Hey guys,
Guiding has finally slowed down and I was able to get out and hunt some public lands. Bird numbers are down but not as bad as expected. Found 7 rosters and 3 hens yesterday in 3ish hours all on public ground. We are seeing a lot of young birds, most likely a 3rd hatch. With the unseasonably warm weather we've had the birds are still spread out in the shorter grasses. There is a big cold front coming in today bringing snow, so they should be bunching up in the thick cover. As always try and find lower traffic areas for better luck. Have fun and good luck.
2017 South Dakota Pheasant Mid Season Report
Re: 2017 South Dakota Pheasant Mid Season Report
I hunt some ground near Winner and have had consistent success this year. Numbers definitely off but we're still either limiting or having opportunities to do so (if our shooting was better). Took a thirteen-year-old out on Saturday and got him on six solidly pointed roosters - unfortunately he wasn't able to connect on any, but we had a lot of fun trying. We flushed one group of birds that appeared to be very young - small enough that I initially thought they were huns. I've never before seen birds that young this late in the year. We moved over fifty hens on the quarter we hunted which gives me some level of optimism for next year.
Our ground has some running water, thick cattails for winter cover, an alfalfa field for nesting, and bean and milo fields that typically leave some seed after harvest, so the conditions are close to perfect. Lots of hawks and owls, which we can't do anything about, and far too many skunks and coons, which could be dealt with, but I live three hours away so it's not feasible to trap. Somehow the birds manage to survive, and actually thrive in good years. I suspect our situation is the exception rather than the rule, as I am not seeing birds in road ditches elsewhere in the state, and most other residents are reporting pretty dismal hunting. Keeping my fingers crossed for a mild winter and appropriate moisture next spring and summer, along with a revival of the CRP enrollment at some point. Hoping that the good times ain't over for good......
Our ground has some running water, thick cattails for winter cover, an alfalfa field for nesting, and bean and milo fields that typically leave some seed after harvest, so the conditions are close to perfect. Lots of hawks and owls, which we can't do anything about, and far too many skunks and coons, which could be dealt with, but I live three hours away so it's not feasible to trap. Somehow the birds manage to survive, and actually thrive in good years. I suspect our situation is the exception rather than the rule, as I am not seeing birds in road ditches elsewhere in the state, and most other residents are reporting pretty dismal hunting. Keeping my fingers crossed for a mild winter and appropriate moisture next spring and summer, along with a revival of the CRP enrollment at some point. Hoping that the good times ain't over for good......