2011 Outlook

DNR insists that artificial feeding of wildlife during Winter does little or no good.:rolleyes:
Tell you what! ohhhh well.:(
 
I saw the report and it does look pretty bleak. What was really eye opening was the count per 100 miles in the SW. In 2010 they counted 104/100 mi. and this year it was 19/100 mi., an 82% drop :eek:

Another interesting thing from the report was the East Central portion, which remained the same if not slightly above last year. I think you could surmise that the hardest hit areas were also the areas that received the most severe weather last winter, especially snow depth.
 
So here is the question then.......
With the phez numbers down and the grouse population way up. What do you think people are going to do? I for one will still hunt every day I can for phez but do you think the presure will be less?
 
I would guess the pressure would be a little less. Hopefully we have a little nicer winter this year and we can get a rebound for next year.

It won't stop me from getting out as much as possible this year.
 
I think you have to take this report with a grain of salt. There undoubtedly will be local pockets of good bird numbers, provided there was ample food and winter cover nearby. That being said, you may have to log more miles this year for your birds than your accustomed to.

My guess is you'll see a little drop off in hunting pressure, but the die hards will still be out there and the rest will go grouse hunting. :)
 
Should be interesting. Lowest numbers since 2001. The DNR will sell less stamps but the late season guys will still be out there if there's anything to hunt. Look what has happened in Iowa the last few years with there numbers crashing, wouldn't surprise me if we see the same thing here.
 
Counting birds is hardly a science and very often leads to imprecise figures. That said, the method hasn't changed. There will always be variables, but driving the same routes using the same methodology will give a good idea of what is out there. Pheasants are not carp, and lower populations do not mean that the hen will double her productions. In years like this, where the hens really struggled through the winter, their bodies were in a depleted state, with less whitherall to pull off a big clutch. The wet spring and less than ideal conditions likely meant lost nests, and the hens will try again, but usually with fewer eggs. Once a single egg hatches, the nest won't try to nest again.

The DNR has nothing to gain by being purposefully pessimistic. In these budget times, they know a bleak forecast will have a dramatic effect on license sales. I can see the DNR puffing high counts, or minimizing loss in a bad year to protect license sales (look at SD's GFP). If the imperfect method of roadside counts shows fewer birds, it means something. Does it mean it will be dismal all over? No. The great thing about pheasant hunting is that success has nothing to do with the next country, state, county or even township. You have a pocket of good habitat, you'll find birds. In my county, the three routes run along very good pheasant habitat. The counts revealed birds, but fewer than in past years. That doesn't mean the more marginal areas will produce success however.

In speaking with a habitat contractor based out of Montevideo, he informed me that he saw more birds in a project area he was working on in my county than anywhere else he'd worked this summer, which was somewhat bittersweet news. Don't let the counts keep you home. Rather, keep at the birds, at your elected officials to support farmland conservation initiatives, and at the keep at the prayers for an easy winter on the birds and a dry, warm spring 2012.
 
The counts (% declines) match counties in neighboring states. Tough winter and wet spring/summer could not be a worse combo. Late July and early August stayed wet, late hatched doomed too ?

Agree - just have to get out and hunt. Years of depressed numbers usually means far fewer hunters :thumbsup:
 
There really doesn't appear to be a great number of pheasants anywhere in the pheasant range this year- in any state. It doesn't mean that I won't be out there though.

Last year I started grouse hunting a little and found it to be just as much fun. I guess I could be heading north a little more often this year.
 
Lazlo said:
Where did you read, here, or see that quote?

Lazlo
Click to expand...

The DNR's stance on winter feeding of pheasants has always been that if your going to feed in winter you need to be smart on where you do it. You need to place the feed alongside or very near good wintering cover. Far more Pheasants die from exposure during severe winters than starvation. Pheasants that have to travel far or are left to feed along side of roadways are the most vulnerable.
 
The numbers are pretty bad. I don't need to see a ton of birds. I usually see 5-15 birds on the public areas I hunt. That would mean 1-5 birds per trip this year if the numbers are correct.

Looks like more grouse hunting and less pheasant hunting for me.
 
Lowest count since '86 and second lowest count ever. The count is probably even worse because it is inflated by the numbers north of the Twin Cities were hunting pressure is relatively low.

Interesting that the December limit will remain at 3. Few will achieve this and it probably makes do difference biologically, but from a political perspective it probably makes more sense to return to 2.
 
i knew it was going to be down but i never thought it was going to be this bad. we saw birds this spring before nesting season and they've disappeared. we still hear some roosters but the amazing thing is we aren't seeing any little guys out on the gravel in the morning. the mornings have been great for scouting, very heavy wet grass and still no birds. i predicted that the birds would be down but i never thought that it would be this bad. WOW!!! i'm really glad that i didn't sell my decoys. other than swestern north dakota is there an area in the upper midwest that saw an increase? has anyone seen the numbers from montana? do they do counts out there? best of luck boys!! and girls!!
 
All i know is that im going to hit it just as hard as I did last year. If there are more guys that go grouse hunting all the better for me. Like FSCSpringer said there are a lot of crops up and a lot of tall grass for them to hide in. Will just have to wait and see what its realy like. I might have to go shoot some game farm birds before the seasons starts just to help with the itch I have.:cheers:
 
FCSpringer said:
I don't believe a word of it.:D I see more birds dead on the road then their numbers. No BS. So how can they claim they are the All knowing human that can magically count birds in cover they can not see. I have seen again plenty of pheasants guy's in rural MN. No need to panic. The numbers I would say are much higher then they claim. I think this count is ridiculous. Count the number of acres of corn compared to those old days as well. Might just find some of those missing birds in there.:thumbsup:
Click to expand...

So where do you live again ;)

The far west and southwest are down. There are certainly pockets of higher bird counts. Always will be.
 
There is no doubt that the hard winter had a major effect but along with that is the over riding factor of the decline of habitat in southwest Minnesota. I believe I read somewhere that ten of thousands or hundreds of thousands of acres of CRP have been lost in the last two years. Pheasants are in deep trouble until this turns around, if it ever does.
 
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