Late Season

J

JDBLU

New member
My only saving grace to making it to SD this year may come between Christmas and New Year's. Other than good odds of it being colder than a well digger's butt in Siberia, what else would I be up against? Last November was my first trip and I was shocked at the landscape and how little cover there really is other than the cattails. I can't imagine where all the birds go when the snow knocks down what cover is there...plus I hear they get real spooky as the season goes on.
Hope things work out, I'm sure you guys that live within a few hours away know how lucky you are.

Thanks, John
 
They get real spooky. Since they tend to bunch up it makes for more ears and eyes to know you're coming. Best places to find them is slough and tree groves. Only issue you might encounter other than that is the snow melts and refreezes. Can make it terrible tough on dogs pads.
 
Besides potential cold and wind the biggest obstacle could be snow. I've seen many a year when the snow was so deep in December that it was impossible to get into the fields to hunt and my season was over before Christmas. If that happens just stay home and wait for next year.
 
The birds will migrate quite a distance to good cover. Where you found them in knee high grass in october, they are now in head high cattails and trees. While I agree that the big groups will be spooky, if the cover is good some will decide to try and stick it out. I know once last year in a long tree belt, we hunted the same cover twice putting birds up. Then we stood by the truck while the dogs went down and put up several more. If the conditions are right with some snow the hunts can be spectacular.
 
Up side to late season;

It's normally cold, so the dogs work harder vs. early season/warmer temps.
There's normally snow cover so tracking is possible.
Birds are bunched up. Once you find them your into birds--a lot of them;).
You'll see more birds in the late season than any other time of year.
Very few hunters/pressure.
Lodging is cheaper in the late season.
Birds stay frozen in the cooler so no ice necessary.

The down side to late season;

Hen to rooster (flush) ratios can be low. (With that said, a few years back I spent a week hunting the late season. For some reason the roosters wouldn't come into roost until after dark:confused:.

That week was a hunting trip with nothing but hundreds of hen flushes through-out each day. The week after that, the roosters moved back to normal roosting habitats/patterns and hunters were back to dropping roosters.)

Birds can be jumpy. In some fields, you'll get a few yards within the field and the birds are already flushing at the other end. Still a nice sight to see!

Some of the roads may be snow covered and very difficult to travel on in late season. Unfortunately a few of those roads are the only way into some good public lands so it may be a case of park the truck and start walking to the site. No big deal.

Most of your hunting will be in thick cattails, though they do move within grassy areas too--weather and snow cover effect this greatly.


P.S.--if I had my choice as to when to hunt wild pheasants in SD it would be (hands down) December/late season. That's my personal preference;).

Hope that helps!
Nick
 
I agree with 1pheas4 and actually prefer to hunt the late season as the crowds are gone, cooler temps for the dogs although the birds are really spooky.

Also agree with Dakotazeb if the snow is too deep it is just too tough to hunt.

If you want to shoot a rooster that you want to take to the taxidermist December is the best time to get one, their colors are really great.
 
Late season can be a lot of fun, but you have to be prepared for anything. I usually get to ND between Christmas and New Years. Sometimes it can be 45 degrees, other years 20 below. From no snow to six foot drifts. The days are short and the birds are usually flocked up so it can be tough to get close. Sometimes, especially if there is a little fresh snow and it is foggy, they will sit really tight. It is always fun!

Jerry
 
Everything you have heard so far is true. While there are many good reasons for late-season hunting, it is not for the timid. Most of the birds in my freezer are shot in December, for a variety of reasons. However, I've been in the field when it was so cold, both me and the dog had frosted beards. I've also had to change a tire twice with temps in single digits, and with the truck nearly buried in a snow drift.

The biggest thing to remember for these late-season excursions is to hunt smart. You must hunt into the wind, not slam doors, and no talking once you exit the vehicle. Otherwise, you'll just continue to educate birds even further.
 
Exciting thread!

We'll experience our first late season SD hunt this year:thumbsup: We went right before Thanksgiving 2 years ago and did well, but the birds really weren't bunched up yet (wasn't really a "bunch" of birds...).

I wasn't brave enough to hunt with just dad and the boy in December. I'm not scared of snow or wide open spaces, but SD seems to have a lot of both and I can see how being in the wrong place, at the wrong time, could spell disaster for the unprepared.

