Cold Weather

Pudelpointer breeder from Ohio is coming out to hunt Friday Sat. Sunday. Not good timing but will do my best to get him on some birds. 7 in at Lyons now.

SOB, uncle buck, I thought maybe you had died or something. Been checking the obituaries in your area. One of these days I'm gonna load up hightail and head up there. Not for the hunting but just so we can hang out at the bar in artesia. What is the forecast for the week between Christmas and New Years? I lost my personal phone so I don't know high rials number but I MIT USB show up at his house on a Friday and say let's go, call in sick next week!!!
 
david0311

WallyG, I talked to a friend in Aberdeen this morning and they had 3" on the ground and still snowing. I think they are suppose to get around 6" and the wind is suppose to blow 30+ mph today but diminish this evening.

You are right, could be some good hunting if you can handle the cold. As I've gotten older my tolerances for both heat and cold have gotten less. Think I'll stay in the house until it warms up a little. :)

Just finished hunting with a group at Hosmer west of Aberdeen the 4th-5th and 6th colder than he--37 below wind chill one morning in -30s other mornings themp actual yesterday -27 wind chill -46--brutal--truck jelled up had to get tow truck from 50 miles away---

Can"t wait to go again---:rolleyes::rolleyes::cheers:
 
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Yep, I pansied out and went fishing yesterday morning.. Actually, it was fine.. Wouldve been better of the fish cooperated.. Seen 4 coyotes.. Stayed in the truck.. Headed back home last night.. tail between my legs..

Theres better days a comin..
 
Well, I hunted Friday, Sat. and Sunday. I have a frostbitten triger finger. We were not terribly efficient, but saw a lot of birds and other wildlife. Sunday was ok. Lots of points, three roosters. 4 birds total, 4 missed. Alot of the birds were in the small private slews and came out late on Friday to eat. Probably first time they were out after Thursday. We had to sit and watch birds get back into the grass from corn and beans and try to get them the last 45 minutes Friday and Sat.
The dog I took Friday actually refused to go in the last field with me. After two fields and thawing out in the Sub they were wet, 1/4 " water in the bottom of the crate and she just did not want to go out for round three. Seemed to be a foot issue. When she refused to move after I crossed the fence, she was actually trying to stand on her front feet only. She had limited success. The fluffy snow, temps and re-freeze was too much apparently as I have hunted crusted snow in -10 temps and did not seem to have a problem. I may not go out in that stuff again.
 
thats my fear to head to SD late season or western MN my dog seems to stop all the time after awhile out in the field due to snow between her toes & turning to ice chunks its ruff on there feet i mite have to try some of that stuff mushers or dog sleders use on there dogs pads during races???

anybody got the name of the stuff again??? mushers something??? cant remember...

man i seen some crazy SOBs out on the ice the day after thanksgiving out in SD the one lazy guy even drove his ATV out along the shore line to his spot 100-150 yards from his truck that is a 1st for me i could of damn near hit his truck from his fishing spot with a rock??? & to bring ur ATV??? also seen 6 snow geese on the same lake looking confused???
 
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We braved the conditions and hunted near Aberdeen Thurs-Sun. Thursday was the worst day conditions-wise, with Friday a close second. As the wind subsided on Saturday being outside was more bearable. We scratched out a two-man limit on Friday, and came up a couple birds short the other days. Birds were holding tight on Thursday in the wind, but we found a lot of them out in the fields on Friday and Saturday. If you could find good cover, you found some birds, especially because the snow had drifted so much of the cover.
 
Heading out to S.D. again Wednesday

Kind of excited, have a new guy going with us. He is a hard core pheasant guy just not in S.D. Nice to have an extra dog along. Just heard from a buddy of mine who is not able to join us but is letting me/us hunt his land anyhow!! Food plots and low spots full of birds last week!!! Having said that, you never know about these late season trips, may or may not see birds and can you get close to them is the challenge. I will keep you updated as our adventure unfolds!! :cheers:
 
A record a day

We four North Carolinians hunted the Platte area, Thu-Sat. Each day we were there set that day's low temp. record for Platte. Can't say that I value the honor of it. We have no dog (sounds like if we did, the critter would've wussed out); the ditches were full of snow, so that wasn't an option for us; our farm had been fully harvested, and there were just no birds on it.

