Scouting the ND Badlands

[Boxerboxer]

First off, I just drew the ND non-res any deer tag and I'm extremely excited! This will be my first multi-day trip, first non-whitetail big game hunt, and first out of state hunt.

We plan to camp just off the road somewhere in the Little Missouri National Grassland either the last week of September or first week of October. I plan to get out beforehand to do some scouting, but I'm wondering if anyone who has hunted the area before can offer advice on what to look for on Google Earth before I go. I have an OnX subscription, so I have that covered, but when I look at that country it all kinda looks the same. I do have Robby's book and am reading and re-reading, but he doesn't talk much about badlands-type habitat.

Here's what I think I should probably be doing, but let me know your thoughts:
1. There's nowhere super far from the roads, and with OnX, the spots that ARE far from the roads are probably not going to be totally pressure free, especially after the weather cools off a bit.
2. It's still going to be plenty warm, so I imagine I'll be trying to get a good view of North facing slopes, and nearby water is probably a good thing (this would probably be more of an on-the-ground discovery, I imagine, I hear it's pretty dry).
3. It's probably a good idea to get away from large (for western ND) cities to escape pressure to a degree
4. I'll want to be somewhere high I can glass said north slopes and brushy areas that might have deer in 'em.
5. Watch out for rattlesnakes?

Some questions beyond just "does the above strategy sound more or less ok"?
1. Any tips I haven't covered at all?
2. Are there any particular types of badlands-specific habitat that seem to hold mature deer? I don't need to shoot a giant buck, and will probably put a stalk on most any legal buck, but I wouldn't hate it if I DID find a big one.
3. Is there a Robby of the badlands type terrain in ND/SD or somebody of that caliber that's written about that specific terrain?
4. Do you have a favorite time of year to hunt?
5. How far in advance does it make sense to do my scouting?

I'm open to any relevant info from guys that have done this hunt before

 

[MuleyFever]

https://www.amazon.com/Hunting-Open-Country-Mule-Dwight-Schuh/dp/0912299231

Don’t worry about what way the slopes face. Get up where you can see and glass.

 

[NDGuy]

You sound like you are far ahead and put forth more effort than most in your questions.

You have a good plan. Really watch out for private, some ranches are gigantic and don't have posters properly. Landowners out there will chew your ass and get the law involved if you are somewhere you shouldn't be.

-Stalks can be tough because there isn't a lot of trees until you get near the river.
-There's few and far between places you will find out there that you won't see people unless you are on private.
-There really isn't a lot of "high places" here lol more like you are at the top of a coulee
-Yes you will need to watch for snakes.

 

[Boxerboxer]

You sound like you are far ahead and put forth more effort than most in your questions.

You have a good plan. Really watch out for private, some ranches are gigantic and don't have posters properly. Landowners out there will chew your ass and get the law involved if you are somewhere you shouldn't be.

-Stalks can be tough because there isn't a lot of trees until you get near the river.
-There's few and far between places you will find out there that you won't see people unless you are on private.
-There really isn't a lot of "high places" here lol more like you are at the top of a coulee
-Yes you will need to watch for snakes.

I'm from Fargo area just on the wrong side of the river. 200ft is high as hell to me

Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk

 

[dirtytough]

First off, I just drew the ND non-res any deer tag and I'm extremely excited! This will be my first multi-day trip, first non-whitetail big game hunt, and first out of state hunt.

We plan to camp just off the road somewhere in the Little Missouri National Grassland either the last week of September or first week of October. I plan to get out beforehand to do some scouting, but I'm wondering if anyone who has hunted the area before can offer advice on what to look for on Google Earth before I go. I have an OnX subscription, so I have that covered, but when I look at that country it all kinda looks the same. I do have Robby's book and am reading and re-reading, but he doesn't talk much about badlands-type habitat.

Here's what I think I should probably be doing, but let me know your thoughts:
1. There's nowhere super far from the roads, and with OnX, the spots that ARE far from the roads are probably not going to be totally pressure free, especially after the weather cools off a bit.
2. It's still going to be plenty warm, so I imagine I'll be trying to get a good view of North facing slopes, and nearby water is probably a good thing (this would probably be more of an on-the-ground discovery, I imagine, I hear it's pretty dry).
3. It's probably a good idea to get away from large (for western ND) cities to escape pressure to a degree
4. I'll want to be somewhere high I can glass said north slopes and brushy areas that might have deer in 'em.
5. Watch out for rattlesnakes?

Some questions beyond just "does the above strategy sound more or less ok"?
1. Any tips I haven't covered at all?
2. Are there any particular types of badlands-specific habitat that seem to hold mature deer? I don't need to shoot a giant buck, and will probably put a stalk on most any legal buck, but I wouldn't hate it if I DID find a big one.
3. Is there a Robby of the badlands type terrain in ND/SD or somebody of that caliber that's written about that specific terrain?
4. Do you have a favorite time of year to hunt?
5. How far in advance does it make sense to do my scouting?

I'm open to any relevant info from guys that have done this hunt before

That's a good time of year to go. Opening week is getting extremely busy.

