This will not help pheasants

H

haymaker

Well-known member
We are getting hit with an old fashioned blizzard. After two mild winters things were looking better. Ice snow mix first and now snow and wind. It could be a long winter.
 
Idaho got hammered in November and hasn't really let us. I'm afraid it is going to be a long winter indeed. I sure hope the pheasants can find feed and it didn't get frozen in the ice and then snow on top of the ice.
 
-51 wind chill tomorrow here on the IA/SD border. Luckily, not a ton of snow, but these temps cant be great on any animal.
 
Labradinger said:
-51 wind chill tomorrow here on the IA/SD border. Luckily, not a ton of snow, but these temps cant be great on any animal.
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No, but just getting out of the wind is an amazing improvement…2 years ago I hunted in 45 mph gusts while it was about 8 above…getting some shelter from the wind made it feel tropical! Tucked into trees, cattails, snow tunnels, etc makes a world of difference. But it would be preferable not having this crap!
 
I just made the comment last night that I missed a good year to go to the Dakotas. And hope this year doesn't set you guys back again. Down here we're going to get a flash freeze. I haven't seen one like this in decades. At 4:00 this afternoon, still about 40. By midnight 2. By this time tomorrow morning -4 with 25 mph winds. Wind chills -30. By next Friday 60. WOW!
 
If you are in the Midwest, your wild chill is likely at least -30 this morning. We are lucky to have only a few inches of snow here currently. I hope you SD fellas and your birds can ride this out will minimal losses. This is one of the times the livestock producers might not have the "dream job". No "closed due to weather" for them.

Hang in there guys!
 
Current temp where I am west of the Twin Cities is -8. Not much wind yet, but later and tomorrow it could reach -40 wind chill. I got about 4 inches of snow.

The area I hunt further to the north has more snow. Mid to late December snow is not unusual at all there. I'm lucky if there is "only" a few inches of snow on the ground when we get to Christmas. There's been measurable snow on the ground there since the middle of November. I've only seen one other pheasant hunter all season, and that was a week before Thanksgiving.

I am seeing a rapid warm up next week. Above freezing by next Thursday.
 
birddude said:
I just made the comment last night that I missed a good year to go to the Dakotas. And hope this year doesn't set you guys back again. Down here we're going to get a flash freeze. I haven't seen one like this in decades. At 4:00 this afternoon, still about 40. By midnight 2. By this time tomorrow morning -4 with 25 mph winds. Wind chills -30. By next Friday 60. WOW!
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Yesterday at 5 pm it was 55, currently-2…. -25 Wind chill. Dropped 57 degrees in 13 hrs. Good day to stoke the fire!
 
These are the conditions that conifer shelterbelts will be saviors for the birds. Hopefully there is not enough snow or the winds stop before the heavy cover is full and the birds are buried. There is a place for the dreaded eastern red cedar, but they must be controlled. Burning every few years will control them. Not sure in the Dakotas there are many good options for conifers, I don't remember seeing many spruce trees out there...often not many trees at all, where I have been. Sounds like a good day or two to pound on the key boards and eat a few pheasants!
 
It is - 18 actual temperature. 25 mile an hour winds. This is tough as we have had two good winters and we were making progress. Food is covered with snow on top of ice. We will see. Could sure use some global warming soon.
 
Thing is this is just mid-December (about to be late December). Whole lotta winter could remain ...
 
I didn't plant any sorghum this spring and am really kicking myself. I've got a number of private spots I have permission to hunt with corn food plots, but it isn't easy for the pheasants to get an ear down and get the husk off. At the same time, this isn't our first rough winter spell for the pheasants and won't be the last. As I said on my latest video, the birds around today are the descendants of the pheasants that survived these types of conditions. If they can get enough to eat, the heavy cattails will carry them through. I'm still praying for them, though.
 
Sorghum is great. I have noticed the few MN DNR WMA with food plots are starting use corn and sorghum. I think the combination works well.

Turkeys like sorghum plots too.
 
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