More Birds Than Last Year

UGUIDE

UGUIDE

Active member
I was just putzing around and thought I would check harvest numbers at my farm this year compared to last. I thought they were going to be similar if not a little lower. I was wrong. Thru week 6 in 2015 there were 249 roosters harvested. This year we are at 322 with about the same amount of hunters. We will look to add another 200 by seasons end. I would like to hit 750 total is my goal. We had 21 inches of rain in April/May. That is like total annual rainfall. We're doing ok. Especially considering how hot and mild the weather has been this fall.

What is also amazing is I would bet figuring lost and wounded birds is about as many as what is harvested.

Some of our other camps are way up in harvest numbers and some are down. Not predictable and no rhyme or reason.

This is more proof that GFP surveys don't apply to those managing habitat for birds. That is why we started doing these surveys a couple years ago.

http://www.uguidesdpheasants.com/news/category/south-dakota-pheasant-harvest-report-survey/
 
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UGUIDE said:
What is also amazing is I would bet figuring lost and wounded birds is about as many as what is harvested.
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I would certainly hope not!

If your hunters are only recovering half of the birds they shoot something is wrong.

Jerry
 
Yes we clearly have more birds than last year. With the crops all out we are actually seeing larger flushes now.
 
I hunt in the southern part of Brule county and just got back from my 1st trip of the year. Not sure what to think of the bird numbers?? The land I own is set up for hunting with a lot of habitat and we have a lot of birds. While driving the roads mornings and evenings we just did not see the numbers. Also interesting, of the birds we shot all but two were this years hatch. We carried a lot of birds over from last year, so I'm not sure what happened to them.
 
What is also amazing is I would bet figuring lost and wounded birds is about as many as what is harvested.
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Unbelievable!:eek:

Of course that gestimated number of lost birds does help to brag about the high population of birds that were in the fields for a "for profit" enterprise. If not that, like others have said, something is seriously wrong. :confused:
 
I have to agree that bird numbers are up--I didn't think so early in the season but now I'm seeing large numbers of birds and lots of them roosters.

They are in heavy cover and very wild but one can do ok if you work with the wind , have good dogs and don't slam car doors and make a bunch of noise.

It will be a great late season in South Dakota this year. :thumbsup:

Chris you just can't please some people---they get to me sometimes to--just don't go there with them. :rolleyes:
 
I have more birds than last year as well. If birds are not recovered I figure the coyotes and other varmints even if they are microbes have to eat something and it is okay in my book. If others disagree in their pompous observations I believe they haven't experienced the realities of the hunt and that those that provide habitat realize to have birds you end up creating habitat that over produces what nature would have if left alone. I try my best to recover what comes down with the shot but some do get away with their tenacity for life even when wounded and that is the way it should be.
 
Most waterfowl killed are young birds. Older birds become more susceptible to hunters on opening day, right after a long migration (tired and hungry) or during inclement weather.

Older roosters are likely the same. Most long spurs have learned to get around hunters.

I have seen roosters move across black dirt fields as hunters pressed through a drive in sloughs and drainage ditches. I have seen roosters cross the road as hunters and their dogs worked the small cattail slough out from the road.

Looking back, it seems like most of our older birds are killed in later December when there is ample snow on the ground.
 
Britt man I agree we kill More mature birds in late dec hunts. I've also noticed a lot of the 2 or 3 year old birds we shoot are the ones that the blockers get when they flush early. The young birds hold for the flushers and pointers. I don't know what natural life is for a rooster but if not shot or predator victim hens live to 3 years old and die after last clutch is up and around on their own. I got that from. sD biologist about 15years ago.
 
No doubt the older/smarter roosters escape prior to the young ones knowing what to do. When I was out (week prior to Thanksgiving) it was the first time the property had been hunted this year and the hunts went fairly quickly, which partly explains all of the young ones shot. I have 2 hunts left in December and will pay attention to the age. I do agree with Uguide there seems to be a natural mortality in late summer. When I visit the property in May I see quite a few older ones, and September hits they seem to disappear (but all of the crops are stranding)... My farmer buddy has similar obseravtions...
 
as the owner of 3 fairly well-trained, highly-experienced labs, I work very hard at finding cripples...both my own, and, others in my group. When it is warm and dry, like it was both trips for me thus far this season, it is hard to track cripples down, especially in thick cover. When I used to hunt without a dog, my retrieval rate was poor. It has gotten better over time...I hate losing birds! I shoot at a hit bird a 2nd, sometimes a 3rd time. I use 5's early, switch to 4's later in the season. If I didn't use a dog, I would use 4's from the get-go. It is a fact of life...most guys don't believe me when I tell them how tough these birds are. At times my fellow hunters get pissed because I allow my dogs to retrieve anything they see go down, even if it is on the opposite side of a field...I am thrilled that any dog picks up a downed bird...period.
 
UGUIDE said:
Yes I am sure the world is coming to an end and heaven forbid that some hunting with less than the skills you have would mame, wound or not find ALL the birds they shoot at.

Oh the humanity!!!! (is there a limit on exclamation points?).

A moment of silence for the unfound birds.........
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I have lost 2 birds out of around 30 that I have hit this year. I feel bad about those. Both hit running next to standing corn and I wouldn't let my dog go in after them.

50% is a horrible loss rate no matter how you want to paint it. Yep some are always going to be lost and I understand that. It isn't about being talented it is about having some self control and then searching for downed birds with dogs that can hunt. Without that it is just shooting without care. I'll be damned if I'm going to let commercial operations and their flippant attitude towards cripples be seen as normal practice.

I know for sure that I wouldn't use the numbers hit and not found as advertisement for my managed land (advertising is what you are doing here). Seems to me I'd be upset that those hunting my land weren't recovering what they should. Losing birds that could otherwise be shot by other clients. Just think what those numbers would look like if even 75% of birds were recovered.

And I sure the heck didn't hijack any post either. You posted your advertisement and got called out on it. It was you who brought those numbers up.

Tim
 
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