I'm hoping that after the big groups of birds are broken up that I'll be able to take my "pointy dogs" and hunt up a few tight-sitting singles. I'm also hoping like heck that we don't have top-crusted snow or I'll be :mad: and :(. A fresh dusting and bitter cold to make 'em hold tight would sure get a :D outta me though.

If nothing else, I'm confident my son will see more birds in one week of SD late season than he's seen in the past 5 years of hunting in KS:cheers:
 
There has been some great advice on this thread. I hunt 4 times a year. Opening weekend, End of October, Thanksgiving and Christmas. These are the only times I can get back to ND to hunt. I enjoy the late season Hunting mainly because you see more birds bunched up (which can be a really cool site), and its harder or at least you usually have to work harder to get your limit.

I find more important to us posters/blockers in late season hunting, as birds are more spooky and quite often right when you enter a tree row, field, or sleugh birds take off. But, you can sometimes find 1 or 2 roosters that hang back and don't flush with the group.

Sometimes there is too much snow and you can't get to fields, and I mean any fields, or you snow is banked so that u can't walk tree rows or ditches are so full of snow all grass is covered. This was mentioned above (DakotaZeb). and it will ruin your hunt. If this is the case I would stay home, not really worth it.

Best places to hunt in December are tree rows, cattails, and food plots of standing corn. There could be some unharvest Corn in the Dakotas this year with the late harvest and I would think hunting in tree rows and cattails near fields of corn left over the winter would be real good.


Hope this helps.
 
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I've spent a lot of time hunting late season in SD when I lived there.

What I enjoy about it:
Tracking birds since you can see their prints in the snow.
Low pressure as not many hunters are out.
Dogs do not get tired like they do early season.
Birds hold super tight and think if you keep walking and they sit there they will not be found. I've had I think 6 birds (4 hens, 2 roosters) brought to me by my lab because they held tight and he was able to grab them without me ever even seeing them or shooting.
The snow knocks over the grass and makes a type of "canopy/shelter" underneath the snow/grass that the birds stay in.
Cattails are amazing to hunt late in the year.
You can look at vehicle tracks and footprints in the snow to determine how hard, or if at all the area has been hunted that day.

What I dislike about it:
Contrary to what I posted above about birds. They can also be super birdy and flush hundreds of yards out.
Be quiet when you close your car doors because slamming them may spoke the birds out of your area.
Make sure your gun will actually work in freezing cold or even negative temps, had one friend who's firing pin would always freeze up below zero degrees.
Snow can be too deep some years to even walk through. A quarter mile feels like 10 miles.
Dress warmer than you think, it's easier to take off layers then add layers.
Could get stuck in parking lot.
Be careful of blowing wind and roads drifting shut during your hunt.

I forgot to add, I absolutely would not venture out if your vehicle does not have 4-wheel drive. It is pretty much a must have.
 
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Deep snow is not too bad if you have snow shoes. I know what you mean about the dogs catching birds in the snow. I have had to quit a couple of times because of that. (no way to teach her to only catch roosters)

4WD is good, but still carry a shovel. Once, I was sailing down a bare road near dark and didn't see a drift by an old farmstead in time. About two feet deep and 100 yds long. Without a shovel I probably would have been there until the next day. As it was it took almost an hour to dig out.

Jerry
 
thanks to all, great advice. It's funny how something so simple could make such a difference....i.e. woulda never thought to throw a shovel in the truck, we just don't see that much snow around here.

I think it's going to come down to a very last minute decision based on the weather....I kind of figured it could swing either way really fast as last November we were hunting in perfect weather....the day we left the temps dropped by 20 degrees and the wind kicked up to around 30 mph. Big change with very little warning.

Again thanks to all....I can't wait!
 
4WD is good, but still carry a shovel. Once, I was sailing down a bare road near dark and didn't see a drift by an old farmstead in time. About two feet deep and 100 yds long. Without a shovel I probably would have been there until the next day. As it was it took almost an hour to dig out.

Jerry[/QUOTE]

This is great advice!!!!!!!!!! I always carry a grain shovel in the back on my truck. Its a must. Bring 2 if you are going with another guy. Well worth it.
 
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