We tried several GPA's, and found a few there, most flushing far away. I got one unlucky rooster at 20 feet with steel; the other four we got we saw on the road near milo patches that were likely commercial operations--no one was using them, that we saw as we drove miles and miles. How on earth do you keep your trigger finger warm? The rest we could endure--had five layers up top, three below, and a balaclava--but even with gloves inside of mittens, I couldn't keep sensation in the finger if I had it exposed, even in a second glove.

That's the risk we run, when we have to buy plane tickets in advance:
We are locked into going, regardless of the weather; some years it has worked well, some not. This year was the ultimate not.
Beach004
 
One of my Britts loved cold weather. She had no problem hunting in temperatures hovering around 10 above. In fact I am pretty sure she loved it. She tended to "over heat" a little even when temps were in the 50s - so chilly was good.

One day we hunted the temps around 10F, I had missed a couple birds early and we headed to the prime spot to hunt to sunset. Well we got two roosters and when we started the truck and headed into town, the temp gauge said -6.

I really do not like hunting below say 10F, too many clothes needed and I hate wearing anything on my hands. Also fear frostbite on my dogs nose.

All my dogs get preoccupied with snow balls in their paws. The best trick to avoid that issue it to get on birds. :thumbsup:
 
it's called Musher's Secret. I have some, good protectant for pads during the winter.
http://www.amazon.com/Mushers-Secre...e=UTF8&qid=1386630974&sr=8-3&keywords=mushers

thatnks ZOELLNER25 i will have to get some for sure i want to leave like the 16th-17th if i orders some now hope i gets here in time???

late season a hunting dog is a MUST i would never think of hit n the fields after NOV with out a bird dog you walk past so many birds & they run circles around you so much its not even funny... you will walk all day in a area loaded with pheasants & not even see a bird its that simple... the birds you do see are lucked into or pushed out of thick winter cover in hoards... also the birds are all flocked up so its feast or famine once you find 1 bird more are in close proximity most times... if not you caught the last straggler to leave the area... i good hunting dog late season is priceless...
 
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IMO pheasant hunting without a dog is a waste of time and a way to leave cripples you can never find no matter what time of year
 
Hunt 12/3-12/7

Been planning on making a trip to SD for awhile and the plans kept getting moved...truck broke down, family death...kinda sounds like a country song. So when time, truck and family permitted I was off to SD regardless of weather forcast...we all know the weather men are never right.

Well now that I'm thawed out I can give you my report. Saw birds everyday, took shoots everyday, killed birds everyday. Had my two pointing labs with me and saw some nice dog work and they found every bird I did hit. Was finding the birds in the catails and tree rows/shelter belts. I ended up coming home with 10 roosters and a bunch of memory.

Was it the most severe weather conditions I have ever hunted in, yes...did I get my truck stuck in a snow drift, yes...did I get frostbite, yes...would I do it again...you bet your bottom dollor I would!
 
Hunting before Thanksgiving

Four of us went the week of Thanksgiving and did very well. Only one of us did not get a limit and he had LOTS of opportunities. Most crops were out of the fields and that improved the hunting from the month before. Not as many birds as in previous years, but I think there was more than last year--just my opinion.

We hunt the center part of state from Pierre north to Mobridge and from the River east 50 miles or so.

As long as the winter isn't too bad I think numbers may come up if they let the ditches grow back and not emergency hay the CRP.
 
Late season hunting

Hunted for years late season in Kansas, first 2 weeks of Jan best hunting and tricky birds, always have done well, the older I get the less I like the cold weather, brittanies love it. SD was cold in Nov minus 4 to 20 above did not see the birds like last year we managed to scratch out 20 roosters.
 
IMO pheasant hunting without a dog is a waste of time and a way to leave cripples you can never find no matter what time of year

yes so so true early season you can get birds with out a dog but once you wing 1 & its lost you are F***** a dog in that instance is priceless... thats the main reason i got a hunting dog i was tired of walking around all day to only wing a bird & lose it a good dog is a must late season especially... other wise your just out there for a walk with a gun...
 
Dogless in SD

I won't argue for an instant that we didn't need a dog; as a devoted quail hunter for 50-plus years, I would never attempt that, without one. But our choices are not great. Either we add three days to our trip, each end, to drive out from North Carolina with a dog (assuming any dog born in NC could endure what we encountered--drifted snow, a low of minus 19 and never above zero for 4 days); or we hire a guide with dog each day, greatly adding to the expense of an already costly trip, and I think locking us into also booking a pay-to-play spot, since I don't think guides work independently and would hunt ditches with us. That said, we are considering all options, between now and next fall.
Beach004
 
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