RE: Bird numbers...this might seem like a dumb question...but...

[519vx]

RE: Bird numbers...this might seem like a dumb question...but...

A lot of what I've heard and read is attributing down bird numbers to the harsh drought that occurred last year. Obviously nesting conditions play into it heavily as well, but if drought conditions were that bad, wouldn't it make sense to concentrate hunting efforts this year near those areas that had water throughout the year last year, like the areas along and adjacent to lakes or the big rivers?

 

[Dakotazeb]

519vx, our analogy would seem to make sense but I think the drought is only part of the problem in lower pheasant number statewide. First, last year when the GFP said the the numbers were up 18% statewide I truly feel it was grossly overstated. I think numbers were down last year also, probably 20-30%. Probably more critical than the drought is the loss of habitat around the state plus we had a late, cold, wet spring.

BTW, one of my very best friends lives in Mukwonago. He's been there since the mid-late 70's. We still get together back in our hometown in Minnesota for a couple hunts each year.

 

[UGUIDE]

Drought the cause. Not likely. My farm was in one of the worst areas of drought according to drought monitor all summer long. My birds went up last year.

1 other camp had worse drought than I did and had no birds and their hatch suffered. That was not the case east river and much of northern part of state did not get dry until late summer. A little drought is good for pheasants.

Drought is an inconsistent excuse for lower bird numbers.

 

[519vx]

Thanks guys...that's kind of what I thought. Had it been solely drought related one would think there would be pockets near water with lots of birds but the reports have been fairly consistent state wide.

I'm still making the trip.

 

[mwilly56]

A lot of what I've heard and read is attributing down bird numbers to the harsh drought that occurred last year. Obviously nesting conditions play into it heavily as well, but if drought conditions were that bad, wouldn't it make sense to concentrate hunting efforts this year near those areas that had water throughout the year last year, like the areas along and adjacent to lakes or the big rivers?

I believe the drought definitely had some impact, but I think the loss of habitat due to "The emergency haying policy" had just as much. I saw areas hayed that I had never seen hayed before. Combine that with the loss of CRP and bad spring nesting and "Wallah"! Less birds.

 

[birdshooter]

Zeb is right on. Habitat loss is what is killing the Pheasant populations.

Here is good article about habitat loss that was in the Mpls Star & Tribune recently. http://m.startribune.com/sports/?id=225659531&c=y

Here is a couple of excerpts from the article that is quite staggering to say the least. NoDak is really feeling the sting.

Since 2007 North Dakota has lost 1.8 million acres ? or 2,800 square miles ? of CRP. South Dakota has lost about a half-million acres ? or nearly 800 square miles. And Minnesota has lost about 600,000 acres ? or 937 square miles, including 100,000 acres that expire Monday.

In North Dakota, particularly, the loss of CRP will be noticed by hunters who use the state?s walk-in hunting lands, called Private Land Open to Sportsmen (PLOTS). In the past two years, the state Game and Fish Department has lost about 250,000 acres from the walk-in program.

And if the trend continues, PLOTS acres could fall from 1.1 million at its peak three years ago to around 200,000 acres by 2018.

SoDak isn't quite in that dire straits... YET !

 

[Riverman]

I think the drought had an INDIRECT effect, along with loss of CRP. Here is my thoughts:

Drought in Texas, KS, and other southern Plains States caused more haying of habitat in northern Plains States. This emergency haying reduced amount of cover for birds for nesting and winter cover.

In Nebraska research has shown that up to 50% of pheasant broods are produced in Road Ditches!!! When that is hayed and/or mowed you have nothing. Yes, local drought has impacted birds, but the drought in the northern plains has not been nearly as bad as that in Colorado and south into the southern Plains States (TX, OK, KS, southern NE, etc.).

I find it amazing that 50% of pheasants can be produced in a 30 foot-wide piece of habitat.

