end of season hunt

B

benelli-banger

Well-known member
got out in time to hunt thur afternoon thru sunday at dark. good weather, not much snow, it was a lot of fun. bird #'s were spotty, but generally there were birds...they may have been bunched up a few weeks ago, but may have scattered a bit since. Worked hard to get daily limits. joined a fairly big group on sunday, haven't seen bird #'s like that for a few years...hunted some BIG fields, food plots, slough's, etc...hundreds of birds in the second spot...i ran out of shells, walked back to my truck about 3/8 a mile away, returned, birds still flushing intermittently...chose to watch and not rejoin the gang...my 1.5 year old female lab got a lot of great experience this trip...pointing great, retrieving great, LOTS of prey drive...what fun! Not much winter yet where i hunt, hope that bodes well for this spring, allowing the hens to enter nesting in good shape. We will hope!
 
benelli-banger said:
joined a fairly big group on sunday, haven't seen bird #'s like that for a few years...hunted some BIG fields, food plots, slough's, etc...hundreds of birds in the second spot...i ran out of shells
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BB, your post reminded me of another SD variable that does not get touched on much. I used to hunt with some large groups of residents that hunted the last 3 weekends of the season. they would get access to some farms that had not been hunted all season. Tons of birds.

This takes place at small towns all over South Dakota and so there are little storehouses of pheasants all over the place that are largely unknown but important to the breeding stock of birds all over the state.
 
this was one of those deals...this gang gets together on the last day of the season, I believe. had a few no-shows, hence our being invited...
 
It's funny that when we started 15 years ago nobody wore any blaze orange or had any dogs. No those guys look like a tactical army descending on the poor pheasants, with e-collared dogs, benelli's and looking like they just walked out of Cabelas.

Actually, some of the best pheasant hunters I have seen.
 
for sure...I have been hunting with several local farmers off and on for about 15 years...some fantastic shots!!!! yes, access to some PRIME spots...really fun, especially getting to know some new folks, perhaps making some new friends in due time...really nice, friendly, and safe bunch of guys!!!
 
I know some guys from Bozeman, who go out to Mitchell every year, and hunt with a big group of guys.I don't know of any other state where large groups get together like this.ZIm pretty much a solo hunter, so I can't really relate, but sounds like fun.
 
yeah, smaller groups/solo is my preference as well, but there are times where the big group is helpful...blocking escape routes in particular. may have been more relevant 10-25 years ago when you may have encountered hundreds, or even a thousand birds, in a particular slough or CRP field...
 
A potentially interesting phenomenon (glad they had spell checker on that one) is developing on some of the uguide properties.

I believe the birds get hunted so hard that they are changing their behavior. We don't hardly ever see them come to road for gravel. Birds am much less visible as season goes along. I am always amazed at how few birds I see when I am farming the ground and how many are seen when flushed (hens) and are taken each season.

Rooster behavior is vastly different than hen behavior because the hens are not shot at they don't perceive hunters as much of a threat and consequently hold and flush like you might expect a normal pheasant to do.

I am not concerned about over harvesting because these "super roosters" ability to escape the average and even experienced hunter is beyond comprehension. Much like hunting trophy whitetails.

I should add that we shot some first year roosters as well as a few second year birds. I was amazed at how the first year birds were equal in size and tail feather length. Both trophy birds IMO when typically the 2 year old birds always look better than first year birds.
 
benelli-banger said:
yeah, smaller groups/solo is my preference as well, but there are times where the big group is helpful...blocking escape routes in particular. may have been more relevant 10-25 years ago when you may have encountered hundreds, or even a thousand birds, in a particular slough or CRP field...
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I can see when having 5 or 6 guys would help, when hunting a big field , or coolie, to block.When I hunt, there is no blocking, so I have to use the wind, and terrain to my advantage.I would be worried about safety, with a bunch of guys.
 
UGUIDE said:
A potentially interesting phenomenon (glad they had spell checker on that one) is developing on some of the uguide properties.

