Rolling Plains Adventures
February e-Newsletter!
Rolling Plains Adventures is excited to keep you updated through bi-monthly e-newsletters highlighting all the adventures occurring on the Black Leg Ranch in North Dakota. Feel free to share your comments with us via facebook or e-mail.
Our bi-monthly e-newsletters will feature hunting news and facts in North Dakota, projects being worked on for the next hunting season, and an alternating feature column from "The Stand" - focusing on deer, "The Blind" - focusing on waterfowl, or "In the Field" - focusing on pheasants.
This 2012 hunting season was a great year at Rolling Plains Adventures. There are plenty of hunting shots in this video of pheasants, waterfowl, deer and coyotes. ENJOY!
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Snow geese have yet to make their way into North Dakota this year, but are expected to arrive very soon. Hunters are reminded that species identification is extremely important because white-front (speckle-bellies) and Canada geese travel with light geese. The spring season is closed to white-fronts and Canada geese.
These birds are long-lived and travel in large flocks, so thousands of experienced eyes examine every potential feeding and resting place for danger before landing. They normally move through North Dakota quickly, their arrival and stay depend on weather and availabilty of open water and food.
Several hunters claim that few outdoor experiences can compare with being at the center of a swirling-vortex of several thousand squawking snow geese settling into a decoy spread.
Here are a few tips to improve your odds hunting snow geese:
1. Drive back roads to locate fields where snow geese are feeding. Scouting where the geese want to be is the key to success.
2. Snow geese usually return to a field until the food is exhausted.
3. Hide all signs of human activity, including tire tracks and any other non-natural items.
4. Park vehicles at least a half mile away.
5. Set out a minimum of 300-500 full body decoys.
6. Wear camouflage or white if snow covers the ground.
7. Electronic calls will work on large groups of snow geese, while often a mouth call can be used for single birds or isolated pairs.
8. For maximum shooting opportunity, wait until the birds are in front of the blinds. Snow geese may circle many times before they are in gun range. These birds are also known for leaving a decoy spread for no reason at all.
9. Focus on one bird at a time.
10. Take your first shots at birds that are at the fringe of your effective range, then work your way back through closer birds.
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We have captured great photos of many deer at Rolling Plains Adventures. The above photo was taken the end of 2012 and we continue to get amazing photos of huge deer that survived this season.
The deer at Rolling Plains Adventures will begin to lose their antlers very soon and we will continue to be out in the fields searching for them. Typically, late winter into early spring are the ideal times to start looking for shed antlers.
If you are heading out searching as well, here are a few tips to keep in mind:
1. Don't hunt too early. If you bump a one-antlered monster, it's not likely you'll find both sheds in that area.
2. Glass winter-feedings areas where deer congregate (i.e. corn, soybean, and hay lots) every few days until you see few, if any, bucks with antlers. Then start looking.
3. Hang digital cameras around feeding areas. Once the bucks in your images go antlerless, start hunting!
4. Check trails that enter and exit a feed field. Bucks often walk only 100 to 300 yards and then lie down out of the wind on the first east or south facing hillside. You might find sheds on or just off a trail or along the bedding slope.
5. Rainy days are great - sheds shine and catch your eye. Bones can be tough to spot in brown grass lit with sunlight.
6. The biggest mistake people make is to wander around, looking too far out front and all over. Mark off small grids of land, walk slowly over each and look straight down at the ground for sheds.
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Our guides at Rolling Plains Adventures work very hard to retrieve all game. This video highlights one of our guides, Jay, working hard in action! Will he accomplish his mission?
Watch and see the outcome!
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The Blind:
The North Dakota Game and Fish Department's annual midwinter waterfowl survey in early January indicated 159,000 birds were still hanging around the state. In summary, a total of 127,000 Canada geese and 31,700 mallards were tallied statewide.
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The Stand:
Recently we went scouting and counted around 1,000 deer within 5 square miles. We were very impressed by the amount of mature bucks that had made it through the hunting season. We saw the big 9 that is roughly a 170" buck, as well as the big 10 with the split brow. We also saw over 50 bucks that were 135" plus in size.
Right before dark, we watched a big 10 (160s) and a big 8 (150s) that were still aggressive towards each other. It seemed they were still chasing does. We were hoping to find some sheds, but it looks like they were still attached. This is a a sign of healthy deer herds.
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In the Field:
We have had another mild winter at Rolling Plains Adventures. The pheasant population is very healthy and strong. Last year the pheasant population was up 59% statewide and if we have another ideal nesting season, this year's brood counts should be higher than last year.
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