: just razzin ya. I didn't notice it when I was signing up for this website until it was too late that I had spelled Vizsla wrong in my name. Wish I could change it! Can I? I'm not the most computer savy.

And let it snow Burl! I love hunting in the snow and we'll be in a nice warm heated camper. Same as a hotel room but I can step out my front door and start up the grill and a campfire and enjoy the great outdoors over a hot cup of coffee. I CAN"T WAIT!

Good luck to you this season Burl! :beer:

-TheKing :wink:


----------



## fargojohnson (Oct 17, 2005)

:withstupid:


----------



## Bobm (Aug 26, 2003)

> Thank you Mr. Spellcheck just razzin ya. I didn't notice it when I was signing up for this website until it was too late that I had spelled Vizsla wrong in my name. *Wish I could change it!* Can I? I'm not the most computer savy.


click on your profile button on the bottom of one of your posts then when it pops up click on the word profile on the top of the page then I think you can edit it.

PM Ryan or Robert if that doesn't work


----------

