# Sharpie Advice



## kappy shack (Jan 9, 2013)

Good morning, happy Friday!

I'm looking for some sharpie hunting area advice. Not looking for anyone's secret spot...just looking for a "general" area. Right now I'm debating Linton, Napoleon and Jamestown. I don't want to drive 3 hours to Linton if I can drive half the distance to Jamestown and still put up a few birds.

Any info is greatly appreciated.


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## H2OfowlND (Feb 10, 2003)

You don't want someone's honey hole, but yet you want someone to tell you where to go? It's called hunting, get out and explore. Take a chance and see what happens. 3 hours? I know guys that will be driving 30+ hours this fall to ND oneway and just want to see the landscape and possibly snow. The birds are second to them. And you're complaining about an extra hour? Give me a break! 
I, myself now live 1300 miles from my hometown and I'll be making the 20 hour drive this fall to ND as well. You should be grateful to live so close.

H2O


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## kpgoose (Aug 5, 2013)

Yeah didnt you know that nd is the promised land and only a select few are able to hunt there. Be danged if someone will give you a friendly hand. Without thr new oil and gas exploration goin on there nd would barely be a state. No wonder they stay up there and live in all that ice and stuff cause if they went anywhere else with their mouths they would get the **** kicked out of them. Sure i will get banned for this but oh well. Bunch of pompous ********


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## H2OfowlND (Feb 10, 2003)

Mr. Texas,

I've given plenty of advice on here to guys from all over the country. I have no problem doing that. But when you live less then 3 hours from some of the best hunting, and want someone to tell you where to go, I have a problem with that. Getting out and exploring/scouting is what people had to do before the whole cyber scouting thing. 
Last I checked anyone can hunt ND. This a free country. I spent the last 8 years defending that freedom in the US and on foreign soil for the last 4 years. 
What North Dakotans don't want is it over run, crowded, and whored out the commercial side of hunting. Kinda like Texas.

If you have a problem with us Mr. Texas, don't come up here. By the way, we were doing just fine even before the Bakken.

H2O


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## kappy shack (Jan 9, 2013)

Whoa H20!

Sorry for offending you. If someone wanted to know where to fish, hunt pheasants, deer, prairie chickens in an area where I'm familiar I'd gladly help out and heck probably take them to the exact spot. I was just asking for a "general" area&#8230;not an exact spot to punch into a GPS. I get out and explore, wear out boot leather and put in the time&#8230;actually way more than most..heck maybe even more than you. 30+ hrs&#8230;haha, that's nothing&#8230;I just got back from a 51hr+ (3,000+ mile) trip, one-way, to Alaska&#8230;haha too funny. Birds, big game, fish are also second for me. I was taught at a young age that a limit on the strap is nice but it's the little things about being in the great outdoors that's truly special. Didn't mean to sound like I was complaining if that's how I came off. If I can save 1.5 hours of driving which gives me an extra 1.5 hours of hunting/being outdoors, I'll do it. I'm not going to get into a pissing match on an internet board. I was simply asking for a bit of advice. Isn't that what forums are for?


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## kpgoose (Aug 5, 2013)

So what the real problem is is everyone is afraid that they may have to work a little harder for the hunting. The exact thing people get chastised for. A little food for thought. Fewer and fewer people are hunting every year. If everyone doesnt stand together it will not matter if people get out and scout on their own. Wont be able to hunt anyways. I look at it like this. If someone was wanting to come to texas to hunt say some blue quail and they wanted to know could they hit them in east tx or would they have to drive a little farther to get to them. Well do you know where the blue quail are in texas. Doubt it. Whats the harm in telling them that no they will have best luck the farther south and west they go. Lots of country out there. Chance of them ruining your sweet spot are slim. And what good is a forum if people cant talk tips and tactics. Free classified ads?


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## H2OfowlND (Feb 10, 2003)

Kappy,

Congrats on your big trip, I've been to Alaska a few times myself and can't wait to get back. 
I'm glad you wear out your boots more then the other guy, and yes more than me lately since I was stationed overseas for the past four years serving my country. I wore the soles off my boots on the flight line while working, not hunting like I wished.

Hope you find your answer to your question.

By the way you didn't offend me.

H2O


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## dakotashooter2 (Oct 31, 2003)

Put a map of ND on your wall and toss a dart at it and that will probably be as good a place as any. Numbers seem to be limited in the east 30miles of the state but after that you should find plenty........


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## 94NDTA (May 28, 2005)

With sharpies, they are all over ND. I would focus more on habitat than a specific area. Anything with short grass or steppe prairie is ideal. That terrain is everywhere in ND. Pull up a plots map and scout some areas. If you see land that looks like this, you are in a good sport for sharpies.

Terrain like this, in general is too deep. You may find them in grass this tall, but normally this is more reserved for finding pheasant, or late season sharpies when the cold sets in.










Terrain like this is more ideal.










FYI, these pictures were taken maybe 10 miles apart. There is terrain like this everywhere in pretty much any part of the state. I have hunted sharpies from the fa north west corner of the state to the far south east corner. Neither is really any better than the other as long as you know what to look for.


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## dakotashooter2 (Oct 31, 2003)

I have my best luck hunting structure. Transitions in habitat like where long graas meets short or grass meets a shelter belt. fencline or creek.


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## Dick Monson (Aug 12, 2002)

Generaly.....generaly I consider anything west of the Jim River sharptail ground, if you are in the portion that is cattle country. That's about 3/4 of the state. But that is general info. Get away from the "metro" areas at least an hour out. Pressure drops off quickly after opener.


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## Dick Monson (Aug 12, 2002)

This map might help. The escarpment edge is the coteau. It's a landscape of grasslands and wetlands with a mix of crops. Kind of gives you an idea of shaptail country. Although you can find some on the drift prairie too.


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## kappy shack (Jan 9, 2013)

kpgoose, dakotashooter2, 94NDTA and Dick Monson&#8230;thanks for the info, I appreciate it very much!


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## Dick Monson (Aug 12, 2002)

One thing that might slow down the opener sucess besides low numbers is if there is hot weather. With so much corn around the birds are going to head for shade if it is hot.


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## fieldgeneral (Feb 12, 2013)

Dick Monson said:


> Generaly.....generaly I consider anything west of the Jim River sharptail ground, if you are in the portion that is cattle country. That's about 3/4 of the state. But that is general info. Get away from the "metro" areas at least an hour out. Pressure drops off quickly after opener.


Very general, but yet spot on with the info Dick! I enjoy chasing Sharpies, but my dog enjoys them more, and that is why I continue to chase them. She loves the upland more than the waterfowl, so I just roll with the punches. I will hunt whatever keeps my dog happy, ain't I whipped... By the way she is almost 11, so whatever she wants to do goes.


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## kappy shack (Jan 9, 2013)

Little update. Back from my ND sharpie trip. It was a ton of fun and I learned a lot. Poured rain opening morning. My dog and I did a lot of walking but managed to scratch down a few sharpies. Hunted all PLOTS land around the Gackle/Streeter area. Most the birds came from just south of Gackle about 5 miles. The advice I received was spot on: Hunt short grass (nothing higher than shin high), alfalfa is good, birds like the leeward side of a hill, hunt transitions/structure, fence rows are good, and stubble is good if you can find a field. Lot's of crops still on out that way, not sure how much that effects sharpies. I think the next time I go I'll head further west. All and all it was a great trip, lot of work, learned a lot and a ton of fun. Below is a link with photos. Thanks again everyone for the advice!

http://s1096.photobucket.com/user/nutsu ... pie%20Trip


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