As far as Bass Clubs.... your in walleye country now! Probably not going to happen :)
I've always wanted to hunt J. Clark Salyer national wildlife refuge. Its within the hour of minot, and I've been told there's some good deer in there. I've drove around there a couple of times and have seen some deer.
PM me if you need any specific info.
And yes, forget the bass and learn how to fish for walleyes!
Not much help as far as the public land up that way. I'm from Bismarck and hunt in the badlands and our farm in eastern central ND. Only duck and goose hunted up that way. Waterfowl heaven though if you like to shoot birds!
Leasing- NO!
Bass- NO! (Unless you count white bass!) Like Scoot said, Nelson Lake has good bass fishing, but you won't be going there after work. Too far. You may need to re-evaulate you boat of choice also. Nothing like wearing rain gear on a sky blue day! (Wind/waves!) Walleyes are #1, 2, and 3 in preferred species! You are near some of the best walleye fishing in the country.
Find the local archery club and get to know some people. No one will give away their hot spots, but they will point you in the right direction.
Minot is undergoing a huge transformation. Between oil boom and flood, there is NO HOUSING available. ZIP, ZERO, NATTA. No hotel capacity, etc. Hope you have housing arrangements. Rental rates are tripling. Restaurants cannot find enough help. Virtually every business needs help. Taco Bell, McDonalds starting pay ~$15 per hour. But it doesn't matter if you cannot find a place to live. (Not your circumstance, but just an FYI if you have family)
BTW. My youngest daughter was born in Inchon City and would like to visit her birth country some day! Kimchi, NO THANK YOU!
Not trying to offend anyone but I have to ask the question. Why is leasing a hot subject there. I have never been a part of any lease but where I'm from, Oklahoma, its pretty common. But we also have a ton of public land and a massive population of whitetails. Also, would being a part of a hunting club be just like leasing? Again, I'm not trying to offend anyone. I just honestly don't have a clue how it all works. I know that I'm going to a state that has some of the better deer hunting in the country and I don't want to miss out on it.
By the way, nobody really said anything about public land. Is there just not very much or just none around Minot?
As a resident, there has been a tradition of hunting priivate land by knocking on doors. The tresspass laws in this state identify if the land is posted, you must ask for permission. If it is not posted, you can hunt the land. (This is a summary description with plenty of nuances, but you get the jist). Some land owners post the land because they want to know who is on it. You ask, the landowners repect that and may allow you to hunt.
Leased land, the resident hunter knows he has NO shot of hunting the land. Generally the only people who have leased land have been non residents. This sticks in the craw of residents. Especially when they have hunted the land in the past with a handshake or the cost of a Christmas ham.
There has been tons of land locked up in SW ND by leases for pheasant hunting primarily. Dare I say 90%+ are out of state interests. Local establishments are ok with it, as they see the NR spending more money than the resident. I don't buy that, but MN plates stick out! This p1sses of the local hunter.
Almost no resident hunter will give you the time of day if you talk leasing. If you get any advice, you will likely be on a "snipe hunt". ND is one of the few places left where good will and respect are qualities are still recognized.
As far as public land around Minot, I am not close to Minot. As mentioned, J Clark Salyer Refuge is a possibility worth investigating.
You will get shot down at a few places. Especially if they have family who hunts. But make sure they know you are bowhunting only. (Many times, people think you can't harm the deer population with a bow and arrow). Many times they have a fear of rifles. (A few horror stories floating around.)
Ask and the gates will open!
Residents have associated leases with non-residents... Non-residents coming into ND and leasing up the land takes away land that the blue collar middle income average North Dakotan resident can hunt. Leases are increasing in ND, and due to this, most farmers and locals dont care too much for it. Although it brings money in and helps businesses, the locals are not too happy (where I am from anyways).
When I was younger I went as far as helping farmers harvest, and working for them from time to time. By doing that, you will for sure work your way onto some private land! Also, a pack of walleye fillets, some home made sausage, or a good bottle of whiskey as a thank you will for sure get you bonus points and they will remember you for next year.
And... I would for sure check out J. Clark. I have a buddy with a few 150+ whitetails from J. Clark.
One other thing- ND has amazing late season December bow hunting. Once the snow hits, some farmers will let you on to help thin them out... 20 deer eating off their grain pile behind the bins does not go over too well... :) Two of my better bucks I arrowed the week of Christmas. If you can find their food source in the winter, you will find the deer.
And my last suggestion... dont forget your 22-250!!! The coyotes are out of control the last few years... and they will for sure keep you busy during the winter months.
Good luck.
