My #2 son (of 5 sons) has a Babe Ruth tournament in Williston, ND. We are leaving this evening.

Any good shooting close to Williston? I know this is kinda late to ask, but will check this thread after we get out there.

I see the Little Missouri National Grasslands is south of Williston. Anyone have any experience there?

Not taking the whole varmint arsenal, but plan to take 2 sporters and 2 heavies, in 223.

We usually shoot the Douglas, Wyoming area every Memorial Day, but have never shot PD's in North Dakota (yet).

Any opportunities across the Montana line, close?

Any help would be appreciated for this 'one time' opportunity.

Thanks-
MW

Its been a few years, but I contacted the Dickenson visitor center and they told me what I needed to know, they will send you a packet. You will have to contact forest service in Dickenson for a map.You will need a small game license, that you can order by phone after you find the dogs. Its an 800# that I got from sports store, used my credit card, wrote down the lic.# and was all legal. Good luck, hope this helps.

Thanks Hector. I looked on the ND G&F website and it looks like I need a non-res non-game license ($15) and a non-res hunting ($2). The Game & Fish also had a prairie dog map, which indicated dogs just south of Williston. Looks like the grassland is included in the shaded area on the map.

Nothing like 'squeezing' in some trigger time during a family vacation.

Thanks again-
MW

Why in the world would one want to go shoot prairie dogs, when you have all of that swinging Williston night life at your finger tips????

Williston isn't the end of the earth.. but you darn well can see it from there!!!

I love the landscape and terrain around there.. but Williston as a town...

Good people, but the town in general... really opitimizes living in the middle of nowhere...

I use to have to spend a week there, 4 times a year....

quote:

Originally posted by seafire/B17G:
Why in the world would one want to go shoot prairie dogs, when you have all of that swinging Williston night life at your finger tips????

Williston isn't the end of the earth.. but you darn well can see it from there!!!

I love the landscape and terrain around there.. but Williston as a town...

Good people, but the town in general... really opitimizes living in the middle of nowhere...

I use to have to spend a week there, 4 times a year....

Hey seafire,

Did you ever hear John Denvers rendition of "Saturday Night in Toledo Ohio"? He spent a week there one day. Williston is a lot like that. They have entertainmet to dazzle your eyes, just go down to the Bakery and watch the buns rise. Or you can go to the park and watch the grass die.

Williston kinda fell on their collective backsides once the oil patch kinda died off. But you are right they do have some good folks there. For about 150 mile radius Williston is the biggest town. Yes it truly is the middle of "no where" but us Dakotans kinda like it that way.

We are working exceedingly hard, three days a week to keep from getting discovered like Montana, Wyoming and Colorado by the left coast loonies. During the 40's and 50's lots of North Dakotans moved to Washington, Oregon and California for the high paying jobs. Now their descendants are coming back. It's getting crowded here.

Best wishes, Bill

Bill,

I also use to spend a lot of time in Minot, along with Dickinson and Bismarck.. I was in medical sales and use to call on the hospitals all over the Dakotas...

The world ended somewhere west of Minot, on US 2... and then picked up once you got near Spokane... there sure was a lot of "Not Much" in between Minot and Spokane....

I sure loved traveling No Dakota... there is so much of Americana that so many people miss or never see, that is stil alive in No Dakota....

Jamestown, Devils Lake... all over No Dakota.. some of the best people in the world live in your fair state...

Actually, I even liked Williston...
one good thing about Williston, was after the oii bust, I use to stay at what had been the Radisson in town..... they had these huge suites that were the best of everything during the oil boom... rates were like $200 to $250 a night in the early 80s.... after the bust, the Radisson was sold, and you could stay in the same hotel for $15.00 a night!!!!

Being a salesman, you could live high on the hogg for peanuts....

No Dakota also has some unbelievable beautiful women also.. all those Scandanavian blondes.. without all of those big city airhead attitudes....

I love Nordda 'Kota....and great place to hear tons of Sven und Ole jokes!!!!!

Mike Werner wrote:

quote:

Any prairie dogs around Williston, North Dakota?

NOT if seafire has been through there recently...

All kidding aside, please let us know how it went and if you were able to get in any hunting.

quote:

Originally posted by Mike Werner:
My #2 son (of 5 sons) has a Babe Ruth tournament in Williston, ND. We are leaving this evening.

