# SE Roosters



## prairie hunter (Mar 13, 2002)

I was back in eastern ND last week for a couple days last week. First time I was back in ND during MEA (ever from what I can remember).

Took my son pheasant hunting on a large loop across SE ND last Thursday. Son, dog, and I had one of the best days hunting in ND that I can remember. Weather, birds, everything feel into place for his *very first hunt *with dad. 

We spent about 5 hours driving and about 3 hours walking good cover. We put up close to 20 roosters - returning home with 3. Dog was fantastic finding and retrieving my birds (two were alive - not sure steel #3 was the best choice).

While his BB gun is deadly on tin cans at 20 yards, it just could not knock down a rooster. If there was another gun or two in the group, a six - nine bird limit would have been very achievable.

His energy to walk with me, his drive to keep going, and his interest to learn was great. Sadly enough he learned what no hunting signs were. Since we picked up birds early on public land there was never a need to ask permission.

A few observations,
If a tough winter returns to SE ND, the pheasants may be in trouble. Large, thick cattail sloughs appear to be rare. Most sloughs look like big round lakes with about 1-3 feet of cattails surrounding them. Where is the winter cover once the CRP fills with snow?

Hunted mostly WPAs and saw roosters on every walk.

Nearly every slough we passed by on the road had a duck or two, did not seem much different from what I remember many years ago.

We did see several sloughs full of ducks and one was not posted. One WPA was absolutely loaded with wigeon and mallards. As we walked the WPA, they simply circled and landed back in the middle.

We DID NOT see many hunters. I remember seeing one group of residents on a WPA, another on a GMA, and two Minnesota trucks parked at another WPA. That was it. Not a single vehicle on any PLOT land that we passed by.

The season is now a complete success! He is asking when he can go again.


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## Rick A. (Sep 5, 2003)

There a very few roosters in the S.E. this year....Hmmm...ahh...No birds there if you know what I mean.  Shhhhhhhh.


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## redlabel (Mar 7, 2002)

When my little first started going with me, it was amazing what he could bring down with that BB gun. The stories he had for his Mom when we got home were worth letting him think he got em.


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## Field Hunter (Mar 4, 2002)

PH,
The lack of pressure sure is nice, isn't it. I've been out several times in SE and no problems this year unlike others when Most NR hunters were just pounding the PLOTS day after day. Doesn't seem as though the pressure is as bad this year.....ND may have accomplished something good by putting some limits on some. It seems to have really spead out the pressure.


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## ecd (Nov 3, 2003)

I have been impressed with all the cover in SE ND. It looks like there is more thick cover down there than out west where all the birds are supposed to be. I hope that people keep going west to find the birds and leave the SE ND pheasants.

I have never seen the birds so far east. I have seen several nice big roosters by Alice and have heard reports of pheasants by Kindred and just south of Horace. That is excellent. I even heard a report of a patridge sighting in residential South Fargo!

We should all hope for a light winter and the bird outlook will get even better!

Good Luck.


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## prairie hunter (Mar 13, 2002)

Natural grasses and CRP are absolutley essential for good reproduction, but absolutely worthless if a tough, snowy winter returns to North Dakota.

Many a CRP grass field will be useless after one 8 - 12 inch snow fall.

The pheasants need thick tree belts and more importantly large, thick cattail sloughs to survive. If this winter habitat is close to feed even better. I did not see much of this compared to the 80s.

West of the Big Mo is whole other story. This is typically the "banana belt" of ND. Less snow and a lower number of below 0 days makes this part of ND much easier on pheasants during the winter. Add in the large cattle feedlots of western ND that feed and carry many a pheasant and turkey and you begin to see why pheasants thrive in the west.

SE ND has at least two weather issues going against it for long term, BIG pheasant populations:

winters can be too snowy and cold.

this part of ND often gets more rain in the spring than any other part of ND thus nesting success can decline too.


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## njsimonson (Sep 24, 2002)

My dad's face lights up when I tell him about my hunting trips from south of Valley City down to the Oakes area. He is simply amazed that we are seeing birds a mere 3 miles south of the Interstate. He said it was never like that back in the days he hunted.

My fears, now that I am sick with pheasant fever, are that this winter (with the 6" of snow in some places) will be too tough on the birds, and numbers will be hurting next spring. And many of the above mentioned reasons, such as crappier weather generally in East ND, may prevent the birds from being a permanent fixture in the fields. But as for this year, I will be out there enjoying what we have.

