Out of state trips

[Forks]

Who's heading out of state for birds this fall?

[Old Dog]

I'm headed to So Dak the first of November.  I stay in the town of Miller, and hunt public property in about a 100 mile circle.  Lots of birds, and loads of fun.   

[joe_dumy]

A good friend of mine just moved to Glendive Montana. I will be trying to figure out the hunting around there and do a once a year trip.

[jackson7]

usually hit Idaho once each season.

[shootem]

Birds were way down last year in South Dakota. I am still going to go this year but caution anyone who doesn't know where too go that it may be a bust. Keep an eye on the nesting reports.

[acorn]

Hoping to keep up my annual eastern Montana bird/deer trip (around Valier). Might be a bit of a stretch this year, in terms of time, but we'll see. Having babies cuts in the hunting season vacation allotment.

[huntingfool7]

Birds were way down last year in South Dakota. I am still going to go this year but caution anyone who doesn't know where too go that it may be a bust. Keep an eye on the nesting reports.

A bad year in the Dakotas is better than a good year in Washington.

[shootem]

Yep! By far.

[wildweeds]

Yup what he said!,It's not so much the nesting reports,it's the per mile bird count on towards the end of summer that counts.I've never been to South Dakota and had what I'd call a bad trip.We went a few years ago and the per mile bird count was 5 which is not good for there,I had zero problem getting all my birds and lot's of dog work. This year I'm doing a double ,Montana for sharpies and So Dak for Roosters,most likely will NOT buy a WA license.I've got 3 weeks vacation,I'll call that good enough in far away lands that treat traveling hunters well and actually value the game they manage.

Birds were way down last year in South Dakota. I am still going to go this year but caution anyone who doesn't know where too go that it may be a bust. Keep an eye on the nesting reports.

A bad year in the Dakotas is better than a good year in Washington.

[Fishnfowler]

I've got a couple of Idaho trips planned for chukar.

[fethrduster]

There's no way I'd go all the way to SD just to shoot a few roosters, when I can do that 20 minutes from my house in Tacoma.   Washington has roosters, chukars, huns, quail, ruffed and blue grouse and doves and turkeys.   The grass isn't always greener, unless you're talking about chukars, and then Idaho and Oregon have Washington beat, definitely. 

[bobcat]

20 minutes from Tacoma?   

Not wild birds.

[jackelope]

Please expand on the great pheasant hunting 20 minutes from Tacoma.

[huntingfool7]

Has to be talking about pheasant release sites on Fort Lewis, 20 minutes out of Tacoma.
I'm sorry Featherduster.  While I'm all for release sites, the grass is greener out of state.  A lot greener. 

BTW- good looking pup!

[JODakota]

There's no way I'd go all the way to SD just to shoot a few roosters, when I can do that 20 minutes from my house in Tacoma.   Washington has roosters, chukars, huns, quail, ruffed and blue grouse and doves and turkeys.   The grass isn't always greener, unless you're talking about chukars, and then Idaho and Oregon have Washington beat, definitely.

Haha a few roosters? That's what wa state holds altogether. I literally see fields on a regular basis with 500 plus ring necks here in ND. It's pretty immaculate bird hunting, not to mention sharp tails, woodcock, ruffed grouse and Huns.

[wildweeds]

You will never see a 300+ bird eruption from a five acre corn patch 20 minutes from Tacoma,You'll also not see that anywhere in eastern washington either.I've seen it multiple times in South Dakota,even with a huge mass exodus there are still birds o plenty that hold still for points.

[fethrduster]

I've had this conversation with a friend of mine who goes there.  No, of course you won't see that many roosters in WA.   But at the end of the day, it's still a fairly one dimensional experience.  Now if you threw in some huns and quail into the mix to add some variety, that would be a different story altogether.  I've shot gazillions of wild roosters, and obviously that is a different and better experience than release site birds, but in my opinion it's not so amazingly different that I'd drive all the way to SD for it.   I regularly hunt central WA and the Palouse for wild birds, and while I don't see 15-300 birds in a field, I see quite a few, with the added experience of quail, huns, and sometimes even chukars thrown into the mix.

