Best Sandhill Community for Upland Bird Hunting (Valentine, Ord: how much, train)

[bobtaildog]

I know Sandhills Guru can help me on this one but I have to say the Sandhills are my all-time favorite place on earth. When I retire, that is where I'm headed so I need suggestions/opinions on best areas to train my birddogs and for hunting shartails and prairie chickens. I've stayed on a ranch in Newport and fell in love with Bassett but I know there are other great communities in the Sandhills.

Thanks

Bob

[Sandhills Guru]

Well thanks for the vote of confidence. South of Ainsworth, especially along the Calamus River you will find quite a few grouse and a pheasant now and again. Also south of Valentine, the Nat'l Refuge holds quite a few birds.

One area of the state we should not leave out is the southwest also. I have a couple friends who come out for birds that also hunt that area and they say it holds a very good population also.

[Happygolucky]

Here is a little secret I will let you in on......

Go public!!!!!! Public lands in the western part of the state get used very little. Plan on doing a bit more walking and you will limit out almost every time. My favorite places, Red Willow down by Mc Cook,NE and Davis Creek Res by North Loop, NE. You can duck and deer hunt also for the mixed bag.

I used to travel the state for work and seen first hand that public lands in the sandhills during hunitng season stayed 90% empty.

[xordite]

I grew up in Ord, and hunted a lot. The upland game bird hunting was great, as was duck, goose, rabbit, and deer. The North Loup River valley is, in my opinion, one of the best places on Earth.
Good fishing, too.

[madpie]

I can't believe you want to shoot those cute little birds. How much meat do you get off of one of those beautiful birds? Besides the wickedness of shooting one of God's creatures you take away some from my cookpot :-). Okay did I get you? I personally love the area south of Ainsworth and Ainsworth itself is a great little town. Good luck and may the 12 gauge be with you.

[Sandhills Guru]

Happygolucky is correct, there are some very fine public ground in Nebraska that gets overlooked all the time. Some that come to mind in my area for upland is YellowKnife WMA south of Ainsworth and around Valentine there are huge areas with ground you can walk all day on and never see another hunter or trace of one. Sameul Mckelvie Nat'l forest is one and refuge south of Valentine is another.

Grab one of those Nebraska outdoor atlas that wally world sells. Will give you locations of many out of the way places.

[bobtaildog]

I helped the rancher from Newport on a cattle drive to separate cows nd calves down north of Burwell and we saw a ton of birds, a lot of cattle, and very few humans....my kind of country.