Passing through SD…Pheasants Galore

So for a whole week the only guy posting on here is an okie who has been to SD one time?!?!? Come on.., is anyone seeing anything anywhere?
 
Other than my farmers in Douglas and Aurora Counties telling me it looks real good again this year, the following is all I have.

"The 2024 upland bird hunting seasons are just around the corner and it’s shaping up to be one of the best in recent years. Habitat across the primary pheasant range is looking excellent given favorable conditions throughout the spring and summer. Everything is falling into place, so it’s time to start planning your hunting trip to South Dakota!"

 
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what i'm wondering about is whether there has been, or will be, emergency haying on the CREP and other public areas like the last couple years.

I saw where there was fllodig in June, but havent seen anything on drought conditions the rest of the summer. many of the spots i'm familiar wih looked like sod farms the last two years.
 
I am quite shocked that a portion of southeastern SD is "abnormally dry" given the monsoon of rain this entire summer.
 
Quailnerd said:
If it was doom and gloom you would know!
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Right. People spread doom & gloom like wildfire. On the other hand, never did the GF&P report anything other than their findings. If the brood count was 50% below the previous year, that's what was reported. Every year. It's just that they finally realized the brood count didn't really do a very good job predicting bird numbers from one year to the next. It's more of an indicator of long term trends. Sure, they reallocated that part of their budget to promotion, but there's really no sense publishing a report that doesn't actually give people what they think they're getting. Bad info isn't always better than no info. People like to claim that discontinuing the brood count means SD no longer tracks/manages its pheasant population, which couldn't be further from the truth.
 
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A5 Sweet 16 said:
Right. People spread doom & gloom like wildfire. In the other hand, never did the GF&P report anything other than their findings. If the brood count was 50% below the previous year, that's what was reported. Every year. It's just that they finally realized the brood count didn't really do a very good job predicting bird numbers from one year to the next. It's more of an indicator of long term trends. Sure, they reallocated that part of their budget to promotion, but there's really no sense publishing a report that doesn't actually give people what they think they're getting. Bad info isn't always better than no info. People like to claim that discontinuing the brood count means SD no longer tracks/manages its pheasant population, which couldn't be further from the truth.
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All true.
However, I did miss the brood count. Less now than the first year it was stopped.
How dare they was my first reaction.
I studied the report every year for at least 30 minutes after receiving it. Probably called a fellow hunter to hear his thoughts about it.
To me it was kind of like hearing the first Jiggle Bells after Summer had passed as a kid -- Christmas was on the radar!!
Maybe it was the first signal for the anticipation to start ramping up.
Don't believe it ever influenced my decision to go, not go, where I went, and I don't remember it correlating to my hunting success.

Thankfully September is knocking on the door.

Here is to a great and safe year chasing roosters.
 
One rainy period does not a season make. I was seeing a pile of roosters in MN early spring. Last month I've not seen a pheasant. One thing I notice is how the wild ones don't really like being seen. Even by a car. This wise old rooster would crouch and slink every time I drove my route through his territory. If I was lucky enough to catch him out at all. With the crops up, good luck! But I know he's out there. Hopefully me and Skye will get the jump on him come December when the sloughs freeze. These birds can survive floods and droughts when they've got habitat. And the hens will have a hatch. I guess I'll base my decision on calling a vote w/the dogs. Let me clue you, all paws 🐾 will be raised on yea and no paws on nay. Go a hunting we shall.
 
dakotasj said:
All true.
However, I did miss the brood count. Less now than the first year it was stopped.
How dare they was my first reaction.
I studied the report every year for at least 30 minutes after receiving it. Probably called a fellow hunter to hear his thoughts about it.
To me it was kind of like hearing the first Jiggle Bells after Summer had passed as a kid -- Christmas was on the radar!!
Maybe it was the first signal for the anticipation to start ramping up.
Don't believe it ever influenced my decision to go, not go, where I went, and I don't remember it correlating to my hunting success.

Thankfully September is knocking on the door.

Here is to a great and safe year chasing roosters.
Click to expand...
Actually back when I was working full time it did have a bearing on my hunting. When I only had a week or two to hunt I went with the best odds. When in spite of the report I knew better and went anyway even if they said it was subpar, I regretted it. One year the report was bad, but I went anyway. I ended up going to a different state to finish my hunt. Now that I am retired I hunt several states and the reports are not as helpful. The neighbor to the north says the wet cold spring reduce brood numbers, the neighbor to the east says flooding hurt the hatch, the neighbor to the south says recruitment is up. All are true so SD is ???
 
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