2017 Brood survey - 16 routes had an increase!!
- Thread starter jonnyB
- Start date
benelli-banger
Well-known member
just a guess...probably routes that suffered big drops last year...
benelli-banger
Well-known member
would be surprised if they did! but good luck...
StwPheasantsLewis
New member
South Dakoita just released their 2017 brood count, it's down significantly, still it's the best state to hunt, this matches the 2013 season which harvest was 960000, birds, which is still huge. Drought, and late ice storms really hurt this fall forecast, go ahead and go, there will still be plenty of birds to shoot at, Sir. This is my 57th season there, lots of gr8 areas to hunt the. Lots of walk in situations, for public hunting, the more you go the better areas you will discover, Sir. Regards, Frank, in Stillwater, StwPheasantsLewis
StwPheasantsLewis
New member
Check my response farther down in thread Sir, Frank
A5 Sweet 16
Well-known member
They were the routes where they saw more birds than last year. I jest. Seriously though guys, don't get too worked up about the brood count report. It's an indicator, yes, but far from a definitive preview to pheasant season. They're comparing a real rough guestimate to last year's real rough guestimate. I don't find it particularly meaningful. Once hunter & harvest surveys are taken AFTER the season, they use a ton of other factors (weather during the season, crop harvest, man hours spent hunting, etc.) to determine an adjusted preseason bird population estimate for that previous season. It shows somewhat more gradual population changes and usually follows what I experience while hunting more closely than the brood count survey. (For reference, I hunt public land & walk-ins in eastern SD 20-25 times from opening day to the end.) There are plenty of years when the brood count survey shows one thing, and the adjusted preseason number turns out VERY different. For example, last year they predicted a 20% decrease, while at the end of the day, they estimated preseason numbers were actually UP 6.5%. Not to say there weren't some areas that DID experience a drop last year, but in the areas I hunt, I thought there were a few more pheasants. Now, with a big predicted decrease like 45%, I think it's likely we'll see SOME sort of drop in numbers in general. But I doubt it'll be that bad. Here's a link.
https://gfp.sd.gov/hunting/small-game/images/pheasant-stats.pdf
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Michigan Gunner
Member
The report does not look good. I have hunted South Dakota since 1999, lots of great hunt for sure. My experience is that since 2011, the bird number have been less and less. It may be that the loss of cover for the birds. I see more fence rows pulled with crops planted to the ditch, more wood lots cut down and crops planted there, and more wet areas drained. It is sad to see. So, this year we are going to Kansas. One of my friends hunted a place with lots of wild birds there last fall. I sure hope things turn around in South Dakota as I really like the area.
MG
MG
BRITTMAN
Well-known member
I have never put much interest in total dead count. Harvest per hunter is a better gauge to how the season went for most.
To be honest we have done well in most down years because over all pressure goes down, birds are a little less pressured, sometimes each property you hit that day (or week) is the first time walked in awhile. This is a public land based comment.
If you are hunting private, all depends on crop harvest and number of hunters on the place before you. There are only so many birds.
To be honest we have done well in most down years because over all pressure goes down, birds are a little less pressured, sometimes each property you hit that day (or week) is the first time walked in awhile. This is a public land based comment.
If you are hunting private, all depends on crop harvest and number of hunters on the place before you. There are only so many birds.
Hmmm - good point about overall pressure is reduced, with fewer hunters, hence seemingly more birds in a given area.
Last year we hunted the second weekend and the group before us had to leave early due to a death in the family. We were surprised by the bird count; some of the fields hadn't been touched!
Last year we hunted the second weekend and the group before us had to leave early due to a death in the family. We were surprised by the bird count; some of the fields hadn't been touched!