Great stories about taking the kids out, it is fun to go out with my younger cousins around Watford City, ND and watch them walk and talk and look for birds. My 13 year old cousin shot his first rooster on the day after opener, we ALL shared in the excitement of that moment for him...it sure was fun.

Be safe out there.


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## Bagman (Oct 17, 2002)

ECD you must be new to this area. Im 40 and Huns have been in and around Fargo since I was a kid. Pheasants are always in the Alice area as well as the sandhills of Kindred. That said this is still a very good year.


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## nodakoutdoors.com (Feb 27, 2002)

Eric has partridge that feed in his backyard in Fargo on a regular basis. Pretty cool really, they come in around the same time each day and he leaves a lot of corn out for them during the winter.


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## Bobm (Aug 26, 2003)

What causes the weather to be milder in the western part of the state?


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## Dick Monson (Aug 12, 2002)

Bob, western ND gets a chinook wind effect at times from the eastern Rockies. It's drier too so less snow cover and thus less reflection of sun light and more thermal heating. Western ND has climate like Montana, eastern ND has climate from Canada.


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## DJRooster (Nov 4, 2002)

The west is also at a higher elevation. Cold air sinks as anyone who has been skiing in the mountains can tell you. Sometimes at Red Lodge you can see the cold air masses sitting in the plains to the east. I've been there when it was -30 degrees in Red Lodge and +30 degrees up on the mountain. The Red River Valley is often colder than any other areas to the east or west because it is the lowest in elevation.


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## muskat (Mar 5, 2002)

I have seen that at Red Lodge also, an amazing site!!!


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## Rick A. (Sep 5, 2003)

Boys I repeat...Shhhhh...There are no birds in this area! peace!


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## prairie hunter (Mar 13, 2002)

Air travels/wraps clockwise around a high pressure system.

When that damn big arctic high drops down from Canada - all of ND has subzero temps with strong North winds (not the decoy).

As the high moves east across ND into MN and WI it often stalls - thus eastern ND and most of northern MN can stay cold for quite awhile.

With that high sitting over east-ND or MN the prevailing winds in Montana become South and thus warm air gets pulled north across MT and western Canada. Western ND is close enough to feel this rush of warm air and thus is on average warmer than eastern ND.

Western ND gets its share of subzero temps - just not as many days and the number of consecutive days below zero is usually much less.

Western ND is also drier. Most fronts dry as they pass over the Rockies - gulf coast moisture is pulled northward, but typically western ND does not get it - unless it is a wrap around effect on a low pressure system.

Eastern ND and MN is where the gulf coast moisture really starts to show up as precip.


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## Brad Anderson (Apr 1, 2002)

The weather is as unpredictable as a smart rooster. Every winter is different. Temps and snow accumulation are never the same two winters in a row. Even though hunting roosters in a blizzard can be fun, harsh weather takes its' toll on the birds.


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## ecd (Nov 3, 2003)

Bagman-

I recently moved back to the Fargo area after living in IA and MN for a couple years. I have been hunting near Lamoure for 7-8 years, mostly for ducks, but some roosters in the past 3-4 years. The pheasant hunting has improved every year and I have never seen partridge in that area until this year. I imagine the '96-'97 winter took are large toll on all bird populations and the comeback of partridge has been slower than other species. Or... I just didn't scare up any partridge until this year...?

Anyway. I'm happy to see the little birds are doing well. In my opinion, the partridge are the best eating of all game birds. How about you guys?

Any recent pheasant reports from SE ND. I'm heading out this coming weekend to try and round up a few more birds.

Good luck!


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## Dick Monson (Aug 12, 2002)

ecd, glad to see you on this forum, welcome. This afternoon I picked up two and they were the toughest roosters yet this year. Maybe the deer hunters are making roosters a bit nervous? They still hold pretty good but it takes time to get them into position. The old tricks they use like slide out the side, double back, figure 8s, crossing hens, etc are all in effect. This afternoon my dog worked two out of a cattail and down a fence line. I'm getting too old to run along and when I stopped for a breather, the little buggers were coming back on the other side of the fence. The quats.


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## IAHunter (Sep 1, 2003)

I'm totally amazed by all of the dumb, ignorant hunters that are on here. The only thing you guys know how to do is sit around, drink, and shoot defenseless little animals.
:wink:

Since I've joined this site I have been amazed by some of the most thought provoking, well thought out arguements and bits of information that go on here (like why it is warmer in western ND than eastern ND). Keep up all of the good info and I'm proud that I call myself a sportsman with company like you guys.

IaHunter


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