North Dakota praire

[KJS - ND]

Decided to share some pictures of the habitat work I've undertaken.

Property is outlined in red - two tracts separated by 1 quarter.

West property is 560 acres - all pasture - 550 acres used as pasture each year. I fenced off about 5 acres in NW quarter (the big ravine) and 2 acres in the NE corner. Have a couple permanent blinds for rifle hunting.

East property is 316 acres - approximately 200 is fillable and rented to a local farmer and remainder was pasture, but fence was bad so no cattle the last 5 years.

 

[KJS - ND]

I will post a few pictures of deer we have taken/photographed over the years. These are obviously the exception - not the normal.

My best to date - 5x6 - approximately 150".

Buddy shot him during rifle season - looked better on film. 6x7 - 135".

I got this deer in November - 6x7 - 142". I do like the picture of the deer/sunset.

Tall 5x5 w/ exceptional brow tines - only had pic's two times - he was shot a couple miles away - scored 170 something.

Another great deer I got pic's of only a couple times - never heard if it was ever taken.

Again, these deer are not the 'norm' and it seems like the more habitat work I do the less and less good deer I see. Could be result of too much human activity (although I've been really only focused on the East property) or maybe winters in ND or maybe just a coincidence. As with most of you, I think I enjoy the habitat work almost as much or more than hunting so not planning on changing that - eventually it (or I) will slow and have less activity on the property.

I've also stopped using the feeders and haven't used cameras the last couple years for various reasons. Which could also be why less pic's of good deer as several above were only caught at night a couple times and were not resident deer - so I'm not getting those deer sightings at the moment.

 

[KJS - ND]

I only have a couple of habitat pictures on my phone at the moment - I'll have to take more next time I visit. The property is about 75 miles away so I get out as often as I can, but not as often as I'd like.

Last year was the first time the largest oak tree I planted had a couple acorns.

Similar on a crabapple tree with first fruit.

Although the production was small (about 3 acorns and couple dozen crabapples), it was nice to see some trees getting doing what we plant them to do.

More pic's to follow - thanks for checking it out.

 

[Drycreek]

KJS, what part of ND ? My wife is from a little town west of Fargo. Her family were farmers. I spent a year in Williston inspecting on a pipeline gathering system in '81/'82 and that's where we met. I love the western part of ND, and although I didn't get to hunt while I was there, (working seven days a week), I did see quite a few deer. I saw the widest whitetail I've ever seen just across the line in MT, in the Breaks north of the Missouri River. Great country !

I dealt with several different landowners during that year and they were all great people. If it weren't for the winters I wouldn't mind living there.

Looks like you have some nice deer on your properties also. Like you, I enjoy the nurturing aspect of the property about as much as the hunting, but as my place is all woods, mine is limited to TSI and food plots. Good luck on your journey !

 

[KJS - ND]

Thanks - property is in central ND - northeast of Bismarck.

Quite the variance from Fargo’s flat as a pancake to western ND badlands you experienced.

I do love hunting mule deer in badlands but tags are too tough to draw and missing a season on property would be tough also.

 

[THE LLC]

I LOVE High Plains deer hunting!! Do what we've done in Nebraska and plant red willow cuttings in the wetter draws and get some cover in them areas. Amazing how many deer can hide in an acre of red willows---and how many of them will be whopper bucks. Throw in a few cottonwood or hybrid poplar cuttings, too.

 

[MarkDarvin]

I met a guy up in Minot once. He showed me the bucks he took somewhere north of town, and every single deer he had was enormous, like 170+. He wouldn't even raise his binoculars for anything under 150. There is something about the Dakotas.

 

[Mennoniteman]

I met a guy up in Minot once. He showed me the bucks he took somewhere north of town, and every single deer he had was enormous, like 170+. He wouldn't even raise his binoculars for anything under 150. There is something about the Dakotas.

North Dakota isn't in the top 20 Boone&Crockett, which would be one way of measuring how big the deer are there. Do you think that this low ranking is because the hunting pressure and hunters per sq mile is so low, that even though it's a good place for a big buck, it's just not hunted hard enough? Also, they have a lot of wide open country that isn't whitetail habitat, would this lower the deer per sq mile numbers, even if the deer per sq mile is high in the thicker pockets where whitetails are found? South Dakota is around #16 Boone&Crockett, and these states are very close to Wisconsin, which is number one. Just trying to figure out the dynamics of deer in the region.

 

[dogghr]

Have rode most of ND on the harley. Never hunted but certainly saw some wide racked deer in that country. Great place and people. . Looking forward to your thread.

 

[THE LLC]

North Dakota isn't in the top 20 Boone&Crockett, which would be one way of measuring how big the deer are there. Do you think that this low ranking is because the hunting pressure and hunters per sq mile is so low, that even though it's a good place for a big buck, it's just not hunted hard enough? Also, they have a lot of wide open country that isn't whitetail habitat, would this lower the deer per sq mile numbers, even if the deer per sq mile is high in the thicker pockets where whitetails are found? South Dakota is around #16 Boone&Crockett, and these states are very close to Wisconsin, which is number one. Just trying to figure out the dynamics of deer in the region.

Low deer density and almost impossible to get rifle tags. Right under Saskatchewan so you know the genetics are there. Lot of deer in those wide open spaces, just tough to get close to them with a stick.

 

[KJS - ND]

I don't think red willows will grow this far north? Map says I'm zone 4, but right on the border, so I usually only plant trees that are zone 3 adaptable. I have been planting red dogwood osier - which I assume is similar and the deer have been loving that so far.

