A Great Day Coyote Hunting!

It was a great day to be out in the field coyote hunting.  The weather was perfect, only 6-8 mph winds and a nice 30-40 degree day.  Our first sit, we had 2 coyotes come in after about 24 minutes of calling.  They held back at around 400 yards, until the large male decided to come right in.  We let it get in to about 75 yards, before Adam released the trigger on his .204 caliber rifle.  He smoked him in the first shot!  Mike then shot at the other one at 400 yards, but was just shy of hitting it.

We did several more set-ups throughout the day and seen plenty of coyotes.  Many of the coyotes weren't interested in coming in, or something seemed to have spooked them.  It was fun watching them from a distance pouncing on mice or chasing around.  Most of the coyotes were most interested in our rodent in distress call, which we were using a Jack in the box decoy as well.  Otherwise, they seemed to respond well with a pup in distress or Coyote challenge call.

Deer update at Rolling Plains Adventures

The white-tailed deer are slowly starting to drop their antlers.  We are starting to see several bucks with only one antler on their head now.  It will not be long before we hit the fields again in search of these sheds.  Typically most of the bucks will lose their racks by February, but we have seen them carrying them all the way into March or April. 

Hunting Pheasants during the late season

Three weeks left of pheasant season this year and the birds are everywhere.  They have grouped up and are holding tight.  So far this winter, the weather has been very pleasant.  There currently is no snow, plenty of feed, and more then enough cover to hide in.  If you are looking to find large numbers of pheasants in the field, you can't beat a late season hunt!

Mossy Oak's "Deer Thugs" visits Rolling Plains Adventures.

Mossy Oak Productions visited Rolling Plains Adventures last week to film a bow hunting episode for their TV show "Deer Thugs."  The crew rolled in to film the outfitter "Jeremy Doan" and one of their hunters "Jimmy Riley." 

The Hunt was set up for 6 evening hunts and 5 morning hunts.  The first evening sit, Jimmy was the only hunter on stand due to one of the camera man not making his flight on time.  Jeremy just scouted this night, but did manage to film the deer that came by while scouting.  Here is an image of one of the bucks Jeremy filmed that came in to about 10 yards of the truck!

Day 2 started with a morning hunt with only seeing a few does.  Later on that day, Jeremy got into his stand with camera man Joe at around 4:30 PM.  It started slow, but picked up real fast when a small buck appeared at 150 yards around 6:45 PM.  About 5 minutes passed when another buck appeared in the brush with him.  Then another buck!  The bucks started to beeline straight for us from 150 yards.  The one leading the group was a 5 1/2 year old mature 10 point followed by about a 4 1/2 8 point with matching stickers of the G2's.  The 10 point slowly made his way in to about 17 yards.  Jeremy drew back his PSE Pro bow and made a perfect shot through the lungs.  The deer ran about 70 yards and it was all over.  The buck scored close to 150"s. 

Day 3, 4, and 5 seemed to blur together.  Seen plenty of shooter bucks, but all just out of range. 

Day 6, the final day of the hunt.  It is now the last hunt of the trip, so planning is very crucial.   Jeremy checked all of the deer cameras that afternoon and placed Jimmy in a stand that had one buck coming in 2 nights in a row between 8:45 and 8:20.  Camera shooting light is over at about 8:20, but this was the best chance we had.  Jimmy had been sitting in the stand for a couple hours when the buck appeared at 8:15 PM.  He came in early!  The deer walked by the stand at about 15 yards when Jimmy let his arrow fly.  The deer ran about 75 yards into the most dense crop cover on the ranch.  The buck was recovered shortly after and was a perfect 10 point. 

These were 2 filmed hunts, so be on the lookout next summer for Rolling Plains Adventures episode on Mossy Oak's "Deer Thugs."

2014 Small Game and Furbearer Regulations Set

 

North Dakota’s 2014 small game and furbearer regulations are set and most season structures are similar to last year.
One change for this year is that trappers using cable devices (snares) must now register with the State Game and Fish Department prior to trapping (online registration will be available on this website mid-October).
Prairie chicken and sage grouse seasons will remain closed due to low populations.
Only North Dakota residents are permitted to hunt waterfowl from Sept. 27 – Oct. 3. Nonresidents are allowed to hunt waterfowl in North Dakota beginning Oct. 4. Other waterfowl season details will be finalized in mid-August in the waterfowl amendment to the small game and furbearer proclamation.
In accordance with state law, nonresidents are not allowed to hunt on Game and Fish Department wildlife management areas or conservation PLOTS (Private Land Open To Sportsmen) areas from Oct. 11-17.
Hunters may notice an increase in license fees, which were established and set by the 2013 state legislature. The general game and habitat license is $20, the resident small game license – required for ages 16 and older – is $10, the resident furbearer license – required for ages 16 and older – is $15, and the resident combination license, which includes general game and habitat, small game, furbearer and fishing, is $50.
In addition, the nonresident small game license, and the nonresident zoned waterfowl license, increased to $100. The nonresident statewide waterfowl license is $150.
Hunters should refer to the North Dakota 2014-15 Small Game and Furbearer guides (available mid-August) for more details on small game and furbearer seasons. Waterfowl regulations will be available in early September.

