Primer for the 2012 GF&P Roadcounts

UGUIDE said:
Or.....they won't be counted becuase there is no cover to be on the road by......

I was torked when my renter mowed my ditches on July 1. Pretty much everyone elses ditches were mowed too.
Click to expand...

I was thinking the same thing Chris. Birds don't like to be too far from cover unless they have too. This could lead to fewer birds on the roads where ditch cover is null.:confused:
 
so, either way, the count ends up being skewed? not sure we get a true assessment of the population, oh well.
 
You are correct, but with little or no cover, if and when they do, they won't spend as much time along side the road lowering the "odds"to be counted as part of the survey. They won't feel as safe.
 
kind of makes you wonder if the guys making the counts might "adjust" for this circumstance?........i believe the counts are conducted by the same folks each year, with the routes always the same.
 
hunter94 said:
kind of makes you wonder if the guys making the counts might "adjust" for this circumstance?........i believe the counts are conducted by the same folks each year, with the routes always the same.
Click to expand...

Don't believe the folks doing it now would "adjust". If that were the case, the numbers would, imo, always be improving. May happen when the lobbiests show up with the money.
 
Once again it's going to be interesting. Crops should be out by opener or cut for silage. Are most of the ditches being cut? Where are they going to be hiding? Many of the guys in our group have done well on unimproved roads. The publics might be loaded thn?
 
Don't count on the public hunting areas too much this year. I have visited about 15 public hunting areas in the past 2 weeks in the corridor from north of Huron to west of Aberdeen. (WPA,GPA,WIA). Almost every one had been hayed to maximum extent allowed. Many dry sloughs have been mowed down as well. I have ridden lots of county and section roads and almost every single one has been hayed. Basically, everything that can be mowed, has been due to the poor hay crop. That being said, I have seen a good number of hens with chicks, young birds showing color, and a few old birds. So I think bird numbers will be OK despite the drought, and with crops coming in early, if you have some cover you will find birds. My concern will be with winter kill due to lack of winter cover.
 
PcolaGSP said:
Don't count on the public hunting areas too much this year. I have visited about 15 public hunting areas in the past 2 weeks in the corridor from north of Huron to west of Aberdeen. (WPA,GPA,WIA). Almost every one had been hayed to maximum extent allowed. Many dry sloughs have been mowed down as well. I have ridden lots of county and section roads and almost every single one has been hayed. Basically, everything that can be mowed, has been due to the poor hay crop. That being said, I have seen a good number of hens with chicks, young birds showing color, and a few old birds. So I think bird numbers will be OK despite the drought, and with crops coming in early, if you have some cover you will find birds. My concern will be with winter kill due to lack of winter cover.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the nice report Pcola. I wonder how much the WPA's and GPa's can be hayed? I assume the WIA's can be hayed pretty much anytime? Maybe not.
 
I'm not sure what percentage can be hayed, some looked like 50% while others looked 75-100%. I stopped and spoke with a farmer who said he just received permission to hay on state park lands adjoining his farm. (Although this will be a long term benefit as it is very thick and overgrown). Lots of private land sloughs have been mowed too. Cattle is the business, and feed prices are driving this.
 
You have stated it well. Even guys that don't have cattle are cutting their ditches. I live west of Aberdeen and we are not as dry as much of the state. The bird numbers are up from last year considerably. The cover has been reduced so the birds will be concentrated. I am not sure how fast the harvest will progress, that will depend on the weather. I would think that late November and early December should be very good in our area if you have a place to hunt.
 
Last edited:
PcolaGSP said:
My concern will be with winter kill due to lack of winter cover.
Click to expand...

Pcola, if they are cutting the low areas w/cattails like you say, then the winter may have it's way with the birds if it's a severe winter..:(

Haymaker, are cattails suitable for cattle feed? I've never heard of this before. Maybe it's a case of something is better than nothing:confused: And YES! Even guys with out livestock are mowing. Many are mowing areas just for the sake of mowing. I saw two large areas mowed yesterday for now apparent reason. Last week a guy was mowing a huge dried up lowland area of reed canary grass for the sake of expanding his yard! Give me a break.
 
Last edited:
1pheas4 said:
Pcola, if they are cutting the low areas w/cattails like you say, then the winter may have it's way with the birds if it's a severe winter..:(

Haymaker, are cattails suitable for cattle feed? I've never heard of this before. Maybe it's a case of something is better than nothing:confused: And YES! Even guys with out livestock are mowing. Many are mowing areas just for the sake of mowing. I saw two large areas mowed yesterday for now apparent reason. Last week a guy was mowing a huge dried up lowland area of reed canary grass for the sake of expanding his yard! Give me a break.
Click to expand...

Cattails are better than nothing but are poor feed by themselves. If you had 100 bales of good alfalfa and you ground a bale of alfalfa and a bale of cattails you would have 200 bales of feed good enough for cows, so they do have some value. In my case I cut some of the edges of the sloughs and left the cattails. I don't want to dissapoint my hunters, I think those cattails will be full of birds once the weather gets a little cold and snowy.
 
haymaker said:
I don't want to dissapoint my hunters, I think those cattails will be full of birds once the weather gets a little cold and snowy.
Click to expand...

By the sounds of it, with so much being hayed I think they'll be loaded this winter. It's good of you to leave them alone for multiple reason. I know it's a tough go right now with the drought and all. I commend you for your auctions haymaker. Thank you:thumbsup:
 
Last edited:
Chris,

Thanks for re-posting the u-guide brood survey video! Enjoyed it just as much this time as 2 years ago.

Maybe the official counters should carry video cams. Sure gets me fired up for the season.
 
No CRP haying for me

I had many offers to hay my CRP--the allowed amount was 50%--I am glad I said no. Maybe I'll have a bunch of birds this fall. :thumbsup:
 
SDJIM said:
I had many offers to hay my CRP--the allowed amount was 50%--I am glad I said no. Maybe I'll have a bunch of birds this fall. :thumbsup:
Click to expand...

SDJIM, your posts are always a breath of fresh air my friend:thumbsup: Thank you:cheers:

As far as the birds in your CRP go, as you know, it depends on what else is around. I remember watching a video on TV filmed back in the winter 2000???/South Dakota. There was a lot of snow and very little habitat remaining. Virtually no food sources. Birds where starving. A lot of birds died that winter.:(

Anyway, this guy had hundreds of wild roosters hanging out in his back yard feeding on corn he put out. They were literally standing on each other and frantically trying trying to get to the food source. There simply wasn't anywhere else for them to go for food in that area but his back yard.

Same holds true with habitat. You may very well have a slough full of birds this year.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top