In country again....

B

benelli-banger

Well-known member
Wet, dewy morning...birds everywhere...saw 4-5 broods with 10 or more...interesting observation by a farmer I had dinner with...3 mornings in a week a game warden was slowly driving on his gravel road...one of those times he was totally stopped, no lights on, very foggy out...early am... sounds like they are doing the survey...this was about 1-2 weeks ago...maybe the gfp is having second thoughts about canceling the survey, especially in a good year!
 
BB - I would like to thank you for sharing your observations when you are in these trips to the country. I know for me they are very valuable getting some first hand observations even though I’m pretty sure your area is East of where we hunt. Still very much informative. Thanks!!
 
benelli-banger said:
Wet, dewy morning...birds everywhere...saw 4-5 broods with 10 or more...interesting observation by a farmer I had dinner with...3 mornings in a week a game warden was slowly driving on his gravel road...one of those times he was totally stopped, no lights on, very foggy out...early am... sounds like they are doing the survey...this was about 1-2 weeks ago...maybe the gfp is having second thoughts about canceling the survey, especially in a good year!
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what part of the state?
 
East River...not interested in giving away too much, this is my 6th trip out this spring/summer...I will say this, most everyone I have talked to is positive about this hatch...as I have said before, a quadrant with the river to the west, highway 12 on the north, 81 on the east, and I 90 on the south gives you a decent template to work with...I talk to farmers and hunters all over the state...literally...crops look really good, too...if they get harvested in a normal timeframe, it could be real good...they are starting to cut silage now in some areas...I think GFP is still running the survey based on the fact that the same warden was seen early in the morning 3 times in one week in the same spot, right in front of my buddies house...he lives on a county road...must be a route that they drive...my buddy questioned him and he gave some cryptic response...the 3rd time the warden was totally stopped in the middle of the road on a foggy morning...no lights on...HMMMM......:censored:
 
Awesome Report Banger!

getting hot and dry out west river where we hunt. Thankfully they had a lot moisture and the sloughs are still full of water. Buddy sent me video of a wildfire started by lightening last night. Fire department got it put out right away. he also sent a video of large broods on the dirt roads. They've had some nice dews in the morning before the 100 degree heat so that has helped.
 
Thanks for the report b-b. I'm pretty optimistic about the season too. That said, although the drought monitor doesn't look bad.....above ground it's REALLY dry in our area. If we don't get some decent rain in the next couple months, I'm afraid all those birds we've been so excited about all summer might enter winter in tough shape, similar to 2012.
 
A5 Sweet 16 said:
Thanks for the report b-b. I'm pretty optimistic about the season too. That said, although the drought monitor doesn't look bad.....above ground it's REALLY dry in our area. If we don't get some decent rain in the next couple months, I'm afraid all those birds we've been so excited about all summer might enter winter in tough shape, similar to 2012.
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I would think we're far enough along that we're past the critical point...if i recall correctly, things were bad in the spring and summer of 2012, inhibiting good growth of grass and other cover, and insects, too...that lack of cover hurt the birds come winter...but we had a pretty good spring and early summer this year..my area got over 10" of rain in june alone...cover is great, crops are great...an abundance of extreme heat could hurt the younger chicks I suppose...hopefully the highs stay under 100 degrees....
 
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benelli-banger said:
I would think we're far enough along that we're past the critical point...if i recall correctly, things were bad in the spring and summer of 2012, inhibiting good growth of grass and other cover, and insects, too...that lack of cover hurt the birds come winter...but we had a pretty good spring and early summer this year..my area got over 10" of rain in june alone...cover is great, crops are great...an abundance of extreme heat could hurt the younger chicks I suppose...hopefully the highs stay under 100 degrees....
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b-b, I'm sure you're right about the cover this year. Things look fabulous. Of course 2012 is going pretty far back for my feeble mind, but I don't remember cover being particularly sparse. I do recall things being dustier than usual. My clothes. Gun. Nose. Just dirty. I thought the birds just went into winter worn out due to the stress of heat & dryness. I guess if I was an upland game biologist, maybe I'd know better.
 
Getting some really positive reports out of South Dakota and Minnesota regarding cover, moisture and birds seen. I was in S.D mid-July and saw good #'s of birds, and cover was amazing !!! Can't wait for season.
 
I think the impact a drought can have depends on when it occurs, but I could be wrong. It would be especially detrimental it it impeded insect production in June and early July, so we dodged that. Also, it would hurt if it impeded the growth of the habitat, grass, etc...think we’re good there. If we had extended periods of extreme heat, that could hurt young chicks, but I think you’d need 100 degrees + for several days...I will keep my fingers crossed!🥳
 
B-B I appreciate your updates. I'm going to SD as long as I'm able regardless of the report....but it sure is fun to hear a boots on the ground report when I live 12 hours away. Can't get here soon enough
 
I saw a few birds in SD in late July, including the one that did this to my windshield. Sadly that rooster will not be around when I'm back in late October. I saw him and braked, but not like I would have if I had know he would do that much damage. The hen that got up at the same time stayed low and passed by the passenger side. The rooster tried to go over the top. He shorted it by about 8".
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matto said:
I saw a few birds in SD in late July, including the one that did this to my windshield. Sadly that rooster will not be around when I'm back in late October. I saw him and braked, but not like I would have if I had know he would do that much damage. The hen that got up at the same time stayed low and passed by the passenger side. The rooster tried to go over the top. He shorted it by about 8".
View attachment 180View attachment 180
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Must have been a 20#bird.o_O
 
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