SD opener

[nhachman]

Anyone else in SD this weekend? We've been hard at it the past 2 days with 5 guys and 6 dogs, with only 11 birds in the bag. Tough finding birds with all the crop still in. Have some new ground to hunt tomorrow so hoping for a better day. My Brittany pup had his first pheasant point today which turned out to be the only 2nd year bird we shot this weekend so I'm happy with that. He's gaining confidence and is looking like he will be a fine hunter.

[nhachman]

Managed to get the picture uploaded. SD has really upgraded their mobile network since last year, full 4g here now.

[Quaildawg]

Very nice! I always remember that amazing moment when a young bird dog "learns his craft!" I know that's why I continue to chase my dogs in the field. What part of the state were you hunting? I haven't made the journey to SD in two years. We hunted out of winner SD. Also had very good success on the rose bud Indian reservation. Congratulations on your young dogs first pheasant point.

[nhachman]

Hunted with the group all day and bagged 8 birds. Then went out solo the last 30 minutes with the two Brittany's and shot 3 nice roosters over points. The young dog had another nice point, and also found a bird that dropped 200 yards away in CRP. A very nice end to my trip.

[displaced_texan]

Sounds like y'all had a good time, if not the most effective way to fill a freezer...

[Vman]

20131021_185520.jpg

DSCN0070.JPG

DSCN0071.JPG

We had good hunting on opening weekend with the exception of Sun. 30mph winds so we cut the day short. But we did get our limits of birds for five guns with two Vizslas the three days we hunted. Lots of corn still out there but we had CRP grasses along the sloughs which produced most of the birds.
Notables: We were out there for four days and never seen a bird cross the road or in a ditch. Thats no B.S.
Hen numbers were alarming. We seen 1/4 of the hens we would normally see. So lets hope for a mild winter and dry spring.

With the increasing loss of habitat and the low number of hens, if S.D. doesn`t do something the pheasants are going to suffer and so will their economy.

[weimhunter]

Are there any reports from groups that hunted strikly public land? Looks like you guys did pretty good with outfitters / private, pay to play.

[Vman]

We hunted one public area that was near us and we hit every year, this year,, zilch not even a hen. There were two other trucks at our hotel and they both hunted three days and had 1 Rooster between them, and they were hunting walk on areas. The one truck was from Washington and the two hunters grew up in S.D. They couldn`t believe it. Once the corn is out and even the beans, the hunting should get better and then maybe the walk ons will produce. But if I had too hunt walk on this year I would have stayed home.
It is in conditions like these that an experienced pheasant dog that hunts alot of ground is essential.

[Neil]

My son and his crew (i couldn't go) just got back from SD, each brought back 15 pheasants, plus a few sharptails and Huns, having to eat some while there. Most were shot over the Boylins and the lone 2nd year golden, but the pointing dogs got some work. This was the 12th trip for 2 of the dogs, and likely the last.

They hunted a mix of private and public land (walk-in, Grasslands, school and state), birds were in the usual places, but a little fewer than past years.

Got to take the lows with highs.

[nikegundog]

This is the least amount of birds we've seen bout 20 years. A couple of brutal winters and wet springs have taken there toll, on an up note 25 years ago the birds numbers were worse after similar winters and to say they rebounded nicely would be an understatement.

[Vman]

This is the least amount of birds we've seen bout 20 years. A couple of brutal winters and wet springs have taken there toll, on an up note 25 years ago the birds numbers were worse after similar winters and to say they rebounded nicely would be an understatement.

Nike I agree with you, but the kicker here is CRP. The reason the birds rebounded was due to the CRP lands. This time it is different. At its peak there was 1.7 million acres in the CRP program That is when the birds rebounded. Today there is approx.975,000 acres.{approx. 40% loss} and will loose over 325,000 acres of CRP by OCt. 2017. So that is going from 1.7 million acres down too 400,000 acres. The birds can have the best springs ever and not rebound due too the loss of nesting cover. A game warden checked us and told us that we will never see what we seen last year again, and I believe him. All he could do was ask what kind of dogs I had because we were the only ones with birds that he had checked. All we can hope for is a good farm bill that encourages the CRP program, but with this dysfunctional Congress it isn`t going to happen.

[Vision]

The ethanol subsidy has a lot to do with the loss of CRP. With grain prices artificially high due to a subsidy it is a natural action for a farmer to plow under his CRP and convert it back to crops.

The best thing that could happen is for no farm bill to ever be passed again ending all subsidies, and end the ethanol subsidy as well. Let the natural laws of economics dictate farming practices not politicians!

[Vman]

The ethanol subsidy has a lot to do with the loss of CRP. With grain prices artificially high due to a subsidy it is a natural action for a farmer to plow under his CRP and convert it back to crops.

Agree. Corp. welfare for the oil industry. It is also welfare for the farmers, but at least we have something to show for our tax dollars.{CRP and Wildlife}

The best thing that could happen is for no farm bill to ever be passed again ending all subsidies, and end the ethanol subsidy as well. Let the natural laws of economics dictate farming practices not politicians!

