My wife is accepting an offer (Tuesday) with the North Dakota Dept of Health. The position will be in Bismark, ND. It looks like we will be moving about the 2nd week in November. We are looking at housing now, and it looks like we'll be able to find a nice house to rent, well within our budget. We have one now we're waiting for the owner to email us back on. Our initial plan will be to move up and rent for a year or two, and look around during that time to decide where we want to live permanently, and purchase then. Some of the outlying area real estate, looks fantastic.

I will be moving up and looking for a job when I get there. The job market looks good, and there is an open utility co. job posted in my job experience now. I will be applying online probably tonight or tomorrow night.

I've perused the N.D. game and fish website a bit, so far I like what I'm seeing. Hunt seasons are longer than they are here in AZ. I know it's a lottery system up there, as it has been down here for as long as I can remember. I should be well situated for applying by the time the draw rolls around next year. 6 month residency only for "Resident Hunter" status. Hopefully the chance of draw up there is better than here. It's been pathetic here, even for decent deer area, for years.

Other than comments about the cold, (I know), anyone have any useful advice? My wife's from Wisconsin, and I was stationed in Denver for a year and a half, been to Thule, Greenland, and lived in the Mtns east of Alamogordo, NM when I was stationed there. The cold will not be an issue.

Anyone from the Bismark, ND area that can chime in with some good to know info?

Thanks.


During transition, I will likely have no internet for a few weeks, until we get settled in. Probably from 1st of Nov, to middle-end of Nov.

I wish you the best of luck with your move. Enjoy the adventure.

quote:

The cold will not be an issue.

Believe me the cold will be an issue! I am not saying you can't handle it but don't kid yourself about it being a non-issue. That's like saying water is a not an issue in AZ.

If it's too late to get any non-resident tags for this year I would suggest buying yourself a small game license and going pheasant hunting. You will be able to walk a lot of ground and see tons of deer and get an idea of where these animals are hanging out in your area. The season runs into January the only bummer is they have a 14 day nonresident license now so you will have to buy the license again if you want to hunt more than the 2 seven day periods. You can purchase as many as you can afford for $85 each. Not sure if you are a waterfowl hunter or not but you are moving to arguably the best waterfowl hunting state in the country. If you get there in Nov you will have missed most of the duck season but there will still be plenty of geese to chase around. Also note that spring snow goose hunting in ND has gotten to be a big deal in the last 5 or 6 years.

Have fun ND is a dream state for hunting especially if you like mixing your deer hunting with bird hunting.

Not sure what part of the state is being hit by the oil boom, but housing and such is very pricey and nearly impossible to find. Even all the motels are full in those areas. I work with a guy from there, and he swears the hunting is as good as Wyoming as to opportunity, variety, and quality. Probably better quality as to lack of crowds.

Good luck.

Oil boom is in the northwest part of the state Minot area. Got a friend living out there. Also have some distant relatives in Zap.Existing homes are hard to find in the area. But lots and building are still reasonable. Rest of the state is still cheap. I have hunted and fished North Dakota a lot. Great state. Bismark is a great location. Close to most anything you might want to do. But there are many other great areas. Jamestown is nice as is Devils Lake. Fargo was too big city feeling to me even if population wise it is not.

Probable the best thing about the state hunting wise is other than deer hunting access is very easy. Most landowner grant permission and if the land is not posted it is open to the public. Deer hunting is a bit harder to find access but there is still plenty of good public hunting.

If your not already you will become a waterfowl hunter. The opportunities for ducks and geese are unbelievable. To get you through the long winters either coyote hunting or ice fishing. As for the cold not getting too you good luck with that. I have been out there for a week ice fishing and never saw the temps break -15.

Great state and people I think you will like. I have heard of some negatives from the locals but never experienced them myself. There are some interesting people out there I got along with them just fine. But I encountered a few that would make a backwoods Alabama redneck look perfectly sane and normal. Do as the locals do and slow down and take people as they come you will feel at home within the week.

I'm jealous.

Wish I was headed up there. Wife won't have any part of anything north of the Mason Dixon line.

She doesn't like even a breeze but at 100lbs everything affects her.

Best wishes on your move.

Slowpoke:

MN Hunter is right about the cold. I lived in northern MN for about 15 years, four of which I was a resident of AZ and lived in both.

I often miss the seasons on MN, but I can tell you, as much as I love to shoot, I am doing tons more of it in AZ. When it is 30 below you can go out and shoot a bullet or two, but not many. In AZ, even when it is 110, you can go out in the morning and have a few hours before it gets to be unbearable.

You can deal with the cold, but let me tell you, when the snow flies in April or even May, it gets to be pretty depressing. Kind of like the non stop 100 days in AZ in September. But eventually it ends.

As for hunting, I still go back to MN every year, but my hunting takes place all over so where I live doesn't matter that much. I do enjoy quail hunting here in AZ; it is better than the grouse hunting I enjoyed in MN. On the other hand, I would choose pheasant hunting over both.

Good luck to you!

If you fish don't miss out on Devils Lake.
Bird hunting in ND is what everyone dreams about so take advantage.
Good luck on your move.

First of all welcome!

