Aberdeen to Mitchell

[parkerman]

To give everyone a heads up:

Hunted in the Hecla area (N of Aberdeen and 3 miles S of N Dakota): Almost everything is under water, the cattails, grass, and corn. Maybe 5% of the corn is harvested most is still under water. I don't think that it will be taken out until the ground is totally frozen. Shot birds, only around corn though, most in the last hour. I have hunted the area for 5 years now, think the birds are less than the past few years although with corn up I could be wrong. They said the spring was wet and there were many areas where they weren't able to plant and I think the wetness affected the hatch.

Drove down south, as I approched the Huron area more corn was out. Say maybe 20-25%.

Down towards Mitchell I'd say 25-30%, of the corn is out. But at least the grass doesn't have standing water. The hotel says their bookings have been lite but they expect guys to start coming in Dec when more of the corn is out.

If you are coming out, bring rubber boots and wait 2 to 4 weeks if you can.

 

[UGUIDE]

Thanks for the report parkerman, that is good stuff.

 

[UplandHntr]

unfortunately it doesnt look like a freeze up will be happening in the next couple of weeks either.
Im headed to Waubay on the 2nd..here's hoping

 

[donnie_19]

Just left Mitchell on Sunday night. Hunted the previous 4 days. Combines are running hard but still probably 50% of the corn still standing.

 

[spc524]

I am planning to head out there in a couple of weeks and am looking for an update.

Has the recent colder weather changed the prospects of the corn harvest in the Aberdeen Area? Has it been cold enough to help the farmers get to any of the water logged fields? If not, would anyone care to guess how long it might take based on the current forecast?

How about ice on lakes, anything yet?

Any information will help. Thanks

 

[donnie_19]

Its going to have to freeze up to help the water logged fields. We spoke with a few farmers and the corn moisture was still to high to combine unless they had grain dryers. Harvest of corn north of Mitchell went well last week. As far as muddy fields, the day time temperature is not getting high enough to dry things out. Its been below freezing at night but only in the upper 20's and warming to upper 30's.

 

[tmrichardson]

I am planning to head out there in a couple of weeks and am looking for an update.

Has the recent colder weather changed the prospects of the corn harvest in the Aberdeen Area? Has it been cold enough to help the farmers get to any of the water logged fields? If not, would anyone care to guess how long it might take based on the current forecast?

How about ice on lakes, anything yet?

Any information will help. Thanks

Just got back from there. VERY, VERY poor hunting, worst I have seen in many years in that area. Combo of being as wet as it has been in a decade or so at this time of year and all the corn that is still in.

More of the corn is still up than harvest reports might lead you to believe...the 40% left or whatever it is now is highly centered in the NE part of the state if those numbers are accurate. It's coming out slowly--I didn't see a large amount of combines working even though some of the country looked like it was dry enough.

There's a couple of problems with corn right now. One is wet fields--it is getting cold now and that will improve. The other is moisture in the corn itself--that is a longer term problem. It's been pretty nice for awhile now but hasn't gotten warm enough to drive down the moisture in the corn very fast.

Lots of mold and lower than usual yields in the stuff I looked at. Fuel prices didn't drop this fall. Even when the corn comes off it's not going to be a great year for the farmers there.

I'd watch that area even if it gets a bit cold. Unless it really gets well below zero and forms good ice over all that water, I'd be worried about dogs. Right now it's holding them up long enough to nearly get them in trouble when they head out a bit and and fall through--but it's shallow where they do still and they can clamber out with their feet touching something.

Not all doom and gloom--some day it's going to be pretty good there I think...just not sure how long that will take to arrive at this point.

I'm hearing folks doing better further south in the state.

 

[safari]

Just got back from there. VERY, VERY poor hunting, worst I have seen in many years in that area. Combo of being as wet as it has been in a decade or so at this time of year and all the corn that is still in.

More of the corn is still up than harvest reports might lead you to believe...the 40% left or whatever it is now is highly centered in the NE part of the state if those numbers are accurate. It's coming out slowly--I didn't see a large amount of combines working even though some of the country looked like it was dry enough.

There's a couple of problems with corn right now. One is wet fields--it is getting cold now and that will improve. The other is moisture in the corn itself--that is a longer term problem. It's been pretty nice for awhile now but hasn't gotten warm enough to drive down the moisture in the corn very fast.

Lots of mold and lower than usual yields in the stuff I looked at. Fuel prices didn't drop this fall. Even when the corn comes off it's not going to be a great year for the farmers there.

I'd watch that area even if it gets a bit cold. Unless it really gets well below zero and forms good ice over all that water, I'd be worried about dogs. Right now it's holding them up long enough to nearly get them in trouble when they head out a bit and and fall through--but it's shallow where they do still and they can clamber out with their feet touching something.

Not all doom and gloom--some day it's going to be pretty good there I think...just not sure how long that will take to arrive at this point.

I'm hearing folks doing better further south in the state.

Huge CRP losses are really starting to weigh on SD pheasant population, especially in the east. The numbers we have become accustomed to are vanishing at the same pace as the grasslands. The 5 bird limit should have been instituted in 2007 when there were 12 million birds. We are headed back to 4 million with the quickness.

 

[TCroz]

Was hunting in Huron and Mitchell this past weekend. Now that the corn is coming out in Huron hunting was much better. Hunting near Woonsocket was a little disturbing. Much of the CRP is now tilled up or hayed. The birds and the cover were definitely down. On a trip when we usually see hundreds or even a thousand birds we saw half as much. Hunting was not like it has been. I am afraid we are going to be talking about the "Good Ole Days" sooner than we all think.

The incentive to plant row crop is much higher than the incentive to promote wildlife. With the Obama administration commited to going green and the alternative fuels push the chance of competitive CRP prices are not going to happen.