Species	Opens	Closes	Daily Limit	Poss Limit
Crows (fall)	Aug. 9	Oct. 26	No limit	No limit
Early Canada Goose	Aug. 15	Sept. 15 (Sept. 7 Missouri River Zone)	15	45
Mountain lion zone 1 early (zone quota 14)	Aug. 29	Nov. 23 (or when zone quota is reached)	Season limit of 1 per hunter
Mountain lion zone 1 late (zone quota 7)	Nov. 24	March 31 (or when zone quota is reached)	Season limit of 1 per hunter
Mountain lion zone 2	Aug. 29	March 31	Season limit of 1 per hunter
Doves	Sept. 1	Nov. 9	15	45
Hungarian partridge	Sept. 13	Jan. 4	3	12
Sharp-tailed grouse	Sept. 13	Jan. 4	3	12
Ruffed grouse	Sept. 13	Jan. 4	3	12
Tree squirrels	Sept. 13	Jan. 4	4	12
Sandhill crane unit 1	Sept. 20	Nov. 16	3	9
Sandhill crane unit 2	Sept. 20	Nov. 16	2	6
Snipe	Sept. 20	Dec. 7	8	24
Woodcock	Sept. 27	Nov. 10	3	9
Tundra swan	Oct. 4	Jan. 4	Season limit of 1 per hunter
Pheasants	Oct. 11	Jan. 4	3	12
Weasel trapping	Oct. 25	March 15
Mink, Muskrat trapping	Oct. 25	April 30
Fisher trapping	Nov. 24	Nov. 30	Season limit of 1 per trapper

 

Spring Breeding Duck Numbers Tallied

 

The North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s annual spring breeding duck survey conducted in May showed an index of 4.9 million birds, up 23 percent from last year and 110 percent above the long-term average (1948-2013).
Mike Szymanski, waterfowl biologist, said all species increased from their 2013 estimates, except canvasbacks (down 7.9 percent, but still 41 percent above long-term) and ruddy ducks (down 1.2 percent). Redheads (+64 percent), green-winged teal (+42 percent), blue-winged teal (+34 percent), wigeon (+33 percent) and scaup (+28 percent) showed the largest increases. Mallards and blue-wings were the most abundant ducks on the survey, combining for 48 percent of the total.
“Some of the later nesting dabbling duck species, such as blue-wings and shovelers, were just settling into breeding areas so their counts may have been biased slightly high this year, simply because of a cold spring and their migration lagging behind other birds,” Szymanski said. “Mallards, an early nesting species, were well into nesting and settled on breeding areas. Diving ducks pushed through the state well ahead of the survey, so we feel good about those numbers.”
Duck numbers during the last two decades are the highest since survey records began in 1948. Szymanski said abundant water and good nesting cover have kept breeding duck numbers high. “It’s pretty amazing to see the top 20 breeding duck indices have all come in the past 20 years,” he added. “We had Conservation Reserve Program acres on the landscape, and then water came in a big way. It’s safe to say we are still riding abundant populations stemming from near perfect conditions. It’s hard to say how they will fair in the future now that a large portion of their nesting cover has disappeared through CRP expirations.”
The spring water index increased 110 percent from 2013. The water index is based on basins with water, and does not necessarily represent the amount of water contained in wetlands or the type of wetlands represented.
“This year’s water index was strongly influenced by small ephemeral waters and an abundance of ditches with water,” Szymanski said. “Water conditions were good in most wetlands that ducks will use for brood rearing.”
Szymanski said water was more abundant in the northwest and northeast portions of the state. In addition, he said western North Dakota was wetter than average.
“Breeding conditions on the prairies can always change in a hurry,” Szymanski said. “Last year, conditions were looking OK when we conducted the survey, but there was some question as to whether it would dry out prior to brood rearing. Then several inches of rain fell and wetlands used for brood rearing improved. This year, conditions are looking better in those wetlands, but a hot and dry spell could change that.”
The loss of CRP acres was evident during the survey, Szymanski said, as large stretches of land conversion to cropland were obvious. “The loss of grass will hurt production of ducks and other grassland nesting birds,” he added. “However, the recent overly wet conditions are helping bridge the gap a little bit for ducks.”
Szymanski said having a lot of pairs present in May is a good thing. However, the July brood survey will provide a better idea of duck production and insight into expectations for this fall.

Rolling Plains Adventures - New Ranch Addition

 

Taking you on a short tour of a new addition to Rolling Plains Adventures.  This new land adds so much habitat to hunt on for deer, pheasants, coyotes, and waterfowl.  This is some of the most scenic grounds to hunt on.