[270Shooter]

You will never see a 300+ bird eruption from a five acre corn patch 20 minutes from Tacoma,You'll also not see that anywhere in eastern washington either.I've seen it multiple times in South Dakota,even with a huge mass exodus there are still birds o plenty that hold still for points.

a few years ago a buddy and I walked a small sage brush knob surrounded by corn fields with 4 inches of snow on the ground and we estimated that about 150-200 birds came out of that one little patch, I'd never seen anything like it. This was on the Yakama reservation.

[boneaddict]

I am contemplating a snowcock hunt in the Ruby mountains/Nevada.   Not real high on this years list, but it is on the list.

[fethrduster]

I am contemplating a snowcock hunt in the Ruby mountains/Nevada.   Not real high on this years list, but it is on the list.

Wow.  Now THAT would something for the bucket list.   

[eastsidemallard74]

Just got back from nd,awesome trip

[HUNTINCOUPLE]

Nice birds! I'd like to see someone post a pic of half the birds there from Washington? Won't happen...

[Yelper Guy]

Bone, excuse my ignorance but what is a "snowcock"?

[cipryan]

there is a sharpie eruption this year around here.  be hard to go anywhere else.

[merkelman]

My close friends shot 23 roosters opening weekend south of Moses
Lake, ALL WILD BIRDS AND PUBLIC LANDS..all where ya know and go!  I agree with Featherduster, pheasants are one dimensional!  Most guys will not put in the 5-6 hours of humping the hills for the Partridge! 

[wildweeds]

Hymiylain snowcock(spellins wrong) but they are from the hymilayya's and are know as the MT goats of the bird world,cool looking birds that live way way high altitude wise and are like chukars on steroids.

Bone, excuse my ignorance but what is a "snowcock"?

[ribka]

I am contemplating a snowcock hunt in the Ruby mountains/Nevada.   Not real high on this years list, but it is on the list.

the snow cock is on my to do list next year

[acorn]

I am contemplating a snowcock hunt in the Ruby mountains/Nevada.   Not real high on this years list, but it is on the list.

Definitely on my lifetime bucket list. Not going to happen any time soon but it's going to happen. Bone, you might be interested in reading this short picture heavy story on a recent snowcock hunt, I'm a huge fan of the author, he also runs a superb blog.

http://www.filson.com/filson-life/2014/10/snowcock-hunting-larry-mckurtis/

http://red-legged-devils.com/

[coyote_out]

Good read, will have to follow this guys blog! Thanks for sharing!

[Forks]

Just got home from a 2 week  NE MT/ND upland adventure. You will find nothing more challenging than trying to pin a covey of sharp tail this time of year. Huns were also plentiful in certain spots. If you stay away from the silly bird farming that most hunt, the hunting is East WA times a bazillion. It would take a couple years to get the type of experience for a young dog in WA that can be achieved in weeks if you head a little further east.

[Pueblo]

I am contemplating a snowcock hunt in the Ruby mountains/Nevada.   Not real high on this years list, but it is on the list.

As I was hiking into the Rubies in September for a 2nd try at deer I ran into a guy from the Puget sound area who was up there to hunt them.  It was odd to see a guy with a huge backpack and a (huge) shotgun instead of a bow or rifle...not a common combination!  He had seen none but had collected a grouse.  He was hunting too far south for good numbers of snow cocks.  He told me that he was heading to another area at the head of Lamoille Canyon that is more in the heart of the Snow Cock range. Maybe he's on this board(?) and could share his experience.  In 3 weeks of hunting there over two years I have never seen one.

[fethrduster]

Fantastic blog, thanks for sharing it!  That Himalayan snowcock hunt sounds amazing.  Hmmm....