Little Pend Oreille refuge a good place for beginner?

[jackelope]

i killed my 1st 2 birds off the refuge in the same day a few years back.
i have actually never run into anyone else in the woods out there....wierd i am sure, but true story.

[BLKBEARKLR]

3 years ago in that area had a nice bird talking to me, and about 5 minutes of talking back and forth I see this idiot on his hands and knees crawling by me at 40 yards. My decoys were about 15 feet to his left off a little shelf that I could see, he crawls up I in the mean time shift myself to the opposite side of the tree from the moron. He finally sees my decoys and starts lifting his shotgun up. I whistle to him a couple of times, he keeps lifting it up. So nice and loudly I say you can run up and kick them they don't fly to well. he jumps up and starts asking me what the hell was I doing?? Man took a lot to control myself that day.

Joe

[MuleyontheWall]

Seems like theres birds just about everywhere up in NE washington, I think anywhere you go your going to be pretty safe when it comes to seeing birds...just have to get away from the roads to get away from the decoy shooters...

[NWTFhunter]

Not to sound negative, but I didnt see too many birds in and around Colville the 3 days I spent there.  I did see some on some private ground I have access to just barely out of town. But this year I didnt see many in the fields sunning themselves like years past.

Another thing to think about also... If your going to be in town on the 10th of April Colvilles NWTF chapter is having its annual banquet.  The Nat web page says the 11th but it is incorrect.

[hoytem]

Seems like theres birds just about everywhere up in NE washington, I think anywhere you go your going to be pretty safe when it comes to seeing birds...just have to get away from the roads to get away from the decoy shooters...

had a similar experience with a *censored* on a 4wheeler and his kid on the back ride off the road through the brush to where i was set up, ride right up to my jake decoy and yell to his kid "There's a gobbler right there!". I just jumped up and as soon as he saw me he rode off quick and yelled to his buddy also riding a quad that someone is hunting the area.

[Diehard0123]

This is why I don't use gobbler decoys
I have heard stories of guys using decoys such as B moble and Pretty Boy that have been shot at or had their decoys killed by hunters that don't take the time to identify the target and shoot thinking that the deke is a tom.

[yelp]

The refuge can have great hunting...But I suggest you hunt mid week.  Try to the Southwest and hunt Iron Mountain area.  I like hunting in May up in the NW area Flodelle Creek.  Go up to Beaver Lodge and take roads that run to the west over Mill Creek.  Great hunting and not to many guys.  The Radar Dome Area however is ORV Heaven...lot of quads at certain times of year.  The Kalispell Peak side of the refuge can have some good hunting in spots..got to cover ground of course it is hard depending on snow.  I used to camp at Starvation Lake and hunt the refuge and also hunt the other side of hwy 20 over toward Old Dominion...ther is a block of DNR that hold a lot of birds once in a while, especially over towards Alladin Area...Good Luck.

[Intruder]

Many of the posts in here regarding encounters with other hunters are a great testimonial as to why you don't stalk a gobbling bird.   

[Dustin07]

This is why I don't use gobbler decoys
I have heard stories of guys using decoys such as B moble and Pretty Boy that have been shot at or had their decoys killed by hunters that don't take the time to identify the target and shoot thinking that the deke is a tom.

Many of the posts in here regarding encounters with other hunters are a great testimonial as to why you don't stalk a gobbling bird.   

the NWTF site talks about the ethics of turkey hunting, and if I remember right, condemned stalking as being down right dangerous for this reason. they also tell you to carry your turkey decoys with the head covered 100% so no silly hunter mistakes it (while you're carrying it......................) for a live bird. 

[bearmanric]

be safe every one. i'll be hunting by myself. has been a few scary time. been shot by at turky's coming in. Rick

[Dustin07]

be safe every one. i'll be hunting by myself. has been a few scary time. been shot by at turky's coming in. Rick

armed turkeys are intimidating

[turkeydancer]

State land over towards Cole Road use to be fairly nice until they logged/thinned.  State land off Haller Creek, Slide Creek Vanasse, east end of Evans Cutoff, etc still holds birds.  In fact, it should be fairly easy to find birds on most state, DNR, or other public land throughout the area.

[hoytem]

The refuge can have great hunting...But I suggest you hunt mid week.  Try to the Southwest and hunt Iron Mountain area.  I like hunting in May up in the NW area Flodelle Creek.  Go up to Beaver Lodge and take roads that run to the west over Mill Creek.  Great hunting and not to many guys.  The Radar Dome Area however is ORV Heaven...lot of quads at certain times of year.  The Kalispell Peak side of the refuge can have some good hunting in spots..got to cover ground of course it is hard depending on snow.  I used to camp at Starvation Lake and hunt the refuge and also hunt the other side of hwy 20 over toward Old Dominion...ther is a block of DNR that hold a lot of birds once in a while, especially over towards Alladin Area...Good Luck.

last year i got my truck stuck at mill creek, sunk it in about 3 feet of snow, after a couple hours we finally got towed out with some guy with a dodge 2500, yeah it's usually a great area if there isn't much snow.

[Dustin07]

last year i got my truck stuck at mill creek, sunk it in about 3 feet of snow, after a couple hours we finally got towed out with some guy with a dodge 2500, yeah it's usually a great area if there isn't much snow.

I got my rental car stuck in about 2FT of snow in Mound City, MO chasing snow geese last month. It took me about 2.5hrs till a local farmer came and towed us out.

[Diehard0123]

State land over towards Cole Road use to be fairly nice until they logged/thinned.  State land off Haller Creek, Slide Creek Vanasse, east end of Evans Cutoff, etc still holds birds.  In fact, it should be fairly easy to find birds on most state, DNR, or other public land throughout the area.

Haller Road is a great area, lots of land to hunt if the snow isn't too deep.