Pockets of birds simply refers to where there is habitat there will be birds. The strips of CRP has gotten smaller and smaller so you have to drive further and further between area's. I don't know why they use the term pockets. I guess because they don't want to admit that our habitat has shrank and is disappearing.
That is not true. I lived in Decatur county for years and farming practices have changed drastically and so has the habitat. Farmers and landowners have everything to do with pheasant numbers. If we have habitat, regardless of weather, we will have plenty of birds. It is much easier to blame the weather instead of man taking blame himself. People will ruin anything given the chance.
Inlaws farm in SE Kansas. I am originally out West, moved to the east. We have been noticing alot more quail in SE Kansas. The last two Hatches have been fantastic, been seeing several coveys. I am still Baffled why there aren't pheasants in SE Kansas..Seems to be plenty of cover. If quail can make it, why can't phez? I also have read Pheasants are slowly moving east.?? Has anyone else ever heard that?
Good numbers of quail in my part of SEK (for 21st century standards). Multiple large coveys on all of the properties I hunt, including right by my house. I see them every day.
I don't disagree with your input, but I can tell you this family has not changed anything other than rotation. They still are big participants in the CRP programs, etc. and grow all sorts of stuff from wheat (for seed), corn, milo, and triticale. Of course they have all sorts of untouched draws, creek bottoms, etc. as well.
Well that's one family out of hundreds. There are lots of participants in CRP, unfortunately most of them allow grazing and cutting at the first opportunity. Very few leave it untouched during drought. They cut and bale every inch of grass along state/county highways and public utilities. Farmers have sprayed the ditches to the point it is barren dirt. Wheat stubble is an inch tall. They run a swather behind the combines. Seems like the big bales head to Texas. There are Texans with swathers knocking on doors as soon as emergency grazing goes into effect.
Funny you mention the wheat stubble because they cut it almost as high as the header will cut, just for the pheasant habitat. Again, they grow for seed and not just sending everything to the elevator. This is a really special family.
I guess you missed the point. We are not talking about one single farmer, we are talking about farming practices across the county. It is great that you have someone who manages ground that way, but they other 99% doesn't.
I used to have access to property that was farmed for birds, not crops and even that property was having a hard time producing birds. It was good for a rooster or two every time out, which was good for training kids and young dogs, but it was sold last spring. I think we will be heading to SD next year (have a couple other out of state hunts this fall). I have done some work up there and the amount of birds seen from the road is reminiscent of Kansas 20 years ago.
Very accurate in Iowa as well.
Report definitely only seems to be accurate on the Southwest area of the state. Seen good bird numbers moving out to cut fields near sunrise towards Garden and Scott City. Seen a very small fraction of those numbers when Im driving for feed lots that are north of I70.