Mid Season Speculation Anyone?

Deer and pheasants

Off topic, but one thing we might all agree on is when you mix those deer and pheasants in the same corn field you are pushing, holy crap, talk about close calls! We had deer running like locomotives right past us within a few feet in the corn, and the blockers had to actually get out of the way a few times this year. I just love to mix that excitement into a hunt. I wonder if anybody has ever been run over; I bet yes. It really gets your heart pumpin' when that happens. Gotta love it. Leaving for SD on Dec. 30th for the last week in the snow. Thanks for the heads-up on the license purchase after the 15th. I had forgot about that. Hey George,! don't worry, I won't forget the TM this time. Been reading that rule book.
 
I love hunting deer in standing corn!

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Back to 2nd half of pheasant season..

My second half for pheasants has been decent... The walleyes are pi$$ing me off though..
 
canthitathing said:
got a better idea, may munsterlander should just stay in his home state and not stick his nose in the SD forum....It seemed the conflict in here was gone but here it is again.:mad:
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Lets see a guy from Indiana who has been on here for maybe 4 months with a hand full of posts is deciding who can comment in the South Dakota part of the forum. You are right conflict is back. Now can we just let it lie.
 
Last half

I'm gonna spend the last week of the season hunting around Miller on public and some private. Should I hit some WPAs and try to hunt some cattails around water, or should I stay in the grass like I usually do. I only hunted one late season last year, but the ice was terrible and I should have stayed home. Should I look in heavier cover late season and around tree lines? I am not familiar with the late season bird at all, but I want to learn.
 
mgorvi said:
I'm gonna spend the last week of the season hunting around Miller on public and some private. Should I hit some WPAs and try to hunt some cattails around water, or should I stay in the grass like I usually do. I only hunted one late season last year, but the ice was terrible and I should have stayed home. Should I look in heavier cover late season and around tree lines? I am not familiar with the late season bird at all, but I want to learn.
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With the extremely cold temps we have had for the past couple of weeks ice should not be an issue. However, if the snow drifts into the cattails it can insulate the area and prevent ice from getting hard. I can attest. Years ago I was hunting the Sand Lake Refuge NE of Aberdeen. Temp that morning was close to -30. The open ice was fine but I cut through a thin strip of cattails to get back to solid ground and went through the ice up to my waist. One cold mother of a walk back to the vehicle parked about 3/4 of a mile away.

Seems the birds like the thicker cover of cattails, etc. late in the season. Especially on cold wind days. If it's warm and sunny they will be out feeding most of the day.
 
Late season

Good heads up on the ice within the cattails. Would have never occurred to me that could happen. I hunt alone mostly, and hunt areas in east sd that it could happen. You break through and get hurt in that weather and the coyotes start lickin' their chops.
 
mgorvi said:
I'm gonna spend the last week of the season hunting around Miller on public and some private. Should I hit some WPAs and try to hunt some cattails around water, or should I stay in the grass like I usually do. I only hunted one late season last year, but the ice was terrible and I should have stayed home. Should I look in heavier cover late season and around tree lines? I am not familiar with the late season bird at all, but I want to learn.
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Depends on snow depth. They can get under "grass" (the good stuff, switch, big bluestem etc) better than many think, but when it's cold and lots of snow, better check the slough out. Have seen a lot of birds around the small private sloughs in grainfields wher they just walk out of the slough eat and remain close to cover. They are bunching up some but not all. The ones that do not bunch up are more likely to sit. I had 12 points, three on roosters in one field Sunday in an hour and a half. One of my best hunts this year.
 
Dakotazeb said:
With the extremely cold temps we have had for the past couple of weeks ice should not be an issue. However, if the snow drifts into the cattails it can insulate the area and prevent ice from getting hard. I can attest. Years ago I was hunting the Sand Lake Refuge NE of Aberdeen. Temp that morning was close to -30. The open ice was fine but I cut through a thin strip of cattails to get back to solid ground and went through the ice up to my waist. One cold mother of a walk back to the vehicle parked about 3/4 of a mile away.

Seems the birds like the thicker cover of cattails, etc. late in the season. Especially on cold wind days. If it's warm and sunny they will be out feeding most of the day.
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Same thing happened to me deer hunting in Duel Co. years ago tho I was closer to the truck.
 
that almost happened to me on my last SD trip 1st time was near a muskrat den & almost went in there run... 2nd time i was in the middle of cattails & came on a open type seep in the ice near a opening in the cattails i took another step & the ice bowed a little i stepped back & onto a wad of cattails then my dog comes running by me & crack snap pop the ice makes some funny sounds & i high tail it back to land that was enough for me!!!

cold winter habitat means wind breaks woody cover cattails cattails & more cattails near food sources & the grasses near the cattails... like said above if the weather is nice the birds can be found in 2ndary cover in the winter aka the grasses mentioned above them grasses just dont cut the wind like the cattails do for the birds in the bitter cold... but they are much more EZ for hunters to hunt then the cattails are...
 
Week 8 group of 4 at Cattail Haven averaged 2.5 birds person day for 3 day hunt. 28 birds total. They rebooked their hunt for next year.

Nice to see good hunts can be had at tier 4 camps. Thier hunting skill, crops out and cooler weather were all factors.

Guys in that area are seeing a 50/50 hen/rooster ratio which is really encouraging this time of year.

I am at our Timberlake camp getting ready to hunt 3 days this morning.

Supposed to get involved in a management hunt so we will see what that is all about.
 
Three of us hunted South Dakota at a PTP 100% wild bird outfit last weekend; the owners indicated that their early season hunters did not have as much success as the guys coming later. We certainly saw decent numbers of birds, and had opportunites to limit both days. I stayed a couple more days, hunting a combination of private and public land, and would agree the hen-to-rooster ratio is at least 50-50...might even favor the boys a little
 
Man I gotta get out there. This is the first season in 20 years I haven't hunting in the Dakotas due to my business and a young family.

Think it's about time to give my wife the bad news:D

Nick
 
Great 2 days of hunting yesterday on WIA and today on private, Both days were lots of fun--hunting the late season with snow is the best.

Hunted my own land today and where we saw limited numbers of birds early this year--today there were hundreds, a bit spooky but tight sitting when they got broke up. My take is there were 4 or more hens for every rooster we saw today

My take:
 
Very satisfying results in Jones Co. Dec. 12 - 13.
 
Had one spot where one of the guys with a wirehair found and pointed 6 hens and one rooster all in an area about the size of half a tennis court--great fun walking in on the dog knowing there was a bird there--and this in an area where we had just worked--man they were siting tight--really really a great experience :thumbsup: :):)
 
Today was another great day--different but great. Today they were in food plots--not tall grass or trees like yesterday. It was cool with light winds, overcast, clearing in early afternoon. Just three guys, three dogs and 7 roosters (should have been a limit but my poor shooting this year continued).:confused:

This late season turn around is making 2013 another good year--now I can start thinking about next years conservation plan, need to add more food plots, some more trees and shrubs and I want to improve an old dugout water source. Maybe enlarge a couple of weed patches. :D I've had several people that hunt here step in with a little finical help on the habitat---very nice of them.
 
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