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Success in North Dakota
By Joe Horton, Field Expert - ND
There was no way I was going to miss opening weekend for rifle in North Dakota - a day I had been looking forward too all year long. I have been hunting this property for about 18 years. The area is called the Missouri River Breaks and the terrain is similar to the Badlands, but has more wooded cover in the draws and bottoms. This property is home to both mule deer and whitetail deer and this year I held the first whitetail buck tag I've had in a number of years. I usually hunt muleys during rifle season. This season was unseasonably warm and the deer movement was limited until just before sunset.
I set up on a razor ridge overlooking a huge bottom with wooded finger draws running up to the flat prairie. The whitetail rut was just kicking in and I watched a small muley buck chase does below me for about 20 minutes. This little muley stepped out on a small open knob and I ranged him at 184 yards. They finally worked their way out of sight. A short time later, I happened to look over to my left along the ridge and caught movement. It was another small muley buck by himself working his way down the trail. He came within 50 yards of me when he heard me reposition in the dry grass. Just at that time I looked back down in the bottom and saw a deer standing on the open knob where I had just ranged the previous muley. The sun had just set behind the ridge and it was getting dark quickly. I had just enough time to pick him up in the binoculars, determine if he was a whitetail or muley and whether or not to shoot. Once he turned his head and I could see his rack, I confirmed that he was a nice whitetail buck and decided to take him. My shot was a little low and he bolted and ran towards me, down one draw and up straight in front of me. I could hear him walking in the dry leaves, but could not see him. I finally picked him up with my binoculars as he was making his way up a trail through the trees. He stopped in a small opening, giving me a clear 100 yard shot. After my follow-up shot, I made my way over to him to make sure he was down for good. I worked my way out to go get some help and met up with my hunting partners. We drove back out to the area and made our way down the trail so I could get him taken care of and get him out of the woods. As I was field dressing him, a rooster pheasant flew in and landed about 10 yards from us…..in the dark. He made a heck of a racket and why he was flying around at night, I'll never know. We shined the flashlight on him and he just looked confused and wandered off. It seems like there is always something a little extra to add to the days hunt.
Hunting this area of North Dakota is truly exciting and every hunt becomes a great memory. The unique habitat that blends Western prairies with classic Midwestern river bottoms makes a perfect setting for mule deer, whitetail deer, and a variety of other game animals. This buck and this hunt just add to my memories of hunting in this beautiful North Dakota country.
Joe Horton
RutWear Field Expert, North Dakota
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