** January 2008 Update: We are now taking reservations for 2008 hunts. Please see our Rates page. **

"This was my first hunting trip to North Dakota and it will not be my last. I usually do the majority of my waterfowl hunting along the Mississippi River south of LaCrosse, Wisconsin, and have never had the amount of action in a full weekend than we had in just the first morning hunt. The accommodations were great and the atmosphere was very relaxing. I have already recommended Prairie Smoke Ranch to several of my hunting buddies and to anyone who loves to bird hunt." - Rick T. (Wisconsin)

Because you have exclusive hunting access to the entire ranch, there's no need to compete with other hunting parties or rise in the middle of the night to find a good spot to hunt - and no "skybusting" or crowding. Hunt when and where you want and how you want. Our guests generally hunt waterfowl and cranes in the morning, ducks in the evening, and upland birds in the afternoon.

With over 500 acres of native prairie and a mix of hay and wildlife food plots, the 870 acres of the ranch provide ideal nesting, migration and wintering habitat for both migratory and resident gamebirds. In all, fifteen species of ducks (mallard, pintail, gadwall, blue-winged teal, green-winged teal, cinnamon teal, widgeon, shoveler, lesser scaup, ringneck, redhead, canvasback, ruddy, bufflehead, and goldeneye) have been documented on the ranch along with tundra swans, greater and lesser Canada geese, snow and blue and whitefront geese, and dozens of other shorebirds and upland birds.

We offer excellent opportunities for both puddle ducks and divers. Most hunting is done from hip boots or waders - and most of our ponds are shallow and have hard bottoms, so decoy placement is quick and easy. Boats are provided on our bigger water.

We are also fortunate to be in a major sandhill crane flyway and offer excellent hunting opportunities in our fields and in the surrounding area. Cranes are usually in our area from late September to mid-October. When they are in, it is quite common to see hundreds of cranes each morning.

Both waterfowl and upland bird hunting is available within a few minutes walking distance of the ranch house, but we recommend guests bring 4-wheel drive vehicles or ATVs to maximize hunting opportunities. Guests also have access to thousands of acres of public hunting land nearby.

We DO NOT provide dogs or guide service, however all guests are given an orientation and maps to the ranch property upon arrival. We encourage all guests to bring trained hunting dogs.

Outlook for 2008: Our area has been dry the last couple years and we have lost many of our shallower wetlands. While waterfowl hunting has become more challenging, the upland hunting has been excellent. 2007 was our best year for pheasants and sharptails, owing to another mild winter in 2006. Depending on the nesting season, as we predicted in 2007, 2008 could be a tremendous year for pheasants once again. And once again we need significant precipitation late winter and spring to refill our shallow basins and bring the levels up on our deeper sloughs. Check back for periodic updates.