Frankly, South Dakota has the right idea of not mowing the road ditches (when they don't do it) and allowing hunters to hunt them. Yes, there are safety concerns and it is not a complete panacea. But the ditches provide habitat for a lot of species and can provide a minimal amount of places for hunters to hunt. And if you ahve that, you have hunters that will come and spend money on hotels, food, shells, gas, etc. etc. Basically, SD has given hunters a 66 foot width almost every mile to hunt, and this same habitat provides habitat for the birds being hunted. Pheasants can produce an amazing number of birds in a small piece of land, IF given the right conditions.

 

[birdshooter]

Frankly, South Dakota has the right idea of not mowing the road ditches (when they don't do it) and allowing hunters to hunt them.

I agree. But even if they just delayed the mowing till late August after the hatch it would help tremendously.


I think you can will sustain a certain amount of birds with roadside ditches, but you will not and cannot sustain the numbers we have had the past 10+ years without all of the habitat that we are currently losing at a very alarming rate. Where landowners who are ABLE to or WILLING to, re-up their CRP contracts, there will be birds, but elsewhere there will not.

So went the Soil bank era back in the late 50's and early 60's, will happen again unless something is done. Hate to sound so doom and gloom, but habitat and lots of it, is the key.

 

[Riverman]

Birdshooter:

I agree with you 100% on sustaining large numbers you need large pieces of property. Research on duck nesting in SD and other prairie pothole states has shown that large patches of land have better success simply because it can overwhelm the predators. If all you have are road ditches it is easy for fox or coyote to run those and catch pheasants and chicks, or for a hawk to sit on a fence and watch 400 yards of a ditch for a slow-moving hen or brood.

BUT, it is still amazing how little habitat is required to keep pheasants going--this does not necessarily apply to grouse or quail for different reasons.

And if you have that linear habitat, ALONG WITH the areas you are talking about, you get astronomical numbers of birds, like what SD has had going back 10 years, but not so much in last 2 years.

My whole point with the effects of drought was that the haying of CRP AND ditches, along with loss of CRP due to high commodity prices has led to decrease in birds. In the the northern Plains I don't think the "drought" has had that big of an effect other than those states haying their good grass to sell to areas that have really been hammered by drought, like Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas.

 

[haymaker]

I think the drought had an INDIRECT effect, along with loss of CRP. Here is my thoughts:

Drought in Texas, KS, and other southern Plains States caused more haying of habitat in northern Plains States. This emergency haying reduced amount of cover for birds for nesting and winter cover.

In Nebraska research has shown that up to 50% of pheasant broods are produced in Road Ditches!!! When that is hayed and/or mowed you have nothing. Yes, local drought has impacted birds, but the drought in the northern plains has not been nearly as bad as that in Colorado and south into the southern Plains States (TX, OK, KS, southern NE, etc.).

I find it amazing that 50% of pheasants can be produced in a 30 foot-wide piece of habitat.

Frankly, South Dakota has the right idea of not mowing the road ditches (when they don't do it) and allowing hunters to hunt them. Yes, there are safety concerns and it is not a complete panacea. But the ditches provide habitat for a lot of species and can provide a minimal amount of places for hunters to hunt. And if you ahve that, you have hunters that will come and spend money on hotels, food, shells, gas, etc. etc. Basically, SD has given hunters a 66 foot width almost every mile to hunt, and this same habitat provides habitat for the birds being hunted. Pheasants can produce an amazing number of birds in a small piece of land, IF given the right conditions.

I think that 50% number will vary depending on what else is around it. I operate on about 2300 acres. Those 2300 acres have about 36 acres of ditch around them. 36 acres in an area that has nothing but corn and beans nearby might be productive. The 36 acres of ditches in and area that has 300 acres of CRP and about 1000 acres of native praire that is managed with conservation grazing in mind don't produce much at all. Having all that nesting habitat should produce great nesting results. This year I am seeing birds that are still no bigger than a softball. We have some turning color also, but something went wrong with the early hatch.

Drought has undoubtedly had an effect. April that was more like March may have had an effect. Most of the rain that we had came from May 18 to mid June. So it is not any one thing but combinations of things and every year is different. As far as mowing ditches is concerned, it has to be done on all roads that are maintained. There are lots of good reasons to keep ditches clean that are probably not good for hunting but need to be done anyway.