Any good shooting close to Williston? I know this is kinda late to ask, but will check this thread after we get out there.

I see the Little Missouri National Grasslands is south of Williston. Anyone have any experience there?

Not taking the whole varmint arsenal, but plan to take 2 sporters and 2 heavies, in 223.

We usually shoot the Douglas, Wyoming area every Memorial Day, but have never shot PD's in North Dakota (yet).

Any opportunities across the Montana line, close?

Any help would be appreciated for this 'one time' opportunity.

Thanks-
MW

Very likely too late but just in case you have your 'puter with you, the best area that I found is on the west edge of the grasslands. Actually, south and east of Sidney Mt. I hunted the east side of the grasslands for some time but it was tough going. Maybe I just didn't connect, but I found some good early shooting on the west side. "Poker Jim" was a good area but that is some distance from Williston.

And if you get the chance, stop in to the Cattelac (sp?) in Sidney and have a good steak. Also, there is a restuarant just down the street on the west side that serves an incredible breakfast.

Williston is a "rockin" place when they have the rodeo. I think I spent several days there.....?

Hope you find some good shooting.

Jim

quote:

Originally posted by Bobby Tomek:
Mike Werner wrote:

quote:

Any prairie dogs around Williston, North Dakota?

NOT if seafire has been through there recently...

All kidding aside, please let us know how it went and if you were able to get in any hunting.

you're good, I haven't been thru there with the old varmint rifles...

seafire wrote:

quote:

you're good, I haven't been thru there with the old varmint rifles...

And the prairie dogs all breathe a collective sigh of relief...

Hey seafire

Just a history note. Those beautiful blond women could very well have been German also. The original town name of Bismarck was Edwinton. It was changed in the late 1800's to attract German immigrants, which it later did.There are many Germans from Russia scattered throughout the state.That happened because the Germans were asked by the Russian government to move to Russia to assist in improving the agriculture program. This was pre-communist take over and the people were starving to death. As we all know things didn't improve and the Germans were sneaking out of the country by the truck loads.They came to the USA for the most part.

Much the same thing happened in Texas to attract Czech immigrants. Right Bobby?

Best wishes, Bill

Yes, you are correct; that's one of the reasons for an influx of Czech to the central Texas area.

Many came here from a severely impoverished lifestyle with hopes of reversing their fortunes. For most, that dream never materialized -- and in the rough and rugged farm country, many continued to suffer.

Back from the North Dakota adventure. First off (off topic), #2 son's Iowa team won the tournament. Soon they are headed to Newark, Ohio for the Babe Ruth 16-18 World Series.

To summarize Williston as the Babe Ruth host....absolutely top notch, first class all the way!

Went to the HWY 2 economy store to get the $15 non-res non-game license, but they only had the $25 non-game/furbearer. They sent me to Walmart, and they only had the same thing. Oh well, still a steal for a non-resident license .

Then, we headed down HWY 85 to Watford City where the Grassland Ranger station was located, south of town. The nice lady there told me I did not need a license for prairie dogs . Picked up a laminated 'Little Missouri' grassland map there, as well as a vague prairie dog location map.

We did find some small towns by the map and got a little shooting. The barrel on the 223 was almost too hot to touch, but I suspect it was partially because of the 103 degree temps . I think we were hunting while it was just too hot, plus I think the small towns had been shot a few times already. Still, a hoot to get out there in the ND Badlands area and get some varmint hunting in.

A day later, we went through the Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Unit. A nice park and visitor center.

While leaving, we went through the South Park unit at Medora, stopping (and just looking ) at some of those prairie dog towns. Kinda gave me 'flashbacks' of the good ol' days of shooting Thunder Basin in Wyoming. Big, dumb dogs everywhere!

And this must be a great hatch year for pheasants there. They were everywhere on 85, running in the roadway.

Overall, North Dakota gets . A great state.

Mike

Hey man, can ya tone it down a little. We are trying to keep this place secret. We don't want to get invaded like what happened to some of our neighbors.

Seriously, glad you had a good time and come back again.

Best wishes, Bill

Yeah, it is one great state, at least in summer time...winter kinda sucks...

and even tho it is spelled North Dakota, the proper pronunciation is Norda-koda....

and sprinkle you conversation liberally with Ja, chur ya betcha.. and you'll fit right in wid da locals.... Ja'chur, ya betcha...