As far as why ND isn't higher on the Booner list, I would guess it has to do w/ a couple of things:
1) Harsh winters - brutally cold and occasionally a lot of snow (100+ inches) - Canada also has this, but is more 'forested' where deer can find better wintering grounds. In most areas of ND, trees are pretty sparse - deer can group up around a cattle yard if they are lucky. Deer coming through the rut in tough shape are in big trouble to make it till spring if winter is tougher than typical.
2) Pretty aggressive rifle season (16.5 days) which runs directly with the rut - starts early November through Thanksgiving approximately. In many parts of ND there are roads every mile or so - if someone sees a deer in the middle of a section (remember the no trees from #1), they can often chase it down with a pickup and potentially get some shooting.

Between the weather and rifle season, deer have a tough time reach 4.5 or 5.5 years old.

I believe it will improve as more people make habitat improvements a priority and deer hunting has really changed over my lifetime even from everyone doing deer drives where it is really tough to know how big the deer is you're poking at to way more reliance on tower blinds and such - more 1.5 and 2.5 year old deer should be surviving.

 

[THE LLC]

I don't think red willows will grow this far north? Map says I'm zone 4, but right on the border, so I usually only plant trees that are zone 3 adaptable. I have been planting red dogwood osier - which I assume is similar and the deer have been loving that so far.

Not sure. I know northwest Nebraska (12 miles south of the South Dakota border) gets pretty dang rotten. Heck, they had 10" of snow yesterday.

 

[KJS - ND]

Old spring fed dugout

"Ducks on the pond" - they don't call it the Prairie Pothole / Duck Factory for nothing. Several of these small seasonal wetlands on property - most will be completely dry by August. You can make out a couple puddle ducks out enjoying the day - didn't seem to be too worried about me.

 

[KJS - ND]

A few pic's of some apple trees.



This is the tree from above which had a few apples last year - looks like has flowers again this year. As you can see by the tilt of the tree - it was windy the day I took the pic's (it's always windy in ND).


Another tree leaning with the wind.

Apple trees have been a learning process like most things I do. Either crabapples from Lincoln Oaks Nursey or grafted trees from Saint Lawrence Nursery. Trees grew great in 5' tree tubes, but once tubes were removed - pretty weak and had problems with rubbing on the top of the cage. Tried wire to keep from rubbing and had a few trees break off because of wind. Tried garden hose around the top of the cage - better but not great. Now have garden hose wrapped around a section of the trunk - hopefully this is the winning idea.

Planted probably two dozen split between 3 spots - a few are doing well as in the pic's. A few have died back and are re-growing (not sure if above or below graft - I don't care at this point as I'll leave them anyhow). A few have kicked the bucket. If I can get 3 or 4 established in each spot that would be enough for now. I can always add a few in later years if needed.

 

[KJS - ND]

Plum planted in 2018.


Elderberry planted in 2018.

More trial and error on shrub plantings. First couple years, I'd plant and tube and leave. Come the next spring many of the plants would have to start re-growing completely from the roots. I think the tubes kept the tree too snug and they apparently didn't watch GOT and realize that "Winter is coming" - so that idea cost me a couple years to figure out.

I now plant, tube, spray, mulch in the spring. Then at end of August or early September, I will spray again, then remove the tubes and cage them - cages aren't that large and I'm sure deer can still nip the plant, but I think that will be OK.

This seems be work - keeping fingers crossed. Then the next spring I can plant a couple eastern red cedar plugs in the sprayed area, close to the cage (you can just barely see the 2019 plugs in the pic's above). Thinking here is that maybe the cage will prevent the bucks from rubbing the ERC - which has also been a problem. I know they will be close to the shrub's, but I'm hoping the end result is OK - I'll let you know in 10 years hopefully.

 

[KJS - ND]

Here is a pic of the 2019 planting - Russian olives, plums, and hedge roses were this years plantings. Has been planted and tubed - hopefully out this weekend to water, spray and mulch. Then start adding the cages so I can take the tubes off come this fall. I also added a rubbing post to several areas - time will tell if that was worth the sweat equity - cost was $1 worth of Quikrete as I just had to dig them up and move them to where I wanted them.


Here is another post I added - it took over a spot where a tree from the prior year planting had croaked which is why sprayed around. As you can see I didn't get it sunk back to the original depth, but I'm sure that won't matter. They were pretty big posts, but the deer were defiantly using them a little and they also had a bunch of nails sticking out which I removed. Now that they are in a 'better' spot w/ the nails out I'm curious to see if they start getting worked again. I can always add a licking branch later if wanted.

Old tower blind in the background which is no longer used.

 

[THE LLC]

Any wind under 50 mph is "light and variable" on the Plains.

 

[KJS - ND]

The five windiest states are-

1. Nebraska
2. Kansas
3. South Dakota
4. North Dakota
5. Iowa

I guess I could live in an even windier state - not many but possible.

 

[THE LLC]

Nebraska is by far #1. I have clocked 60 mph gusts out the window of my box stand on my Kestrel more times than I care to count. Folks have no concept of 60 mph gusts.

 

[Drycreek]

I would have thought WY would have made the windy list. I guess that was just when I was there

Speaking of Prairie Potholes, as a former quack addict, I was amazed at the number of ducks seen on my drive from Fargo to Dickinson just from the highway. Thousands and thousands ! Some of those larger pothole lakes were simply covered up in ducks. This thread is making me nostalgic for ND, and then I remember the two months that it never got above ten degrees and all the mornings that I cranked my Bronco in minus twenty some degrees. Brrrr !