2021 RINGNECK OUTLOOK

Ha! All non-sequitur comments. You dispute pressure, farming practices, weather, and chemical application have played a role in the demise of wild pheasants in PA?

Regarding politics, whether people want to hear about it or not they better start taking it seriously. We may not have a country left before pheasant hunting is ruined in SD. So maybe it really won't matter in the long run.
 
Wha-huh?
There was no discussion of pheasant hunting in Pennsylvania. Never came up.

People often discuss politics...in and on political sites/ threads. And where, I doubt, the subject of chick mortality rarely comes up.

I stand by my previous assessment.
 
My old college roommate said that its been super hot in SD, but he's been seeing plenty of chicks while out fencing in the morning. lots of bugs being produced alongside slews, which are finally drying a bit, but still have water.

speaking of my old roommate, he said 2008 would be the last year we would ever hunt because Hussein Obama. Perosanlly, I think our nation is a lot stronger than an occupant in the White House. Of course, the chicken littles say different, always have.
 
I've lived here since 1993 and this is the worst its been in terms of heat and dryness. I have heard from others that 1988 was worse.

I'm in central Minnesota but I have to imagine that the Dakotas are in even worse shape.
 
I'm in NESD and it isn't dire. It's dry, but it isn't like 2012. We do need rains, but I touch the grass every morning to check for moisture and it's there. Pheasants are resilient. Numbers might not be as high as 2020, but we can all rest assured that the ones we hunt are the toughest SOB's that Mother Nature could crank out. ;)
 
Golden Hour said:
I'm in NESD and it isn't dire. It's dry, but it isn't like 2012. We do need rains, but I touch the grass every morning to check for moisture and it's there. Pheasants are resilient. Numbers might not be as high as 2020, but we can all rest assured that the ones we hunt are the toughest SOB's that Mother Nature could crank out. ;)
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LOL.. (y)
 
Benelli-banger has highlighted a point that will be important this fall. Many guys who hit ND and MT will stop short this year… increased pressure for SD. Guess it isn’t worth thinking about since all you guys are confident in the eternal spring of pheasants in this state.
 
That could happen, but SD is dry enough that those hunters probably go back to their usual spots if they’re gonna go at all; MT and ND open a week earlier, allow hunting at sunrise, and MT has a season-long license...the power of relationships can’t be overstated...good to see the farmers/locals, especially when times are tough...years like this you go see your farmer friends...might do them some good, not just your $ or swag you give them, but your ear, your heart, your soul. Tough times for those folks...only show when bird #’s are up it tells them something. Go, take in a farm kids’ football game some Friday night, be extra hospitable—smoked fish, wild rice, maple syrup, whatever...be a friend...better than the hunting itself. There will be enough birds to entertain both man and dog...especially when you realize some hunters stayed home. Look at the SD 511 map that has the roadside cameras...the ditches I’ve looked at are green and pretty lush, some have water in them. I was in SD a month ago, surprising amounts of water in sloughs in my areas...good bird carryover, no cool and wet weather this past 3 weeks, but yes, hot and dry...I’m getting chick reports...there will be decent #’s...🤓
 
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Golden Hour said:
I'm in NESD and it isn't dire. It's dry, but it isn't like 2012. We do need rains, but I touch the grass every morning to check for moisture and it's there. Pheasants are resilient. Numbers might not be as high as 2020, but we can all rest assured that the ones we hunt are the toughest SOB's that Mother Nature could crank out. ;)
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2012 was pretty bad. Hunting that season, I remember how dusty everything got - gun, boots, nasal cavities, truck. It was a little different in timing than this year's dryness. As I recall, it didn't get really bad until later in the summer & into fall. Bird populations really didn't reflect it until 2013. Similarly, I don't think most areas of the state will notice a significant population change THIS year because of spring's drought. But if conditions don't improve, we'll probably notice it next year. My opinion, regarding 2012-13, was that birds went into winter in tough shape because of drought. Then they either took a big hit over winter, or weren't in good enough shape to manage much of a nesting season. Or both.
 
