Just my opionion!

B

Brad Lhotak

New member
First off I think the pheasant numbers will turn out to be higher this fall then what the survey reads. Atleast in my area we are having some very late hatchings. I have seen several broods that have hatched since they took the road surveys. I think alot of hens were still on the nest. Brookings county shows a 35% decline and at the time of the survey I would have believed it but the last two weeks I am starting to see a lot more broods coming up to the roads. We have had a very cool and wet summer. Haying was behind scedule, wheat harvest was behind scedule, and there is a ton of cover. Now that the hay is getting put up and the wheat is combined I am seeing a ton of birds but most of that was not done yet at the time of the survey.

Also as to the CRP where I guide they don't have any CRP. They just don't farm right up to the sloughs and leave food plots where there is good winter nesting grounds. There bird population only seems to get better every year I go back up there. But in the winter the birds have great food and nesting. Come nesting season there is plenty of grass edge around the sloughs for nesting. Also they no till which I believe helps alot not turning things black in the fall.

Just my opinion but I think things will be better this fall than the survey says even though the overall numbers of birds is still very good in the ten year average.
 
Brad, where are you located in relation to Arlington, which I think is in Brookings county and where we stay and hunt out of. We usually go a bit North and East around Lake Ponsett. How does that area look, it was down a bit last year. Is the roadside report available in printed form yet? Thx.
 
Imho

Brad, thanks for the update on the "variables" in SD pheasant pops.

I honestly cannot tell you if I have alot of birds on my farm or not. This seems to be a seasonal issue as cover gets heavy this time of year. 2 landowners 20 miles east of me say they are thinck but I don't see them.

Now I don't see a lot of deer anymore either and I know they were thick earlier this year which might explain the thick cover issue.

:confused:
 
Geno said:
Brad, where are you located in relation to Arlington, which I think is in Brookings county and where we stay and hunt out of. We usually go a bit North and East around Lake Ponsett. How does that area look, it was down a bit last year. Is the roadside report available in printed form yet? Thx.
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I am located about 8 miles east of Arlington. I have not been up by Poinsett much though.
 
Brad, thanks for jogging my memory, we do hunt on a couple farms in the Bruce area although I've never actually been in that town. We have done well on the farms, they are right across the raod from each other.
 
I have to agree with Brad and think that the Aberdeen area will have more birds than the survey indicated. We have so much cover this year due to the cooler and wetter conditions that I'm just not seeing that many birds. Before April 15th I was running the dogs on public land and seeing hundreds of birds. This past month I've had the dogs in the same areas and I'm seeing very few birds. They have to be someplace but I'm not seeing them. I wonder if the road survey didn't see them also.

Granted we had a tough winter up here but I was very encouraged by the number of birds I was seeing in April. I'm also seeing and hearing from others of a lot of late hatches.

Bottom line: Don't worry about it. There will be plenty of birds. But it will be a late season due to the amount of cover and late crops.
 
I have been suprised lately by the number of broods of young pheasants I have been seeing lately in Minnehaha County. I traveled 200+ miles NW of Sioux Falls on Monday talked to 3 farmers and got excellent reports from all three.
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RHODE ISLAND MARIJUANA DISPENSARIES
 
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