1. Yea sometimes its tough to get away from other hunters out here.
2. I wouldn't look for north facing slopes or water. I would look for deer. Sometimes there is water around that you have no clue is there. I have only seen mule deer come to water out here once.
3. Smart
4. Yep get up high. I wouldn't worry about the direction you are glassing. I would look for the places you can see the most area from. A deer can walk 5' in any direction out here and be on north, south, east, west, etc facing slopes. It is so rolling and cut up I personally haven't seen more deer on one face than another.
5. I've seen one in the grasslands and it was opening day of archery. I don't really worry about them.


1. Get the best glass you can.
4. September used to be my favorite. Now it is getting crowded. October the deer have been pushed around so much and holding more to the thick stuff. November it is fairly hard to catch up with a buck when its on the prowl, and if it already has a doe usually there are a lot of deer around to try and get close. December the deer are out all day a lot because its cold. The hard part is by then it has usually snowed and melted so it is crunchy. Or it is so cold the snow is squeaky.
5. I would go in July or August.

 

[dirtytough]

One other thing. In the past I downloaded an overlay from the NDGF for the GPS in my car. It had public, plots, and private. It made it really nice while driving around and learning different areas.

In ND you can walk section lines. So if it is checker boarded you can still hunt the public.

Also as of right now you can hunt private that isn't posted as long as it doesn't have standing crops. They are trying to change that right now so the rule might be different by hunting season.

 

[jasonhul]

Good input here. I hunted north of Medora last year in mid Oct. Only saw small bucks out during the day. The larger ones (still not big) were seen at dawn and dusk. I think the big ones will be in thick thick cover and not come out until rut. Watch some of the larger creek bottom flats as this is where I had good opportunity seeing and approaching them.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[NDGuy]

I would go in July or August.

Season opens end of August?

 

[Boxerboxer]

Season opens end of August?

8/30, yep.

Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk

 

[NDGuy]

8/30, yep.

That was more confusion lol the season does not open in July and opens at the very end of August or early September every year.

 

[Boxerboxer]

That was more confusion lol the season does not open in July and opens at the very end of August or early September every year.

That was in reference to "when to scout", not "when to hunt".

Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk

 

[dirtytough]

Yes that was in reference to his question about scouting. I should of clarified it better.

 

[NDGuy]

My bad!

 

[filthyskills]

Congrats, I just got the news I didn’t draw this year. Good advice from the others.

-lots of hunters opening weekend but I wouldn’t let that stop you from going
-try and scout a weekend in August if possible
-find several options in different areas so you can stay mobile and change spots of needed
-your goal while scouting should not only to find deer but to see their bedding areas
-my favorite times to hunt are early sep and late October
-don’t bother hunting during rifle season, if you don’t punch your tag by then wait until it’s over
-a lot of the badland country has very low deer numbers and the terrain is so complex a spot and stalk would be near impossible. Personally I like the areas that have a mixture of grassland/badland type terrain
-as far as digital scouting i like to look for private hay fields that have the terrain stated above directly adjacent to them
-if you don’t have deer bedded midday use your glass and focus on shaded areas(cuts in the flats or on hill sides). And look for antler tips

Hope this helps


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[ILoveBusch]

I would go ahead and buy the Forest Service Map, $14 well spent IMO. It might not be 100% up to date but its a good resource for sure. http://www.nationalforestmapstore.com/product-p/nd-2.htm

 

[ndhtr]

Make sure to download areas of interest on OnX beforehand so you can use it offline. Cell service can be very spotty in certain areas.

 

[BrentLaBere]

"In ND you can walk section lines. So if it is checker boarded you can still hunt the public."

Only thing I would add to this is: It depends on the section, they all arent clear which one they technically allow. I've ran into this with state land. There is a designated easement to access the land. Just something to be aware of. But you can access it, I just recommend researching the piece if you are set on hunting it.

 

[CAH]

"In ND you can walk section lines. So if it is checker boarded you can still hunt the public."

Only thing I would add to this is: It depends on the section, they all arent clear which one they technically allow. I've ran into this with state land. There is a designated easement to access the land. Just something to be aware of. But you can access it, I just recommend researching the piece if you are set on hunting it.

Also, make sure it is a section line and not a quarter line...

 

[Boxerboxer]

Thanks everybody for all the great info! Onoe more question regarding stalking:

What do you do to stay quiet? Drop boots and go in socks (or double socks)? Seems iffy with cactus. I have some vibram five fingers but not sure they offer adequate protection. My guess is it's probably often windy enough that dropping boots is not necessary, but I'm curious to hear from people who have gotten it done.

In the same vein, do you run kneepads? If so, which ones?

 

[OFFHNTN]

Thanks everybody for all the great info! Onoe more question regarding stalking:

What do you do to stay quiet? Drop boots and go in socks (or double socks)? Seems iffy with cactus. I have some vibram five fingers but not sure they offer adequate protection. My guess is it's probably often windy enough that dropping boots is not necessary, but I'm curious to hear from people who have gotten it done.

In the same vein, do you run kneepads? If so, which ones?

Yeh, staying quiet really depends on the day and the terrain. You are right, if it's windy you can get away with a lot. If not, then slooooooow dowwwwnnnnnn. I rarely take my boots off unless I am walking on leaves or such dry grass that it sounds like amplified potato chips. There usually is enough bare dirt to place your foot with a boot on and stay quiet, or I am crawling.
I've used knee pads before and loved them, but only because they were sewn into my pants.