2013 Roadside survey almost here

birdshooter

birdshooter

Well-known member
FYI,

The Mn. DNR will be releasing their annual roadside counts on Monday Sept. 9th.
 
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over all due to CRP/habitat loss numbers will be down some but 48% god i hope not!!! if the habitat was the same as last year with no loss of CRP or pheasant habitat i think we would see a 20%-25%+ increase its the habitat loss & CRP not being re enrolled that will bring the numbers down not that we lost pheasants due to long winter & winter kill or late spring & no brood reproduction wear there i habitat im sure there will be pheasants again this season???

like FCSpringer says we have huge cattail/willow sloughs close to crops that makes great winter cover for pheasants & that helps pull them through our winters not so much the case across most of the SD pheasant range hints the major losses they have in pheasant numbers during droughts & or harsh or semi harsh winters no cover means no pheasants...

we will find out more on monday boys my fingers are crossed FCSpringer raised my spirits with his western MN report cant wait till the pheasant season starts up!!! 1st sharptails & ruffed grouse next wk-end!!!
 
I think the counts are going to be a little off. There are still a lot of small birds around that I'm sure would have been to small to have made a roadside count. I got out for an hour today to walk the dogs. I put up 6 birds three were no bigger than a chuckar.
 
I'm basing my guess on the fact that every slough I hunt in Western MN was bone dry last year. Sloughs I've thought were lakes ever since I started hunting there 35 years ago were dry. I figured all the snow and wet Spring really helped them out but I'm getting the feeling we're right back to where we were a year ago with this drought. Having raised pheasants a couple times now I'm always amazed how much water they go through. Tbear has a good point. I've seen a couple broods as of late of very little chicks. That's what I'm praying skewed the SD numbers. Two weeks until Sand Pines:cheers:
 
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