brood report

B

benelli-banger

Well-known member
heard from a farmer that the broods he is seeing are large and the chicks are small at this point...smaller than a baseball...wet conditions may have delayed nesting this spring...
 
Weather reports I'm seeing in the area I hunt have looked warm and not too wet this month. Definitely could use a year with a nice big hatch.
 
Good to hear BB. It will be interesting to see how things shake out. I’m guessing the nesting was delayed, hens were probably in rough shape though so perhaps we will see smaller brood sizes. If they did delay the weather has cooperated thus far but we still have a few months to go. Report from my area (Kimball) is that they are starting to see some nice broods. Fingers crossed
 
We saw our first hen with 2 chicks near Ethan on the pavement. Grass in the ditches is well over a foot tall already so unless the chicks are on the roads cant tell yet. We have seen a fair share of roosters tending all spring but the cold wet cycle we have had all spring may have hurt the early hatch
 
Drove from Portal ND to Chamberlain sd over the last few days. Spent some time off blacktops between Hoven and Ft Thompson. We did not see any hatches, but seen quite a few bords, for the time of day it was. There is thousands of acres of ground that didnt get planted, and it looked like plenty of Prevent Planting of oat cover crop also. Grass is very high everywhere, so nesting conditions should be good. I spent some time spraying thistles on my Chamberlain property, and did not see any nesting action going on there, but seen plenty of roosters on our road. I think nesting is still going on for the most part. Only seen one hen cross the road.
 
under all these unusual conditions, when the roadside count is published this fall, it will likely be somehow skewed. so many factors to consider.
 
I'm hearing some real good reports & I'm not surprised at all to hear them. Although we always complain about winter, it was actually relatively mild. I'd think the hens should've been in better condition than usual in most parts of the state. That, aligned with better nesting cover than usual & no big catastrophic weather events should lead to a good hatch & good brood success. Either way, how it's reflected in the fall brood count report is anybody's guess. As I've trumpeted before, the survey report is a poor indicator of short-term changes in bird numbers. You can use it to see long-term trends, but unfortunately that's about all it's good for.
 
In my part the state it was the worst winter since 96 97, I am seeing young chicks but so far small broods or that is what I am seeing.
 
Hypothetical scenario.

A Farm after hunting season has 500 birds. 400 hens and 100 Cocks
Severe winter kills 300 hens and 25 Cocks.
Going into Spring nesting we now have 100 hens and 75 cocks
Each hen averages 4 chicks that make it to maturity for opening day.
Let’s assume chicks are 50/50 split Hens / Cocks
So now you have 300 hens and 275 cocks for 575 total birds.
So if my math is even close. The “Farm” should be ok for this coming fall hunting season.
 
UplandHntr said:
How many acres is your hypothetical farm?
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The percentages will stay relatively the same. My point I guess is the hatch is more important than winter survival.
The farm I hunt in SD has 10 sections but I would say only a couple would be considered shelter belts for Winter survival.
 
Hockey Bob makes a great point. You would much rather see a favorable spring in combination with a bad winter than a easy winter and terrible spring. I have seen many of times high winter survival and the hunting is not as good because of a poor hatch.
 
My point was the harsh winter vs. a great spring and the overall impact it has to the bird numbers. On good years, the area I hunt will hold bird numbers as Hockey Bob has described. We are discussing the hatch and the conversation turns into a pay for play.
 
moedogee said:
Yes the hatch is most important to end numbers. But Hockey Bob doesn't make a good point. His figures are grossly skewed. Unless hes talking about the Warne Ranch or properly managed habitat! their aren't 10 pheasants per farm in the region where I live!! He must not live in South Dakota or has hunted only planted birds!
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Moegoggie,

I can promise you the farm I hunt is 100% wild birds. He leaves quality habitat and the birds thrive. 10 pheasants per farm? I see 10 pheasants in the first 100 yards of a tree line. What are you hunting a plowed field? Please tell me what county you’re hunting so I know never to go over that way and waste my time. The farm I hunt is not a commercialized operation. Just a working farm and a love for wildlife. About 7-10 years ago it was nothing to see 500 birds in a day.
 
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