Over Till Next Year!

gjw

Well-known member
Hey all, well, today was the last day of our bird hunting season. For us, it was a tough one. I have to say it's been the worst season I've had in many a year. Bird numbers were way down, lots of lost cover due to last years drought and the weather was screwy as well. Still, it's always great to get out with my son and of course my Raina. The best part of this season is it was a safe one. No one got hurt, both man and dog. I only hope that this winter will be a mild one and nesting season is good. We need a rebound. Thanks to all who have made so many nice comments and kind words on the pictures and posts that I've made this season. They truly are appreciated! One last thanks to the good Lord and St Hubert for helping us get the birds we did.

Jim and I went out east yesterday to hunt one of friends farm (by Pettibone), they got a lot more snow and drifting than we did. Some areas were dry, but for the most part the snow was pretty deep, tough getting thru in some areas. I did manage one, but Jim didn't connect. I used my 12b Henry Atkin



Today (the last day) it was pretty windy (20+mph). I hunted around around the house and was darn lucky to get a couple. Raina did very well today, even in the wind we had. So a good ending to the season. I was using my 12ga Siace



And one tired pup



Best,

Greg
 
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I guess it still counts as one walk even it lasts four hours. So ends another year of our fall fitness program, outdoors appreciation class, and recoil therapy sessions ... Also known as the North Dakota Upland Game Season. Bit breezy today but Jazz took care of business. She was our only dog this year and amazingly didn’t end up on IR once. Because of bird forecasts and a lack of back up dog power I doubted I would break the century mark on roosters. Pleasantly surprised that I did. Throw in an increase in sharpies and huns in the freezer and it makes for quite a year. Thanks to those working habitat issues. Unrecognized wildlife heroes are the folks at game and fish. Huge thanks to landowners for access we have gotten. Many thanks to the vets that keep our pup rocking. Raising a glass to all who enjoy the uplands. A special dram in remembrance of all our hunting companions, both two and four legged, who have passed. Cheers! #pheasantsforever, #northdakotagameandfish, #PLOTS, #stateavevet.View attachment 8995
 
You both had a better season than you would have had here in Tennessee. You guys hunt hard and in all conditions from what i see. I love the snow pics!! Im already counting down the days till I'm up there next season. Stay Warm!!
 
This was only the second year that I kept track of the number of birds I shot. I also kept track of young-of-the-year vs mature birds. It ended up being about an average season. Definitely better then expected. Oct. was real strong, then things got tougher. One in 4 were mature birds. The percentage of mature birds was higher in late season. Some areas pretty good and others not so much. The late harvest of some corn and flowers probably slowed me down later in the season. I spend a weekend a year hunting near the "prime Pheasant range" Walked one good spot there and the rest really stunk. 5 of us had access to decent posted private land and the one day only shot 2 birds. We saw almost nothing driving around either.

The pup from last year really developed into a heck of a dog. The old girl might be slower but she still has it. I fell in love with my 725 during my second season with it.

This years lesson learned: Don't get a flu shot when you have the next day off work. This years shot gave me chills during the night and didn't sleep well. Other years I don't even notice it.
 
I made that flu shot mistake this year as well. One year, I donated blood and then busted cattails in the afternoon. Not smart. No longer donate blood from 1 Oct to 10 Jan.
 
I guess it still counts as one walk even it lasts four hours. So ends another year of our fall fitness program, outdoors appreciation class, and recoil therapy sessions ... Also known as the North Dakota Upland Game Season. Bit breezy today but Jazz took care of business. She was our only dog this year and amazingly didn’t end up on IR once. Because of bird forecasts and a lack of back up dog power I doubted I would break the century mark on roosters. Pleasantly surprised that I did. Throw in an increase in sharpies and huns in the freezer and it makes for quite a year. Thanks to those working habitat issues. Unrecognized wildlife heroes are the folks at game and fish. Huge thanks to landowners for access we have gotten. Many thanks to the vets that keep our pup rocking. Raising a glass to all who enjoy the uplands. A special dram in remembrance of all our hunting companions, both two and four legged, who have passed. Cheers! #pheasantsforever, #northdakotagameandfish, #PLOTS, #stateavevet.View attachment 8995


Hey, sure looks like you had a very impressive season, 100 birds! Congrats! Like I said, our season was pretty bad, I guess it's like Real Estate, Location, Location, Location. We hunted quite a few parts of the state, from the SW, south central and the east. Got about a 1/4 amount of birds that we normally get. Grouse was just as bad for us, about an 1/8 of what we get in an average year. Didn't shoot any Huns this year, saw some coveys, but no shots. Saw fewer than last year. Just hope we get a good upswing next year.

Best,

Greg
 
I do have the advantage of being able to hunt whenever I want. Definitely fewer roosters seen than in previous years. Very few quick limits. Only two that I can remember. Both on days when I stumbled across birds on places I normally hunt as I was headed to other places. I hunted the SW pretty much exclusively this year. Hunting pressure was pretty light. Seemed like an increase in both pheasant and deer “heater hunters”. Precip made getting to a lot of places impossible at times. Harvest was/is weird. Much of the corn and sunflowers didn’t come off until mid to late December. Sunflower harvest still going strong. Unlike 2017, mostly young roosters shot this year. I was surprised by the grouse and hun numbers. This is the first year in several that I took time to really hunt those two species. We’ll have a new pup in the field next Fall so I expect that I’ll be working the fields pretty hard in September for grouse and huns. Hope your son enjoys the military life. Sure worked out well for us.
 
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