Brood counts

Here is a link to the report. https://www.keloland.com/news/capit...utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter_keloland

I get they are running a business. But they are not running a business. They are a state agency funded by tax dollars. Brood counts, while not perfect were consistent for yearsand years. same route, same time of day, etc. If you spend enough money, people will believe the line and show up to hunt. When the advertising doesn't match the experience "customers" get an attitude of being sold a lie. That is bad for your "business" long term. We all know habitat produces birds. It would seem that incentives to help private landowners to leave ditches undisturbed would be a good start. I guess time will tell.
 
goldenboy said:
Here is a link to the report. https://www.keloland.com/news/capit...utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter_keloland

I get they are running a business. But they are not running a business. They are a state agency funded by tax dollars. Brood counts, while not perfect were consistent for yearsand years. same route, same time of day, etc. If you spend enough money, people will believe the line and show up to hunt. When the advertising doesn't match the experience "customers" get an attitude of being sold a lie. That is bad for your "business" long term. We all know habitat produces birds. It would seem that incentives to help private landowners to leave ditches undisturbed would be a good start. I guess time will tell.
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They forget who the customer is
 
Wonder if the $700K goes to the general ad fund or specific to fall pheasant hunting. SD advertises pretty heavily in metro MN.
 
haymaker said:
So what is the suggestion other than ditches, specifically would you folks suggest?
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I would pay/fund 12 (?) people to go out and explain USDA/NRCS programs to farmers/landowners, and look at marginal farmland and promote conservation programs and how they could benefit farmer and wildlife and hunter...just one thought...or something similar...educate landowners about programs...maybe promote or sweeten walk in program as well...entice landowners to tie existing programs together to create/sustain habitat, as well as provide public access....I worked with the USDA/FSA/NRCS back in 2000-2006 on my own ground, and it was clear then that the staffs were spread very thin, and probably struggling to just keep up...since then, there have been cuts to the staffing and # of offices, so it can't be easy to promote the existing programs out there...
 
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I've been somewhat outspoken in my "take it w/ a grain of salt" attitude toward the brood count survey & report. It's simply not an accurate representation of what's really going on with bird numbers in the short term, even when they break the report up into a dozen or so regions. At best, it shows long term trends over several years. Not accurate numbers, but increase/decrease directions. That's it. Aside from the myriad of other variables that exist, one interesting thing (to me) is this....consider who's counting the birds. My understanding has been that it's always been mail carriers. Does anyone know different than that? I believe there are about 110 routes they take to do the count. That's potentially at least 110 different counters, who are trying to do their "day job" while they count birds. And how often do these counters change per route? Different people are going to have different counts. I've spent my whole life looking for pheasants any time I'm driving in areas where I might see a pheasant. Consequently, mile for mile, I see more pheasants than most people, everything else being equal. Some people, even some hunters, only see one if it's standing in the middle of the road. Anyway, I look forward to the report each year, but what I'll miss most is following the commotion & conversation it causes.
 
benelli-banger said:
I would pay/fund 12 (?) people to go out and explain USDA/NRCS programs to farmers/landowners, and look at marginal farmland and promote conservation programs and how they could benefit farmer and wildlife and hunter...just one thought...or something similar...educate landowners about programs...maybe promote or sweeten walk in program as well...entice landowners to tie existing programs together to create/sustain habitat, as well as provide public access....I worked with the USDA/FSA/NRCS back in 2000-2006 on my own ground, and it was clear then that the staffs were spread very thin, and probably struggling to just keep up...since then, there have been cuts to the staffing and # of offices, so it can't be easy to promote the existing programs out there...
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NRCS is already doing that. There are several habitat programs out there now. The governors Next Century, Every Acre Counts, Thunes' SHIPP Program. There needs to be some tweaking done to them but they are an attempt at what you are hoping for. I don't hear much talk about them from the forum. One more time any road that is maintained by the township has to be mowed by law. In my township the shoulder has to be mowed by July 1 and the ditch by October 1.
 
haymaker said:
NRCS is already doing that. There are several habitat programs out there now. The governors Next Century, Every Acre Counts, Thunes' SHIPP Program. There needs to be some tweaking done to them but they are an attempt at what you are hoping for. I don't hear much talk about them from the forum. One more time any road that is maintained by the township has to be mowed by law. In my township the shoulder has to be mowed by July 1 and the ditch by October 1.
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right, but are they actively promoting them to the landowner out there? maybe they are...
 
Well I know about them and granted I may be more in the loop than some but there is quite a bit of effort, but the programs are not quite right to attract many takers. They are trying to fix SHIPP.
 
We are all in agreement that habitat is the key, so how can we get the farmers/ranchers to try different farming practices that not only help wildlife/habitat, but also will help them in the long run? I am not a farmer, but a science teacher. I came across a youtube series this spring while teaching from home that I found very interesting. WARNING: you can lose track of time by going down several gopher holes watching this series.
www.youtube.com

carbon cowboys playlist

carbon cowboys is a documentary in 10 "paddocks," directed by peter byck. This playlist starts with "soil carbon cowboys," the introductory paddock, followed...
www.youtube.com www.youtube.com

Dr. Allen Williams is an expert in an adaptive rotational grazing concept that does wonders for wildlife, soil, water, etc. He has several videos, but this one summarizes quite a bit. You can google him for more if interested.

The point I'm trying to make is that if the SDGFW does not see that habitat is the key, and they are throwing money at advertising and predator programs that we as consumers don't see as being productive, this is one way that if we could reach the farmers/ranchers, it could be a win/win/win.
 
Congratulations and thank you for bringing this up. I am on the board of the South Dakota Soil Health Coalition, Aleen Williams is a friend of mine and I new Neil Dennis. We are alway trying to spread information about soil health and the value of pulling carbon out of the air and putting it in the soil. It is a long term project but we are making progress. We even have agronomists for Agtegra coming to us asking for help because they can see that what they have been doing is not working.
 
Thanks, Haymaker. One benefit for me, during the 'teaching from home' period, is the time I have been able to do some research on science topics of interest. Even thought I teach physics primarily, I'm an avid SD hunter, live in Metro MN, and this topic just makes TOO much sense. Like I said, you can watch video after video, and they are all really good. Allen Williams is very articulate on the topic. Good luck with your Coalition endeavors.
 
Boondog I would suggest that you go to the SDSHC website. It is full of information and also Blue Nest Beef website.
 
I like some of the ideas guys. I wish the state would talk to hunters a bit more to get our opinions and thoughts. Can we make it profitable for a farmer at least pay equal to what he would get to farm marginal land and reimburse him to leave it or here is a novel idea, how about bring back CRP! That program put more birds on the ground and habitat in the state than any other program I have seen. Was it perfect, no but it was effective.

Benelli Banger I was wondering about that storm! How is your neighbors pup doing?
 
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