Any one finding birds?

S

segbert

New member
Were having a hard time finding birds this weekend, we are hunting around Hutchinson. I have a Navy vet with me that im trying to get on his first bird if anyone wants to send some guidance
 
The weather this weekend was really tough. To hot and dry for good bird work by the dogs. When it is warm and windy the pheasants are going to run much more than normal.

It will get easier if we get a little rain and it cools off.
 
segbert said:
Were having a hard time finding birds this weekend, we are hunting around Hutchinson. I have a Navy vet with me that im trying to get on his first bird if anyone wants to send some guidance
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go west, very few birds near Hutch...
 
Numbers thin in NW.
 
My friend just finished up fall harvest and he called me tonight during all the bad weather you all are having and he said he saw quite a few smaller birds with no real color yet. Surprised to hear there are some that had such a late hatch. But good news if the cold doesn't get em.
 
Found just a few birds during opening weekend and managed my four birds with some good shooting. Very very little shooting on opening Saturday. I checked with several larger groups with supposedly good dogs and nobody brought any birds home. They thought I was lying when I told them I had an early limit and no dog. In fact, Bilbo II and I took an hour break to eat a second breakfast and rest his legs. It looks like the number of birds has not really improved much over the past two years of very poor hunting. Several farmer friends also confirmed my observation. Since we got our birds early we watch several combines cut 600 acres of corn and only one lone rooster and one cottontail came out during the very last pass. That is NOT good in my humble opinion.
 
Hunted opener

Warm and breezy moved around 15 phez a day first 3 days.Last 2 days moved 30 to 40 phez a day.also quail r way up moved 3 to 4 covies a day.
 
Headed out last night to hunt today, and hunted nearly all day... besides driving between fields. Had two in the bag plus a really nice covey of quail in the first field. Thought the day was going to go great, but those were the last roosters, or pheasant for that matter spotted all day. LOTS of hunters out, very few shots heard. It's going to take several more years of favorable conditions to bring numbers back to circa 2007 levels, and that's if the habitat is there. I should have taken my crappie pole with me.
 
The upland forecast put out was almost like propaganda. But, as I've said before even a big percentage of birds over last year still doesn't mean a bunch of birds. It will take several years of big percentage increases.
 
I'm still trying to understand why Kansas is a bird chasing mecca. The habitat is being destroyed. I was really impressed with Iowa's wildlife areas.
 
I hunted Marshal county yesterday and in my opinion overall it's not had good habitat for a very long time and I saw quite a few fields with dozers in them clearing out daws and many more that had recently been cleared. Talk to some area farmers and they all say " I don't know what's happened to the birds because we don't have them like we used to". Not sure what to say so just keep mouth shut.
 
duckn66 said:
I hunted Marshal county yesterday and in my opinion overall it's not had good habitat for a very long time and I saw quite a few fields with dozers in them clearing out daws and many more that had recently been cleared. Talk to some area farmers and they all say " I don't know what's happened to the birds because we don't have them like we used to". Not sure what to say so just keep mouth shut.
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We hunted Saline county on Saturday and found a few birds. Probably saw 30 pheasants, majority of them roosters, and busted 5 coveys of quail. We wound up with 8 roosters and 12 quail. Even though there weren't many, it was a lot more than the last 3 years. Weather was absolutely perfect. Saw some really nice bucks, and as you can see by the pic, we saw a lot of rabbits. It was my son's last hunt for awhile, he will be training next November for deployment and will be deployed for the year in 2017. Glad we were able to get this one in.
 
Last weekend

I hunted geese last weekend. Usually hunt pheasants 2nd or 3rd weekend with my dad but cousins getting married and he set up this hunt. We killed 54 geese and 4 ducks. No one has killed that many pheasant in decades. Everyone wants to know what happens to pheasants everything. Weather and habitat also farming practices.
 
Nice hunt! Always a good time with friends.

I remember the day there were very few Canada geese in these parts and the limit was 1 bird before a certain date and then 2 after that date. Those were the days when even seeing Canada geese fly over was a treat. We had special dark goose zones also. Great memories from the "good ole days".

Don't take waterfowl for granted because they can and will go away as quickly as they boomed in the middle 90s on. All it takes is no water in the duck factory and waterfowl hunting will fall from grace and popularity. It's big business these days with the younger generation who didn't get to hunt them in the days of slim pickings. Nobody was duck hunting in the early 90s because the limit was 2. Not much fun for the "killers" but great for the die hard dedicated because we had the marsh to ourselves!
 
I remember hunting them during the point system days in the 70's and 80's. If there were a bunch of different ducks flying you better know what you were shooting at.
 
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