When you think of oil, you may not immediately think of North Dakota, but the state is approaching record activity levels set in 1981. Driving this drilling boom is the Bakken/Three Forks play, which is proving to be one of the largest oil accumulations ever discovered in North America.
Given the strong drilling economics for onshore oil plays today, operators are throwing a tremendous amount of development capital at the Bakken. Continental Resources
Another big player in the Bakken is Hess
This week, Hess filled out its considerable Bakken acreage with the acquisition of American Oil & Gas
If you picked up shares of American Oil & Gas at any point last year, congratulations. You've netted yourself a handsome gain. If you've still got the Bakken bug and find yourself looking to redeploy your investment into a player with a tighter focus than the internationally diversified Hess, there are several options.
One of my longtime favorites is Northern Oil & Gas