Crazy weather

I saw 4 separate broods on gravels roads yesterday in the local grassland complex. None of them large, but I also didn't flush them out of the ditch either (to get a better count). SC MN. Saw a lone hun too.

Pheasants are resilient birds, and their number one goal right now, beyond surviving, is reproduction. Some will always find a way.
 
Large swaths of habitat in Iowa and Minnesota were under water during the peak hatch of early to mid-June. This most certainly had a negative impact on birds. Despite the high-water levels, the silver lining in 2024 is that many states witnessed a shift away from drought conditions with “seas” of green grass across the landscape, no emergency haying or grazing on CRP enrollments, and encouraging reports for our favorite upland bird.

PheasantsForever Update Above...
 
I did some scouting and knocked on doors over the weekend. Spent hours in my truck just driving around in Central MN.

I was able to secure permission to hunt at 14 of 15 spots I stopped at. The only spot I didn't gain access to was because no one was home.

I received mixed reports on pheasants. Some said they have seen a lot including hens with broods. Others said they haven't seen many. One guy said he's never seen so many in years. They all said that deer and wild turkeys are thriving. The corn in this area is very tall but it was planted a little late so it hasn't fully matured yet. It also hasn't been as warm so its not maturing as quickly as it normally would, so they think its going to be a late harvest. Plus its not worth much either, last I checked it was $3.37/bushel which is a pretty terrible price.

This area also did not receive the torrential flooding that areas to the southwest did in mid June.
 
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