Reports

Went out for my final trip and hunted Saturday through Monday. The first day we saw a fair amount of pheasants 40+- and 3 nice sized coveys . The Roosters were very difficult to get near to, but the quail co operated nicely. Saturday morning we hunted a different area that had good populations of both opening week and only got into one covey. Saturday afternoon we hunted a piece we that had produced well for us last year and it turned out to be the Honey hole; we shot 7 Roosters 8 Quail and a PC the last 2 hours of the day. Yesterday was more like Saturday, struggling to get close to Roosters. Had a decent shot at one and broke a wing, unfortunately losing my first Rooster of the year. We did see a fair amount of Roosters during the Golden Hour, but none of them truly cooperated! Ended up with 6 quail and a Rooster. Overall, we saw a fair amount of WILD Roosters and A LOT of henS over the weekend. We did not see quite the amount of quail I was expecting to see compared to opening week, but that’s life. In the area I hunt, I am cautiously optimistic that with the right amount of moisture for the remainder of Winter and Spring, the population will hopefully bounce back next year. Have a great rest of your season!
 
Chessie 67 said:
Went out for my final trip and hunted Saturday through Monday. The first day we saw a fair amount of pheasants 40+- and 3 nice sized coveys . The Roosters were very difficult to get near to, but the quail co operated nicely. Saturday morning we hunted a different area that had good populations of both opening week and only got into one covey. Saturday afternoon we hunted a piece we that had produced well for us last year and it turned out to be the Honey hole; we shot 7 Roosters 8 Quail and a PC the last 2 hours of the day. Yesterday was more like Saturday, struggling to get close to Roosters. Had a decent shot at one and broke a wing, unfortunately losing my first Rooster of the year. We did see a fair amount of Roosters during the Golden Hour, but none of them truly cooperated! Ended up with 6 quail and a Rooster. Overall, we saw a fair amount of WILD Roosters and A LOT of henS over the weekend. We did not see quite the amount of quail I was expecting to see compared to opening week, but that’s life. In the area I hunt, I am cautiously optimistic that with the right amount of moisture for the remainder of Winter and Spring, the population will hopefully bounce back next year. Have a great rest of your season!
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Just wondering what part of the state you where at. Not looking for exact location, just trying to keep a chart on the reports. I also think that if weather conditions improve, we will have a nice rebound
 
On Saturday I decided pheasants one more time before the end of season. Since I’ve covered a lot of area around home I thought I’d try somewhere I haven’t been in a while so I headed south of Goodland. There wasn’t any snow so traveling on the back roads was easy. I stopped at a number of WIHA’s. The cover was impressive but there just wasn’t any birds to be found. I covered almost 7 miles and flushed a single hen.

Sunday I went back to hunting chickens. Most of my favorite chicken fields were covered in snow last few weeks but the the warmer temps the grass has opened back up. The roads on the other hand are an entirely different matter. Tried a field on Thursday afternoon and the roads were quite sporty. Luckily it was over cast and cold so the roads were passable. The dogs and I worked the first part of the field. Initially the snow was tough to walk through. Some of it would hold you up the rest was just post holing every step. Finally got to where the grass opened up. Walking down some of the ridges the dogs got birdy and I found a few fresh beds. Working my way back towards the truck we jumped a group of 5 chickens. They flushed about 50 yards out and flew in a nice crossing shot. I swung out in front of the lead bird and slapped the trigger. The bird folded at the shot. I started to swing on the others but they turned ninety degrees and were out of range in an instant. Another covey got up at the shot but they were a good 100yds out. I worked the area looking for stragglers but there weren’t any. The rest of the field was uneventful as I worked my way back to the truck.

Travels to the next field but it was still thick with snow so I decided to call it a day as I covered 4 miles in the first field.

They’re talking more snow this week so hunting might come to an end but you never know. I always get out the last day of season no matter. It’s tradition snow or not.

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Headed out Sat/Sun for a quick overnight. I hadn't been west yet this season. I hunted a couple hours Saturday afternoon, I hunted 2 WIHAs in northwest Kansas, one with very nice cover. Neither produced birds. Golden hour I hunted a private parcel, which had been maybe 75% hayed, but with substantial strips left. Shot 3 roosters of 5 flushed (would have had my limit but 2 flushed from just inside a neighboring field and didn't fly towards the parcel I have permission on). This property regularly held 100-200 birds. Last year the bluestem stands were getting very thick and very tall, though, so I suspect the habitat needed a reset. Sunday morning I hit a couple private fencerows in Central KS en route home but didn't flush any quail. This was my second foray into Kansas this year (first was in Northeast Kansas, where I put up considerably more pheasants), and it was even worse than I expected. Bleak is the term that comes to mind. Hunting a couple hours in 3 counties is a very small sample size, but if the situation is as I suspect, Kansas pheasants will likely not recover, and if they do, it will take decades of exceptionally lucky weather.

