Well ... SW MN is a little depressing

BRITTMAN

Well-known member
October is supposed to be hunting grass and edges.

Too much snow too early. All the prairie grass is laid flat and it is a tough walk. Saw very few other hunters. Not one public spot was occupied on Saturday, October 24th. The spots we stopped to look over, glass, and/or walk ... not one had tire tracks or foot prints.

Sloughs glazed over with ice, but certainly not safe for dog or human. Many may remain treacherous all season with the snow insulation over the top.

Tillage is almost complete except for maybe the 15% of the corn fields unharvested. If the snow melts in will look like a black desert out there.

Dried sloughs on private land are easily the best option and it is the only place we saw other hunters.

Hope that it all melts and the birds get a reprieve or this could spell disaster for the gains made this year.

Saw most birds (really did not see that many) along active farms ... this is a Christmas time thing... I am sure they will move out if the weather bounces back.

We have taken a lot of roosters of this patch:

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Another MN WIA:
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Generally many gravel roads often looked like this. A few Minimum Maintenance roads were essentially impassible

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we always expect to hunt those type conditions on late season hunts, not your typical Oct pheasant hunt.
 
Exactly.

Give me grass the first month of the season, a dusting of snow the next month, and measurable snow the last month....
 
We passed on LOTS of birds last weekend because they were so small we dare not shoot. I'm guessing this weather has done them in.
 
Drove from Sioux Falls to Pipestone today . Seen 1 unharvested corn field and much of what you experienced. Not to mention how many private, normally wet spots are getting tiled (up until this weather event). Seen one rooster scratching in a bean field near the Pipestone Nat Monument. Deer are going to take it in the shorts this year also.
 
I was in SC MN and it was much of the same. Most of the soft grass looked terrible and was beat down. I never flushed a bird all day, even on some good private ground. I'm guessing they were in the thick cattails and sloughs and mostly inaccessible due to not being frozen yet. I hope some warmer temps melt this snow.
 
Went out on Saturday to SWish MN and had the opposite experience, a ton of hunters, a decent amount of birds in both the grass and cattails. I had a harder time finding a place to hunt than I did birds. The snow did beat down a lot of the ground cover, but there was very little still on the ground. The good news is that it is supposed to warm up in the coming days so hopefully it should melt. Unfortunately that won't bring the cover back though.
 
Same report I just got from I90 corridor. Tons of hunters, both residents, and Iowan south dakota, and Nebraska included.
 
I think IA and NE pheasant seasons start this upcoming weekend. Most SD plates ex-Minnesotans coming "home" to hunt ??
 
All due respect but you cannot expect to hunt your normal October areas right now. I was out last weekend and 90% of the birds were in their "December areas".
 
Yep totally agree and winter cover is where we shot our birds, but it is still October. I typically shoot a lot of roosters out of grass and grass/cattail edges in October and November. Too early for December type hunting.

Thankfully weather appears to be moving back to warmer and more normal conditions. Birds do not need "three months of December".
 
I hunted SW Minnesota today and it was tough hunting. 8-9 inches of snow 14 degrees and 16 mph wind. Lots of drifting. All the CRP is totally cover in snow and really hard walking. Especially when you're 74 years young. Found some birds in willows and cattails. Two of us got 2 roosters before we pooped out. Cattails were impossible to walk with all snow in them. Suppose to be in the 50's this weekend so hopefully we'll get some heavy melting. Otherwise it will be a long winter for the birds.
 
I'll be honest and say I haven't had as much success as normal this year in my home area of SC MN (all public land). Most of my hunts are quick, I only get a few hours here and there so no day long trips. But the first week I did very good and was off to a successful start. The last 2 weeks I have seen a few hens, had a few hunts with no flushes, and unfortunately 2 missed roosters on another. But I really am not seeing birds in too many spots. Yesterday I put on the knee high boots and hunted some cattails hard. Nothing. I have seen FAR more hunters out in my area than normal this year. Normally I'd hardly see any, this year I am struggling to find spots that don't have a vehicle in them or already have several fresh tracks on them from others. This is on weekdays too.
 
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