Need a place to hunt

[Gunslinger]

Gents,
Need your help.  I've been hunting Mule Deer via Archery in Northwest North Dakota the last 5 years.  I got a Christmas card from my outfitter this last week where he advised that he was getting out of the business due to lions, disease and oil rig traffic.  I called a couple of other outfitters and they said the same thing.  Hemmoragic fever is killing the whitetails in droves and the lions are killing the Mule Deer at the rate of one deer per week per lion.

I'm looking for a place to hunt Mule deer this fall, wondering if anybody has a line on an outfitter.  Doesn't matter which state, I'm not afraid to drive for a good hunt, but I'm kind of frugal.

Thanks

[Tumbleweed]

What a shame about the oil rig traffic. I think I can deal with the lions - don't know much about the fever though. We hunted the area west of Grand Junction a lot since my folks lived there. My uncle also lived in Whitewater and hunting was always pretty good. Don't hunt anymore but I may give it a go again. Never did any bow hunting heck it was hard enough for me to get a good shot off. Have to admire you guys with the bows. We had a guy in Texas earlier this year had to kill his herd of (raised) deer due to a suspected infected deer. After they shot them all and did the blood test none of the deer had any signs.

[Carls_jeep]

Lions, you have lions in North Dakota? Your kidding, right? Just carry a big caliber gun and if they are in season bag one. Aside from that why do you need an outfitter to hunt? Can't you get permission from a Ranch owner or maybe hook up with another hunting group? Why can't you hunt the same areas you have without an outfitter?

I'm sure the "lion" thing is some local term for something I know nothing of.

[aboyandhisdog]

There are mountain lions throughout the midwest.  Every year in Iowa lions are hit by cars or shot by some nimrod who thought it was a deer.

[Gunslinger]

Oh, the lions are real, I talked to one guy who just quit the business, he was walking last weekend on his ranch and saw tracks (fresh snow) from 9 differnt lions.  He also got 35 pictures of lions on his trail cameras this past fall.  According to the Dept of Game and Fish, lions will kill 1 deer per week per lion, so 26 per year.  Add that up and it gets pretty interesting.

In ND they only allow 14 tags per year for lions, must be a resident, if a non resident kills one they better have scratches on them or they're headed for the hoosegow.  

Carl, as far as the outfitter goes, it makes the hunt a bit more productive as he will scout ahead for you and put you on the animals quicker, and provide lodging.  The guy we hunted with last year said we can hunt his land for free this year and I may still do that, problem is that the state is going to cut back on tags, and if there are no deer, why go?

[Carls_jeep]

  sorry, I forgot about mountain lions. Yes, I guess they could be a problem and if they are killing off the deer it's a bigger issue. Don't give up, at some point they will be wanting to thin out the lions when the ranchers and hunters start complaining enough.

[p3ferris]

The mt. lions were introduced here in Norfolk ne. area, but the game wardens denied it for several years untill people started killing them and had pictures of them. �I have seen one, although it was little at the time, pass in front of me with in 30 feet. �I could not believe what I saw so I went to look at the paw prints, [winter time]. �They are big at that age for such a little guy. �There are a lot of mule deer south of Atkinson Ne. A lot of ranchers are willing to let people hunt usually IF and I say IF you will knock at their door first before hunting. I hate hunting mule deer as they run like La Pew the skunk on cartoons.  Also CLOSE the gates as you travel through them and have a cumpass.  You will get lost without one.