I can understand the Ethanol subsidy ten yrs ago. A little help too get it off the ground. But now that it is flying they no longer need our help. I agree with the economics dictating farming practices but it will certainly hurt the wildlife and hunting that we hold so dear. It is going to get tough, but I hope I am wrong.

[Wyobio]

The ethanol subsidy has a lot to do with the loss of CRP. With grain prices artificially high due to a subsidy it is a natural action for a farmer to plow under his CRP and convert it back to crops.

The best thing that could happen is for no farm bill to ever be passed again ending all subsidies, and end the ethanol subsidy as well. Let the natural laws of economics dictate farming practices not politicians!

Lots of opinions on this. But every objective assessment of turning a food crop reliant on oil and natural gas (for fuel and fertilizer) into fuel concludes that it makes no sense. Unless you are making $$ from the subsidies

Can't blame the farmers for cashing in, but it seems the crop prices have peaked. I wonder how long it will be before the marginal land is put back into CRP?

[gonehuntin']

The ethanol subsidy has a lot to do with the loss of CRP. With grain prices artificially high due to a subsidy it is a natural action for a farmer to plow under his CRP and convert it back to crops.

Agree. Corp. welfare for the oil industry. It is also welfare for the farmers, but at least we have something to show for our tax dollars.{CRP and Wildlife}

The best thing that could happen is for no farm bill to ever be passed again ending all subsidies, and end the ethanol subsidy as well. Let the natural laws of economics dictate farming practices not politicians!

I can understand the Ethanol subsidy ten yrs ago. A little help too get it off the ground. But now that it is flying they no longer need our help. I agree with the economics dictating farming practices but it will certainly hurt the wildlife and hunting that we hold so dear. It is going to get tough, but I hope I am wrong.

From what I've been told, it still costs more to produce a gallon of ethanol than they can sell it for. The subsidy will never end it that statement is correct.

[nhachman]

Once those lands have been converted, in a few years with modern fertilizer and farming techniques they will be producing at a bushel/acre rate that they'll never be wanting to go back to a $150/acre CRP payment again. Even if we think prices have peaked now, they'll still stay above the long term trends and it won't be long until they spike again.

[nikegundog]

Lots of opinions on this. But every objective assessment of turning a food crop reliant on oil and natural gas (for fuel and fertilizer) into fuel concludes that it makes no sense. Unless you are making $$ from the subsidies

Can't blame the farmers for cashing in, but it seems the crop prices have peaked. I wonder how long it will be before the marginal land is put back into CRP?

What makes you believe that the crop prices have peaked? To answer your last question, never.

[Wyobio]

[/quote]
What makes you believe that the crop prices have peaked? To answer your last question, never.[/quote]

The price is down this year, and all the news I have been hearing is that IF the South American yield is high, the trend is downward. Also, the sheer number of acres being planted has to lead to a surplus, barring crazy weather.

heck, who really knows? If I did I would be a rich speculator!

[Vman]

I think all your comments have merit and only time will tell. But I was told that several farms near where I hunt were sold to Iowa farmers that were paying between 6-7K/acre. They have money to burn and need too spend it or pay taxes. Wasn`t that long ago I could have bought 750 acres with a 4 yr. old house for 750K. Hindsight. :roll: So those farmers with that much money invested are not going to enroll in the CRP program no matter what. Just glad I got my kids out there too experience it all in its Hey-day. I doubt my grandkids will ever see it.

[Neil]

It is just not the Farm Bill.

The farmers have been allowed to cut hay on the road right a way and CRP during draught years, the Feds allow ridiculous over grazing of National Grasslands, and other Fed lands. So much of the loss of CRP could be somewhat offset by proper management of public land.

It is just sad to see how our land, owned by all of us , is abused. Some of it would take years to recover if the cows were removed. I have a lot of respect for our farmer and rancher hosts, they work hard and earn all they get. But the Feds need to stop leasing our land.

There are never easy answers to complex problems.

[deseeker]

Hunted with the group all day and bagged 8 birds. Then went out solo the last 30 minutes with the two Brittany's and shot 3 nice roosters over points. The young dog had another nice point, and also found a bird that dropped 200 yards away in CRP. A very nice end to my trip.

Nick, Glad to hear you got Boone into some birds in SD . He's lookin' good.

[tjsnipehunter]

This kind of doom talk happens every few years. I doubt that a lot of the new cropland in the central and west will be plowed up if corn stays down around $4. Some of it is poor land no matter what you do to it unless corn is bringing $7. The $7K land you hear about is good land, it isn't marginal land that hasn't seen a plow since 1930.
$7 corn makes up for any amount of lost hunting revenue in SD. I think they said hunting brings in about $170 million, when corn is nearly $3 higher it can bring in $2 billion. Not a hard choice if you own the land, paying taxes and are trying to make money. It's not hard to understand, it isn't greed, it is purely economics. Yes the payments need to stop when prices like this happen... and they need to quit saying ethanol is 'green'. I'll show you fields in january where a mouse can't make a living.

It will get better. The weather has been bad the last two years too so it isn't all on crp. Sort of the perfect storm.

Tim