It may take a bit for you to get used to winter weather, but Bismarck winters are pretty mild compared to what we get out here in the valley. Not much different than an Arizona winter really .

You will have lots of hunting and fishing opportunities within anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours from where you will be. The trouble will be trying to decide which to take advantage of.

Bismarck IS feeling the effects of the oil boom, particularly when it comes to real estate, but as you said things still look cheap compared to AZ.

If you don't have a hunting dog and a boat, they are investments I would make.

PS - We also have water problems (flooding), so for Gods sake, when you buy a house stay the hell away from the river!

Thank you all for the replies so far. I was wondering how hard it is for a ND resident to get drawn for deer, antelope, elk, and moose in the state? I know it's all a lottery draw system, but how often do you get drawn?

It has gotten just ridiculous to the edge of impossible to get drawn in AZ. Sure they have tags, sure you can put in for them, but to actually GET one, is nearly impossible.

So, just wondering, before I get TOO over-excited about the hunting, what is the draw success percentage for each?

Thanks again for your info.

You will enjoy living in Bismarck. Just don't rent or buy anything close to the river. You will see what I mean when you get there. Fishing is great. The Missouri has some great walleye fishing. Waterfowl hunting is excellent at the present time and access to hunt is no problem at this time. Upland bird hunting has been hit hard with the last three devastating winters, compounded with approximately 75% loss of our CRP, though you will still be able to find birds. Currently finding alot of blue tongue in the whitetails. Not much problem getting a deer tag, but expect a buck tag maybe one out of five years. Have not had an antelope season for two years now do to winter die offs. Than expect to draw antelope tag also one in five years when they do have one again. Moose and elk draws are one in a lifetime to get tag, and it may take that long. Mid September thru Mid October has the nicest weather. You will get to tolerate all the winter cold and the ever persistant wind. Other than that, it a great place to be.

To expand on this, being close to a river in ND means relatively high (if not certain) risk of flooding. I saw on TV here just last week that worldwide more people die from floods than any other natural disaster.

I have never lived in ND, but both my parents came from there (Fargo and Lakota), I have spent time there and many, many relatives are still there. The problem is that ND is sufficiently flat that water can't drain off quickly. on the other hand, that results in some of the finest, richest farming soil in the world.

One problem with the birds is lack of protective winter cover, because the farms are so big that there are not so many stands of trees and brush. In Iowa, farmers plant a couple of rows of sorghum at the edges of fields to give cover for the pheasants. I don't know if that has caught on in ND, but it should.

quote:

Originally posted by KT29:
You will enjoy living in Bismarck. Just don't rent or buy anything close to the river. You will see what I mean when you get there. Fishing is great. The Missouri has some great walleye fishing. Waterfowl hunting is excellent at the present time and access to hunt is no problem at this time. Upland bird hunting has been hit hard with the last three devastating winters, compounded with approximately 75% loss of our CRP, though you will still be able to find birds. Currently finding alot of blue tongue in the whitetails. Not much problem getting a deer tag, but expect a buck tag maybe one out of five years. Have not had an antelope season for two years now do to winter die offs. Than expect to draw antelope tag also one in five years when they do have one again. Moose and elk draws are one in a lifetime to get tag, and it may take that long. Mid September thru Mid October has the nicest weather. You will get to tolerate all the winter cold and the ever persistant wind. Other than that, it a great place to be.

Anjin-you are referring to the land on the East side of the state.

Western ND is hilly and gets very rugged the further West you go - especially the Badlands. Bismarck is the mecca of hunting/fishing in ND-I grew up in that area and return there every other weekend in the Fall. You have Whitetails and Mule deer intermingled, Eastern and Merriams turkeys, pheasants, sharptails, partridge, waterfowl, predators, prairie dogs, and all the fish one can catch. All I can say is God's country for the outdoorsman!

The Missouri River has flooded ONCE since the dam was installed some 60 years ago. It may or may not happen again. Take it for what it's worth there.

How's the fricassee Marge?
Pretty darn good!

Welcome, I live about 50miles east of Bismarck. Contac t me when you get moved in and we can set up a meeting. Depending on your interests I can probably help with locating some areas to hunt. Housing in Bismarck is "tight" this year due to people displaced by the spring floods, spill over from the oil fields and what some percieve to be over priced. You will find that access to the great outdoors is limited only to the time and $$ you are willing to spend. Good luck on your job hunt.
www.duanesguns.com
dgr@duanesguns.com

Always glad to learn more about North Dakota. It's been good to me.

quote:

Originally posted by nomrcy:
Anjin-you are referring to the land on the East side of the state.

Western ND is hilly and gets very rugged the further West you go - especially the Badlands. Bismarck is the mecca of hunting/fishing in ND-I grew up in that area and return there every other weekend in the Fall. You have Whitetails and Mule deer intermingled, Eastern and Merriams turkeys, pheasants, sharptails, partridge, waterfowl, predators, prairie dogs, and all the fish one can catch. All I can say is God's country for the outdoorsman!

The Missouri River has flooded ONCE since the dam was installed some 60 years ago. It may or may not happen again. Take it for what it's worth there.