I believe the birds get hunted so hard that they are changing their behavior. We don't hardly ever see them come to road for gravel. Birds am much less visible as season goes along. I am always amazed at how few birds I see when I am farming the ground and how many are seen when flushed (hens) and are taken each season.

Rooster behavior is vastly different than hen behavior because the hens are not shot at they don't perceive hunters as much of a threat and consequently hold and flush like you might expect a normal pheasant to do.

I am not concerned about over harvesting because these "super roosters" ability to escape the average and even experienced hunter is beyond comprehension. Much like hunting trophy whitetails.

I should add that we shot some first year roosters as well as a few second year birds. I was amazed at how the first year birds were equal in size and tail feather length. Both trophy birds IMO when typically the 2 year old birds always look better than first year birds.
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The last day of the season, I got a really old bird. He was heavy, maybe 5 years old. Held in the cat tails , on a very cold, windy, blizzard .I froze him, he has great colors, 26 1/2 tail. You are right, these older birds are very smart, and hard to get.
 
Goosemaster said:
The last day of the season, I got a really old bird. He was heavy, maybe 5 years old. Held in the cat tails , on a very cold, windy, blizzard .I froze him, he has great colors, 26 1/2 tail. You are right, these older birds are very smart, and hard to get.
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Spurs tell the age story rarely lie

I've seen these huge 25 vehicle hunts many times mostly Dec. Or just b4 deer season... Doland area 3+ times as I drove out west or back east I can't bring my self to ever hunt that area again...

Any major or bigger town in SD I assume has a final get together hunt some area just huge look like army's 30 guys +
 
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small munsterlander owner said:
Spurs tell the age story rarely lie

I've seen these huge 25 vehicle hunts many times mostly Dec. Or just b4 deer season... Doland area 3+ times as I drove out west or back east I can't bring my self to ever hunt that area again...

Any major or bigger town in SD I assume has a final get together hunt some area just huge look like army's 30 guys +
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I don't really like that kind of thing, seems like overkill, and the birds don't have a chance.Im all for fair chase, wild birds, no fences, ect. Another thing about hunting solo, is you don't have to worry about where the other guy is.
 
Goosemaster said:
I don't really like that kind of thing, seems like overkill, and the birds don't have a chance.Im all for fair chase, wild birds, no fences, ect. Another thing about hunting solo, is you don't have to worry about where the other guy is.
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And you only have to find 3 roosters. Right? :thumbsup:
 
Goosemaster said:
I don't really like that kind of thing, seems like overkill, and the birds don't have a chance.Im all for fair chase, wild birds, no fences, ect. Another thing about hunting solo, is you don't have to worry about where the other guy is.
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Yes you see things in SD you will only see in SD reminded me of European driven style hunt a bird shoot not hunt... Only thing I thought when I seen all them guys was holy s***

Yes a group of 6 broken into 3 groups of 2 is much better & safer & more my thing I hate .marching strait lines & posting lol
 
I've been thinking about this group hunting, and I think hunting with another guy, or girl, is the most fun. I'm not sure about a big group. I don't usually do as well, when there is another hunter with me, but it's fun to have somebody to bullshit with, share expenses, ect.Having another guy out there, does cause the birds to hold better.
 
Cull hunts are common in South Dakota. Savvy bird managers know that going into winter with a 1:1 hen to rooster ratio is not healthy for the flock as it is well know that roosters will out compete the hens for the best resources in food and cover.

In years where the hatch is good it is common to have this 1:1 ratio even in areas that receive significant pressure.

Unfortunately the solo hunters cannot get the job done and the large groups are what is required for a number of good sound reasons.

A 60 bird/day harvest is a great deal of difference from 3.
 
I saw a video on untuned where hundreds of birds were flushing out of this nylon field. Maybe 500 birds. It was a spectacular show!! I want to see something like that in my lifetime, but I'm not going to pay some guy big bucks to see it.
 
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