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A5 Sweet 16 said:
2012 was pretty bad.
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That was the worst year in terms of heat and dryness that I can recall in the past 2 decades here...until now. The hunting in fall 2012 wasn't bad - it was the following 2 seasons that were really poor, with 2014 being the bottom of the barrel. The winter of 2012-2013 and 2013-2014 were really severe which also did not help the hunting in fall of 2014.

They did recover pretty well within about 2-3 seasons but I would prefer not to go back down to that level again. I am hoping for adequate moisture and not blistering hot weather the rest of summer.
 
For every NIMBY there's three "welcome stranger", one being a Mister Todd near Salem.

Last year I drove out with the intent of a DIY hunt, sleeping in the little trailer, parking wherever, and cooking meals.
After driving straight through parked and settled in... think it was around Oct 18/19..storm blew in and the Lil Buddy space heater did its job... come time next day and not much had changed weather wise except it was light. Put on everything I brought in the clothes department and headed towards the field.
Before I could get off the road, a big dually pulled up and asked... Did you sleep in that thing (6x10) last night?... yes sir.... How'd you keep warm?.... barely.... Well, I've got a garage you can pull besides and park, in fact, the trailer not inside, so you can pull in.
Gave me his number and drove off.
Mamma didn't raise no foo, at the end of the day I called.
Mister Todd put me up for 5 days, shower included and put me on birds on his.........3,000 acres.
Invited me back.

So ya, some day they'll be no birds... be no farmers....be no "life as we knew it"... but until there's no more Mister Todds, worrying about pheasants won't be on my list...
 
Half it and you've got a pretty good approximation of South Dakota's actual figures for wild birds.
 
Great report Good Boy!

That's at least half the reason we go. To make relationships with good people. The other half is for the dogs. If there was another half remaining, it would be to shoot a limit.

Thanks for sharing.
 
s.davis said:
Half it and you've got a pretty good approximation of South Dakota's actual figures for wild birds.
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Those stats the GF&P issue do NOT include birds released on preserves. The 250,000 or so pen-reared birds shot (of a 1/2 million or so released) are in ADDITION to those stats.
 
I've always been curious how they come up with harvest numbers. I'm guessing hunter surveys entered into a statistical formula and then an average applied to the number of hunters. I have no reason to doubt South Dakota because I think people are very honest there, but I still think it's more than a little dubious that GFP cancelled the brood survey/roadside counts:sneaky:
 
The "rainbows and unicorns" brigade have definitely all weighed in and had their say. I maintain that if we continue to chart the same course that children born today will never know what good wild bird hunting looks like.
 
labrador said:
The "rainbows and unicorns" brigade have definitely all weighed in and had their say. I maintain that if we continue to chart the same course that children born today will never know what good wild bird hunting looks like.
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I think a lot of people are in agreement with your assessment. If I could wave a magic wand and reduce the earths population, eliminate all herbicides and insecticides, increase the amount of fallow land full of wild grass perfect for nesting and loafing habitat, and quadruple the amount of public hunting land I would do so quick as a cat. As I am just a simple man with no magic, I will continue to tell people I know about the importance of habitat improvement, and pheasant hunt every day possible with my 4-legged friend. I will do everything in my power to help wild birds, and beyond that, I will spend my time in the pheasant fields enjoying every minute of it. I am glad you are worried about the future of wild bird hunting, I am too. Don't let it paralyze you, do what you can and continue the tradition. If the end of wild bird hunting is inevitable, that doesn't mean I'm going to stop while I still can.
 
A5 Sweet 16 said:
Those stats the GF&P issue do NOT include birds released on preserves. The 250,000 or so pen-reared birds shot (of a 1/2 million or so released) are in ADDITION to those stats.
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Not necessarily. If a person goes to a pay to play place and told they are hunting wild birds(and are actually hunting pen raised), they are still sent a hunting survey from the government Because they have bought a regular hunting license. This is a fact. Sometimes it takes a while for a novice to tell the difference between wild and pen raised roosters.
 
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