Prairie Chicken

Munster927

Munster927

Well-known member
I got drawn in the chicken lottery again so I'll be heading up to prairie chicken country in a few weeks. Anyone else here get picked this year?
 
I'm really bummed I didn't draw, but I figured I wouldn't as I did get a license last year. Man I'm really going to miss it, such cool terrain up there. I threw in some steel loads and my duck gun last year. One day after hunting the morning and not getting any prairie grouse, I was driving by a wma and saw some teal on a pond so I shot one so the dog got a retrieve, cooled off in the duck pond and had some fun. Good luck this year!
 
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The draw rate has moved from around 50% to about 25% - 35% in most zones over the past couple of years. Preference points help.

You must apply each year or you may lose any preference points.
 
BRITTMAN said:
The draw rate has moved from around 50% to about 25% - 35% in most zones over the past couple of years. Preference points help.

You must apply each year or you may lose any preference points.
Click to expand...
For me and my group we've held pretty steady at 50% success rate. We've gotten picked every other year for as long as I've been applying. Which has been 10 or 12 years now.
 
Another strike out here, points for next year! Last prairie chicken I "got" in MN I saw hit a power line and break its neck during a deer drive in the old NW MN slug zones.
 
I am extremely irritated at this point.

I checked twice and both times the DNR web site said we were not successful. The only reason I checked twice was because my preference points had not went up on the first look.

Tonight I open the mail box and we have the print-out saying we were successful in the Prairie Chicken lottery. Reeling quickly to now change my plans that I had made for the first weekend.

I look on-line and it says we are successful. Interestingly still says we have 2 preference points.
 
BRITTMAN said:
I am extremely irritated at this point.

I checked twice and both times the DNR web site said we were not successful. The only reason I checked twice was because my preference points had not went up on the first look.

Tonight I open the mail box and we have the print-out saying we were successful in the Prairie Chicken lottery. Reeling quickly to now change my plans that I had made for the first weekend.

I look on-line and it says we are successful. Interestingly still says we have 2 preference points.
Click to expand...
That's strange. I've never had that happen to me. And ironically, I haven't received the print out in the mail yet. I know I was successful since my license is now in my wallet. Assuming just a weird tech glitch.
 
BRITTMAN said:
I am extremely irritated at this point.

I checked twice and both times the DNR web site said we were not successful. The only reason I checked twice was because my preference points had not went up on the first look.

Tonight I open the mail box and we have the print-out saying we were successful in the Prairie Chicken lottery. Reeling quickly to now change my plans that I had made for the first weekend.

I look on-line and it says we are successful. Interestingly still says we have 2 preference points.
Click to expand...

You likely checked the website before this year's drawing results were posted.

I saw the same thing earlier but did not draw this year after the new drawing results were posted.

Do not be irritated, enjoy your hunt.
 
This glitch works out in our favor.

Plans are now adjusted and everything is in place. License is purchased ! I have been hunting PC in MN since 2006. It is definitely a good time.

Pretty sure I checked after the drawing was "complete", especially the 2nd time since it was the same day Munster said he was drawn. My preference points went from one (first look) to two also in the 2nd online look.


Usually, you see this on a lottery page if the drawing was still in progress.

1694256597783.png

This would have been the first year that I would not have been drawn while carrying a preference point (every other year).

Ask the DNR on how long preference points are held.
 
Hopefully everyone and their dogs manages to stay cool this weekend chasing chickens. Opener doesn't look too bad but mid 80s Sunday is a bit much.
 
Got back from 3 days hunting chickens last night. Overall was a great success. My group of 4 ended up with 7 out of our 8 bird season limit. 1 on Saturday evening, 5 Sunday and 1 yesterday morning. We should have had our limit as we knocked one down Saturday evening that we couldn't retrieve. Broke his wing but it must have had a lot of leg under him as my dog tracked it for about 100 yards but then lost the trail. In a way I'm glad we didn't end up with our limit of 8 since we crippled that one, I won't feel like we harvested more than we should have.

Sunday was brutal weather wise with record breaking temps. At one point it was 92 degrees. We stopped hunting at 11 and only hunted the last hour of the evening.

My dog worked great over the weekend. Probably the best I've ever seen her work. She's in her 4th hunting season now and I think is really starting to put everything together and come into her own. She recovered a bird for me that I took a long shot on (almost bordering too long). The bird ran a good 50 yards from where I had it marked. Then immediately after recovering that one, my cousin dropped a bird about 200 yards away from me. He was having trouble finding it so I brought the dog over and she made a nice recovery on that blind retrieve. Sunday evening she got a chance to recover another bird on another blind retrieve that someone else in our party dropped.

One oddity was the one chicken I harvested Saturday evening had extremely light colored meat, almost colored like a Ruffed Grouse or pheasant. I've never seen that before. The other 6 birds all had the typical red/purple color meat. Anyone ever seen that before?
 

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A bird each. We had fog Saturday AM and mid 70s by 1. Sunday one AM walk and headed home. It was 80ish by 10 AM.

My Britt had it down pat - leaving off right where he did 2 years ago. Some really nice points. Birds held for the dog, but in the short grass they most often flushed at about 50 yards as we approach the dog.

I have family nearby. I am pretty sure we are headed back next weekend if the forecast holds close at all. Hopefully take our other bird each and possibly a sharptail or ruffs not that far to the east. That or some family time ...
 
BRITTMAN said:
A bird each. We had fog Saturday AM and mid 70s by 1. Sunday one AM walk and headed home. It was 80ish by 10 AM.

My Britt had it down pat - leaving off right where he did 2 years ago. Some really nice points. Birds held for the dog, but in the short grass they most often flushed at about 50 yards as we approach the dog.

I have family nearby. I am pretty sure we are headed back next weekend if the forecast holds close at all. Hopefully take our other bird each and possibly a sharptail or ruffs not that far to the east. That or some family time ...
Click to expand...
Yeah it looks like this weekend will be good weather for you. Hopefully you can bag your other 2 birds.
 
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