Ducks in the Dakotas

It doesn‘t happen annually, but the near regular trip to North Dakota to chase waterfowl has become something I look forward to very much.

The hunting there is far better than what we enjoy in the Piedmont Region of North Carolina. This hunt, though, is rooted in the greatness that is camaraderie with longtime hunting buddies.

Richard Faulkner was half of a duo who introduced me to the Dakotas on my first hunting trip there more than a decade ago. For 2016, we made the trip on our own. He’s also a great friend and the hours spent scouting (you often end up scouting more than you hunt) provide a great opportunity to catch up and ponder some of life’s situations.

This year, we had to work hard for the birds. That’s not a complaint. In fact, it was almost more gratifying to find success after working so hard – and driving more than 1,000 miles of North Dakota flat land.

Among the great things of meandering the roads of North Dakota is seeing so much history. It’s easy to find your mind wandering to potential stories of old land, some of which you can tell hasn’t been lived on since the dust bowl some 80 years ago.

The video below is a mash-up of our hunting in North Dakota over the first four days of the non-resident duck hunting season.