Dear Bird Hunting Diary: Blissful in Bismarck

First and foremost, thank you for allowing me to pass through three days of bird hunting in North Dakota without being sprayed by a skunk.  Unfortunately, I cannot pay the same respect to Michigan, Minnesota or Montana.  And, I'm sorry to have heard about Billy Hildebrand's dog, Tess, being sprayed by a Minnesota skunk two hours after I dropped him off at his cabin in Sauk Centre.  

Thank you for not letting me drown in the morning darkness as Billy and I walked three miles across that lake looking for our buddy John Devney of Delta Waterfowl and our Tuesday morning duck hunting spot.

Thank you for introducing me to the ESPN Duck Trek guys and their hilarious duck hunting vernacular - boot lip beat down!

Thank you for allowing me to finally pull my left foot out of the mud without having to take off my waders in the middle of the marsh.

Thank you for putting at least three roosters in front of my pointer each afternoon, and thank you for letting almost all of my shots find feathers in front of the cameras. 

Thank you for adding a sharp-tailed grouse to my game vest . . . but next year, maybe a covey of Huns would be nice too. 

I learned that I do indeed like all forms of upland hunting better than duck hunting.  I like to still be sleeping at 4 a.m., 5 a.m., and 6 a.m. 

I learned that I should always trust my dog and ALWAYS, ALWAYS follow her.

I learned that good people and laughter can make up for missed shots and less birds on any hunt.

I learned that Minnesotan's don't have the market cornered on "niceness."  North Dakota Nice has a ring of truth as well.

I learned that Federal's Black Cloud load really can make "ducks drop like rain."  And, of course, Federal's Pheasants Forever loads bring roosters down like sleet.

Interested in adding to your hunting diary?  Contact my friends in North Dakota: Mark Zimmerman in Tourism (mzimmerman@nd.gov) and Camie Lies at the Bismarck-Mandan Convention&Visitors Bureau (camie@discoverbismarckmandan.com).