tranquil October morning where I ’ ll get a chance to sit for a time and experience a spiritual restoration only a handful of Americans will ever achieve . It ’ s free . The land before me will inhale my every-day problems and elevate me with renewed hope that , despite the misery of the world and all its perverse misdirection , the crooked line will straighten and I will sense a satisfaction no other place or time can offer . •
Depends on your expectations . I want to fill my tag , but I also want to become part of that great western prairie .
It ’ s not uncommon for Jon and me to tally a couple hundred miles a day in the far southwest corner of North Dakota , embracing hands with South Dakota and Montana borders . Oh , we ’ re looking for the magic buck , but it ’ s rare . If that buck is found , it ’ s usually gone minutes after the opener . Despite the solitude of this place , you ’ re far from alone .
As I look back on several antelope hunts in that uncultured , primeval territory over the years , I remember reaching the ultimate goal every time . After all , it ’ s not like antelope are endangered . But perhaps more than that , at least for me , I remember the experience , the place , the time , the history of those who were there before me . This is mostly cattle country , honorably taken care of by families who ’ ve retained the American cowboy tradition . They don ’ t wear gun belts with Colt 45s today , but the unique cowboy , western culture remains .
Home folk
Over the years we ’ ve gained the trust of a few ranchers , but respected our boundaries . No one has ever asked for a fee from us , only that we check in . These folks are as much a part of the prairie as the sage brush . They know where wild game lives on their land , and they often offer advice if you present yourself properly .
For the most part , I ’ ve been in the passenger seat as Jon winds his way around scoria-covered trails , across cattle guards and narrow section lines that would be impassable with only a few drops of rain . There are few straight-line section roads in this country , lots of low-maintenance ... and even some no-maintenance roads . But , that remains the attraction . There is no adventure if you know the outcome beforehand .
I ’ ve sat on rock ridges overlooking vast prairie while Jon marched , rifle over shoulder , for a mile or two into undisturbed , perhaps never-before traveled native grass . There were times I begged to sit on various ridges to the end of the day . On an early October morning before frost surrendered to the rising sun , I remember fog filling lowlands below rolling hills , as sharptails chuckled in the glory of another day , in the distance coyotes celebrating with them , a small herd of mule deer grazing on one slope , a group of antelope slowly stepping through rigid grass on another , the buck of the herd sometimes admiring the view from atop a small bluff by himself . You cannot come away unaffected by that .
Permit in hand
And now it ’ s time again . Our outdoor resources are so much more than walleyes in the pan , venison sausage in the freezer . The joy of becoming part of the environment in which you pursue your quarry is priceless . In merely observing or walking the great American prairie , we become part of a multitude of pioneers who endured unimaginable hardship getting here and setting up a homestead . Many of our grandparents and great-grandparents were connected to that .
If I ’ m lucky , I ’ ll find a spot atop a broken ridge on a brisk ,
You ’ re looking for antelope , or deer , and you come around a winding trail and there it is ... something you rarely see in real life . A badger . So cool .
tranquil October morning where I ’ ll get a chance to sit for a time and experience a spiritual restoration only a handful of Americans will ever achieve . It ’ s free . The land before me will inhale my every-day problems and elevate me with renewed hope that , despite the misery of the world and all its perverse misdirection , the crooked line will straighten and I will sense a satisfaction no other place or time can offer . •
www . dakotacountrymagazine . com Dakota Country , September 2024 , Page 89