ND Badlands Question

[nomadicbohunk]

I drew an NR archery tag. I put in for it as my wife wants to bike the Maah Daah Hey trail and this will give me something to do when she's out doing that. I'll cache water/food, and be on the outside in case her and her friend need help. I'm definitely not taking this hunt too seriously, and it should be a lot of fun for that reason.

For those familiar with the landscape, would you rather glass with 15x56's or 10x42s? SLC's and NL Pures, so they're both solid. I'd run either with a tripod.

 

[sodaksooner]

I don't know about glass but if anything like SD badlands, take the biggest clearest you have. Spotter if you have it. Sounds like a fun combo trip. I'd love to do that trail at some point as well. Have a great time!

 

[NealS02]

I have been through there and am definitely familiar with the type of terrain, but have not spent a good deal of time hunting or hiking the ND Badlands. Accordingly, take this for what it is worth.

I always have a pair of 10x (or even just 8x) on my chest when hunting anywhere. My advise would be to pack those regardless. Then the real question, I think, is do you have a spotter? If not, pack the 15x too. If you do have a spotting scope, then I would personally bring out the spotter to start and continue to use if I felt I was hunting terrain that offered long vantages that would justify the extra magnification. If not, the switch back to 15x. A vast majority of my time glassing (90+%) is with 10x binos. There are areas of the Badlands where terrain is pretty tight and spotting scope would be overkill, but other areas where it opens up quite a bit. Be flexible and make adjustments based on conditions

 

[SuperDUECE22]

I've spent alot of time out there and i prefer 15or18x binos

 

[Whisky]

If you don't have a spotter, 15x hands down. If you do have a spotter, 10s on the chest and spotter in the pack. In more places than not you can glass a looong ways out there.

 

[Mondakfisher]

10s and a spotter for sure I spent time up there and hunt MT badlands and sd badlands and I run 10s with a spotter.

 

[dtrkyman]

15s and a spotter for me, I guided not too far from there and unless you’re in a river bottom I would prefer 15s any day!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Scoot]

Whichever fits your personal preference. Either will work fine.

 

[nomadicbohunk]

Thanks! I've been looking at photos and some of the terrain seemed tight. My initial thought was to take the big eyes and a pair of tiny 8s I use archery hunting from stands.

I don't know about glass but if anything like SD badlands, take the biggest clearest you have. Spotter if you have it. Sounds like a fun combo trip. I'd love to do that trail at some point as well. Have a great time!

Just because I'm thinking about it, she's done a lot of cool bike trips. To me one of the most unexpectedly fascinating was a couple summers ago. She biked from Battery Park in NYC to Montreal. Like that's so different from this trail, but it's not something a lot of folks do, and it was cooler than she thought it would be. She's got friends from all over the US into wanting to do that now. She was going to do the empire state trail east west this year, but I drew this hunt and here we are. To make it even better, we'll fly into Bozeman to borrow a truck and bike from some friends/meet up with folks, so poor me is probably going to have to do a little fishing in Yellowstone too. It's all for her "biking" trip. I also know the Katy trail in MO is one she hasn't done on her short list.

 

[sodaksooner]

There is one in Nebraska that's pretty good and the Mickleson in SD if she likes rail to trail stuff. I haven't done the Neb one but have "camped" at some of the trailheads. The Mickleson in SD is beautiful. I did that one in a day, many years ago. 109 miles of gravel..... Long day.

 

[Badlandoutdoors]

I drew an NR archery tag. I put in for it as my wife wants to bike the Maah Daah Hey trail and this will give me something to do when she's out doing that. I'll cache water/food, and be on the outside in case her and her friend need help. I'm definitely not taking this hunt too seriously, and it should be a lot of fun for that reason.

For those familiar with the landscape, would you rather glass with 15x56's or 10x42s? SLC's and NL Pures, so they're both solid. I'd run either with a tripod.

As a resident and someone who puts in 20-30 days a year hunting in the badlands and have been doing so for 10 years I would recommend the 10’s and spotter if you have one. If you truly just want one pair to use I would bring just the 10’s. The 15’s won’t be good for any of the short range glassing and sometimes if you are stalking a bachelor group you may have a bow in one hand and binos in the other. Will be tough to stabilize those 15’s when trying to pick out the one you want to shoot.

While it is big country and rough, it’s not like the mountains. You can cover ground fairly quick in most places. Yes having the 15’s would be nice in some situations but I think you would use the 10’s significantly more.

I have used 12’s the last two seasons and I’m selling the and going back to 10’s and I pretty much hunt exclusively out there.

Just one man’s opinion.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[dirtytough]

I’ve used 10’s, 12’s, 15’s, BTX, and a spotter out there.

I can’t see using just 15’s. I live out there and I sold mine. Not once have I regretted not having 15’s since.

I will say the terrain is pretty forgiving. It’s nothing to pack 10’s, 15’s, and a spotter out there.

I’ve settled on 12 NL’s, BTX/ATX while scouting. When hunting I swap the 12’s for 10x ranging binos. The NL 12’s have about the same FOV as the 10x.

With the 10’s and 12’s I can spot deer way out there. The extra 3x from 15’s won’t allow me to judge them. So I need a spotter anyway. If I’m glassing far enough the 10’s/12’s aren’t effective, I use the BTX.

 

[nomadicbohunk]

Thanks! I appreciate it.

 

[mt525]

There's plenty of country to glass in the badlands. 15x would probably be a better option

 

[WCB]

Both if you don't have a spotter. If you have a spotter get rid of the 10s and get a pair of 12xs. Sorry but I won't touch a pair of 10s and exclusively use 12xs even in the whitetail woods. Hunted the Badlands in ND a lot north of where you'll be towards the North Unit of the Roosevelt Park. 15s on a tripod will let you pick out legs, ears, tines further away in the junipers way better than the 10s. Those deer do bed in the open a bit but I have found the more mature bucks literally under the roots of junipers in washouts 3-4ft back in the bank.

You can get to points and glass 360 as far as you want in some places...other places you have to be literally in the drainage before you can see anything. Since you've never been to the area you will see what I mean driving in.

 

[HouseCL]

Don't mean to derail this thread but for you guys that bowhunt the badlands, do you camp or do you usually just get a motel in Medora or something? I am hunting there for the first time for archery opening weekend and trying to decide if its going to be worth it/tolerable to camp rather than getting a motel room.

 

[SuperDUECE22]

Don't mean to derail this thread but for you guys that bowhunt the badlands, do you camp or do you usually just get a motel in Medora or something? I am hunting there for the first time for archery opening weekend and trying to decide if its going to be worth it/tolerable to camp rather than getting a motel room.

it's usually hot as hell opening weekend so unless you have a camper with AC I'd think of another plan. Also opening weekend is a shit show out there, people everywhere.... if your schedule allows, I think it's worth it push your trip back.

 

[ndhuntermanND]

Don't mean to derail this thread but for you guys that bowhunt the badlands, do you camp or do you usually just get a motel in Medora or something? I am hunting there for the first time for archery opening weekend and trying to decide if its going to be worth it/tolerable to camp rather than getting a motel room.

Camp somewhere. Most the small campgrounds have water spigot and vault toilets.
Watch out for snakes early season!

 

[NJ-Hunting]

camp grounds arnt great out there. We always just camp on public land when we’re out there.