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s.davis said:
Headed out Sat/Sun for a quick overnight. I hadn't been west yet this season. I hunted a couple hours Saturday afternoon, I hunted 2 WIHAs in northwest Kansas, one with very nice cover. Neither produced birds. Golden hour I hunted a private parcel, which had been maybe 75% hayed, but with substantial strips left. Shot 3 roosters of 5 flushed (would have had my limit but 2 flushed from just inside a neighboring field and didn't fly towards the parcel I have permission on). This property regularly held 100-200 birds. Last year the bluestem stands were getting very thick and very tall, though, so I suspect the habitat needed a reset. Sunday morning I hit a couple private fencerows in Central KS en route home but didn't flush any quail. This was my second foray into Kansas this year (first was in Northeast Kansas, where I put up considerably more pheasants), and it was even worse than I expected. Bleak is the term that comes to mind. Hunting a couple hours in 3 counties is a very small sample size, but if the situation is as I suspect, Kansas pheasants will likely not recover, and if they do, it will take decades of exceptionally lucky weather.

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I watched a segment on 60 minutes a couple of weeks about Mass Extinction. After watching it, it really explains the quail, prairie chickens, and now pheasants. Meadowlarks are down 60%. It claimed that we are now going through the 6th Mass Extinction on earth. You are right, they will probably never come back.
 
westksbowhunter said:
I watched a segment on 60 minutes a couple of weeks about Mass Extinction. After watching it, it really explains the quail, prairie chickens, and now pheasants. Meadowlarks are down 60%. It claimed that we are now going through the 6th Mass Extinction on earth. You are right, they will probably never come back.
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Good conversation, I appreciate the knowledge you all provide and look forward to reading your post. I hope for my kids and grandkids you are wrong and hope all upland comes back the way it use to be, quail certainly have made a surge back but no where how it use to be… I think the older we get the better it “use” to be to a certain extent..
 
Hunted in the snow yesterday, hoping that it would provide an "assist" in getting close. Normally the first day after the snow is pretty good, but not this time. Some combination of weather conditions while it fell and the overnight cool down made for crunchy snow on the first day after the snow. Anyway, the birds were bunched up and jumpy. They were flushing well ahead, on the wrong side of the fence, and flying away from where we could hunt. The good news is that we saw more pheasants in that one field than we have seen on any single day this year. Probably 40-50 in all. Only one flushed even close enough to hear the wingbeats. The same spot, ie, the wrong side of the fence, also had one of those mid-winter combined super coveys of probably 25+ birds.

We hunted several more fields. There were lots of quail and some decent dog work. These birds know how to use the shelterbelts. 3 of us ended up with 9 quail.
 
Well that’s it for me , I’m spent. If I never see another shotgun again it will be too soon.
The season ended about like the rest of the year around a bird and a half a day. Yesterday started out pretty good with two birds in the first thirty minutes. After that mostly hens. Today was a little better as far as roosters seen but fewer in the bag with just the one.
As far as the season goes mostly forgettable a few days grinding out two or three birds. Chickens were good I was able to take one in every month except Jan. Maybe next year. Saw 6 chickens yesterday in the SW unit. I like that even if they are common in other parts of that country.
One of the things I’ll remember about this year is watching the little Boykin bouncing around in the snow yesterday, ears flying and that stub of a tail going a thousand times a minute. Makes me smile.
Good look to you guys going out this weekend.FDC63B2F-F6C2-4C2A-A806-EB0409F0E566.jpeg
 
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Made a quick jaunt to private land Northeast KS, flushed 3 good-sized (15+ bird) coveys and a rooster (I don’t shoot non-Kansas native birds on Kansas Day) in about 3 hours of meandering with all 3 dogs down, including my oldest, who is 10.5 and semi-retired. There were multiple hunters on every WIHA in the area that I passed, and a little bit of shooting from them, too, which made me happy. Pleasant way to spend Kansas Day and I was thrilled to wrap up my season among whirring bobwhite, which have given me a fair bit of anguish this year.
 
1 lonely bird for me today. Saw some birds just managed to get the one shot. Think I will call it a season and stay home tomorrow. I missed hunting with my female this year. Torn CCL during dove season. I would have bagged a few more birds had I had her this year. She may have to be retired now at age 9. Sad but maybe after it heals she will surprise me. My plan is to find two started female cockers for next year to go with my yellow male.
 
Oh, damn! I just realized today is the 29th (aka, Kansas Day), not yesterday. Coulda tickled that rooster after all! I'm gonna have to sneak across state line and at least put my feet down on Kansas (even if it is JoCo) dirt today.
 
One bird on Sunday hunting only a few hours because of the cold. I wonder why this young rooster decided to hold this late into the seaosn. We hunted some private that hadn't been touched since the week before thanksgiving. In addition to the one rooster, we a couple series of "point-relocate-point-relocate-where did it go?"

I'm done for the year. I don't keep records, but I'm pretty sure I killed more combined birds than last. However, last year was like most years before: about 80% roosters, 20% quail. This year was probably 55-60% quail.
 
I know I have been a pest asking for general location of your hunts this season. Was unable to hunt this season and decided to try and chart the bird reports.
Most of you guys have responded and I thank you, if you don't want to share your info to me, that's cool to.
 
Chessie 67 said:
We saw a ton of birds Saturday…won’t say how many because you probably won’t believe me. They were VERY WILD; couldn’t get too close to them. Yesterday we saw far fewer but still VERY WILD! Super dry - even though the temps are cooperating, dogs are super beat up. Many more birds than expected, just need some moisture.
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67
Could you tell me what part of the state you where at? Trying to fill in a chart .
Thanks
 
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