Goosemaster
Well-known member
What's a food plot?
Kind of public land?
- Thread starter Wise12375
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Goosemaster
Well-known member
Yeah it's that cold!
roadscholar
Active member
Yes, but I'll add that some of my favorite CREP spots have pretty big areas of cattails, and at this point in the season I'd only be hitting the cattails.
There are definitely a bunch of CREP spots that are all or mostly grass, and are great early and mid-season, but are pretty much out of play by late-season.
Another reason I like hunting CREP spots is that I really like shooting lead shells instead of non-tox.
Goosemaster
Well-known member
I found a crep spot near aberdeen that had a lake.There were 4 roosters in the shoreline cattails. They all outsmarted us.Ine flew when I got out of the truck. The others held.I walked this thing, and 3 flushed near the truck,on the way back! I didn't get a shot.Very smart.
benelli-banger
Well-known member
I’d expect you to choose CRAP over CREP….
benelli-banger
Well-known member
I hear you. Was just thinking in terms of the OP heading out in 10 days…I’d look at it all, but I’d focus on WPA/GPA, especially after such dry conditions this summer.
Bob Peters
Well-known member
My thoughts/experience with crep, and this is going back 3 years, I hunted south Dakota for pheasants the 1st time. I pretty much went in blind. Stayed in Huron, what a great town. Wish I had my picture made with the giant pheasant. The crep spots out there were really great cover. My understanding is crep is a gov't program tied to a specific waterway in hopes of helping water quality. In this case the James River. So most crep spots I tried had lots of cattails and pheasants(late January I was there). I also found a walk in area that was the most loaded spot I've ever hunted. A thick cattail slough on it, a 
field with a bunch of stubble a few hundred yards away. Birds walking back and forth, flying in from all directions. I bet if I had Kristi on speed dial, she'd even have come out to hunt it with me. I tried a few WPA's that trip that I'm not sure what happened, they were almost devoid of cover. I was a rookie so I still tried them, I think they were the only spots I never saw a bird. I tried a rare GPA, it was good cover, we flushed a flock of pheasants in close range but I didn't shot, right on the line of the meanest fence I've ever seen. It was 5 strands of new barb wire tighter than a camel's a$$ in a sandstorm. Short and sweet, check GPAs, WPAs, WIAs, and CREP. You'll need to lay eyes on them to assess. School lands do not go out of your way to scout, these are the worst by far. But if you happen to drive by, still rubber-neck a little, you never know.
field with a bunch of stubble a few hundred yards away. Birds walking back and forth, flying in from all directions. I bet if I had Kristi on speed dial, she'd even have come out to hunt it with me. I tried a few WPA's that trip that I'm not sure what happened, they were almost devoid of cover. I was a rookie so I still tried them, I think they were the only spots I never saw a bird. I tried a rare GPA, it was good cover, we flushed a flock of pheasants in close range but I didn't shot, right on the line of the meanest fence I've ever seen. It was 5 strands of new barb wire tighter than a camel's a$$ in a sandstorm. Short and sweet, check GPAs, WPAs, WIAs, and CREP. You'll need to lay eyes on them to assess. School lands do not go out of your way to scout, these are the worst by far. But if you happen to drive by, still rubber-neck a little, you never know.benelli-banger
Well-known member
19 quarter sections were enrolled in CREP within 4 miles of my land in SD this year, half of it within 1-2 miles…it will take a year or two for the prairie grass stands to grow that were planted. Most of the land has some low areas with cattails, not too much overall…it’ll resemble CRP of 30+ years ago. But I’ve seen some CREP with large cattail sloughs as well…but most of it that I’ve seen is primarily stands of CRP-type grasses that are open to public hunting. Always exceptions, I’d look at all public land in the area you’re hunting…especially if it’s next to picked corn. CRP, and CREP, are mostly farmable acres that have some marginal aspects to them, I would say. WPA’s, by contrast, are usually wet areas that probably haven’t been farmable…too low, too wet, too overrun with cattails. But great thermal cover, especially when frozen. But the 19 quarters that were enrolled in CREP do contain some small/medium portions of low ground on each quarter or half section or full section that are good for the birds…I hunted a number of those spots for most of 2021 thanks to a farmer friend that had hunting rights...those spots were already in CRP. I’m no expert, just have hunted 6 or 8 CREP spots over the past 5-10 years, and have now seen this 3120 acres that just went in. Very lucrative for the landowner, but so is renting it at $200+ per acre. Definitely a good thing…
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19 quarter sections were enrolled in CREP within 4 miles of my land in SD this year, half of it within 1-2 miles…it will take a year or two for the prairie grass stands to grow that were planted. Most of the land has some low areas with cattails, not too much overall…it’ll resemble CRP of 30+ years ago. But I’ve seen some CREP with large cattail sloughs as well…but most of it that I’ve seen is primarily stands of CRP-type grasses that are open to public hunting. Always exceptions, I’d look at all public land in the area you’re hunting…especially if it’s next to picked corn. CRP, and CREP, are mostly farmable acres that have some marginal aspects to them, I would say. WPA’s, by contrast, are usually wet areas that probably haven’t been farmable…too low, too wet, too overrun with cattails. But great thermal cover, especially when frozen. But the 19 quarters that were enrolled in CREP do contain some small/medium portions of low ground on each quarter or half section or full section that are good for the birds…I hunted a number of those spots for most of 2021 thanks to a farmer friend that had hunting rights...those spots were already in CRP. I’m no expert, just have hunted 6 or 8 CREP spots over the past 5-10 years, and have now seen this 3120 acres that just went in. Very lucrative for the landowner, but so is renting it at $200+ per acre. Definitely a good thing…
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All that habitat should raise alot of birds
benelli-banger
Well-known member
Expect so….time will tell!
roadscholar
Active member
Yeah I agree, this time of year WPA/GPA are the best bet. Some of the shelterbelts on GPA's can be loaded at this point, especially since quite a few of them sit right next to food plots.
benelli-banger
Well-known member
Yes…