Prairie Smoke Ranch|
Prairie Smoke Ranch |
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2010 Rates and Schedule
A five-day lease is comprised of arrival at 4:00 p.m. on Day 1 and departure at 1:00 p.m. on Day 6 (two half days of hunting and four full days). We require a $300 damage and cleaning deposit in addition to the lease fee, payable upon arrival. All deposits will be returned promptly 30 days after the conclusion of your lease, less any damage, cleaning, and telephone charges. Check in time is 4:00 p.m. on your arrival date, check-out is 1:00 p.m. on the final day of your lease. You may hunt the evening of your arrival. A deposit of half the amount due is payable in advance to confirm your reservation; the remaining half is payable upon arrival. In the event you cancel your reservation, deposit refunds are available up to 30 days following our confirmation of your reservation, however, no refunds will be made after August 1 and cancellations will be rebooked. Lease price includes the use of ranch facilities including 4 bedroom house, kitchen, laundry, shower, game cleaning facilities, boats, freezer for your game, outdoor dog kennels, and exclusive hunting access to the entire ranch property. Hunters are responsible for their own hunting licenses and permits. Guests are encouraged to bring their own duck decoys and dogs (large spreads are not needed). Personal checks, money orders, and cashier's checks are accepted. All guests will be asked to sign a lease agreement and liability waiver upon arrival. Advance copies are available upon request. Please read our Conservation page on the website carefully before committing to a lease. A portion of our annual proceeds are donated to local Sheridan County wildlife conservation projects and the North Dakota RAP (Report All Poachers) program. 2009 Season Round Up
It's a wrap - the 2009 hunting season at Prairie Smoke Ranch is history. We finished the season taking a number of snow geese in field sets northwest of the ranch and took several limits of scaup at the Pass. Divers remained in the area; we also took a couple big northern mallards but the big flight had yet to come thru. The Year in Review The Good  We started the year strong, taking good numbers of ducks and a few geese in early October. Hunting remained strong thru mid-October, with Redhead, Island, Bluebill and the West Camp Pass producing the most birds on the ranch as well as at various potholes off-site. Redhead and the Pass gave up the most birds throughout the season. Upland birds proved elusive most of the season until the very end, when we saw good numbers of pheasants and sharpies after the local crops started coming down. This portends well for next year, depending on winter conditions. From a game bag standpoint, this was probably our most successful year on record for ducks. Many hunters shot a limit of birds at least one day of their trip. Although still limited, we also saw a large increase in cans and pintails this year. All told we took 15 species of ducks, three species of geese (Canada, snows, Ross) and swans this year. The Bad Probably our worst year on cranes in quite awhile - I don't believe we took any. The cranes came in early in September, then a lull and then a second wave appeared in late October, but nothing we could pattern. We never set the crane decoys out all fall. Huns were also scarce, we only took a few based on entries in the journal. Their numbers seemed to be down more than the sharptails and pheasants. Deer hunting was also tough; numbers were down and crops were still up so it made for a tough hunt. The large food plot did not hold birds this year as the food plots have in the past. I will try to fix that in coming years using a new mix of crops, strip planting or some combination of both. (Pleasant) Surprises  We have never hosted as many tundra swans as we did this year. They came early and their numbers continued to grow throughout October. We could have easily taken dozens. The tags we did have were filled on Bluebill and the Pass according to the journal. This makes it 3 years in a row for snow geese, so I am ready to conclude the flight path has shifted back into our area. By the end of October we probably had 25,000-30,000 birds in the area. Unlike last year they did not feed near the ranch but we set up on them just past the Pass and had good field shooting using Texas rags, Bigfoots and layout blinds. This same technique pulled in many mallards and pintails in early season. I'll be doing more field hunting next year - it's warm and dry! It's also very productive. No Porkies! To my knowledge we did not have any bird dog/porcupine encounters this year. Bonus Critters We took at least one wood duck this year, making it two years in a row. We also shot a couple goldeneyes late season. The big surprise was the bull moose we saw south of the ranch down by our Site Manager's house. Moose in a stubble field - kinda weird. We have seen antelope, and mule deer around however, so I guess a moose isn't that odd. There are elk east of the ranch at the Lonetree Wildlife area but I did not know they were that far south. New Guys We welcomed two groups from Maryland and a new group from Minnesota in 2009. While the hunting toward the end of the month was challenging, we had a safe year and a good time. This year we hosted hunters from Kentucky, Mississippi, Minnesota, Wisconsin, New York, Maryland, Michigan, Washington, South Dakota, Montana and Texas. Next Year 2010 will be our 9th year in business. Last year at this time all our sloughs were bone dry except for Bluebill and the Pass, so we are going into winter in great shape. 2010 Rates and Schedule
Returning clients have first choice of lease periods. As in past years the maximum hunters per group is 8, although we can accommodate non-hunters for a nominal charge. $3600/period - 2-8 hunters --------------------------------------------- Oct. 31- Nov 5 - Open Nov. 5-9 - booked D.S. Nov. 9-14 - Open Nov. 14-19- Open **As our booking schedule permits, we are open to hosting special day/weekend hunts for youth and hunters with disabilities, please inquire via e-mail if interested** |
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Prairie Smoke Ranch
