The residents of any state can do what they want to. However when it appears that somebody drives just to rack up the body count, that just seems to be shooting for the hell of it. 5 Birds per day and a possesion limit of 25 is a bit much. I guess I am just used to my 3/9.
South Dakota 5 rooster limit?
- Thread starter RMC Hunter
- Start date
The residents of any state can do what they want to. However when it appears that somebody drives just to rack up the body count, that just seems to be shooting for the hell of it. 5 Birds per day and a possesion limit of 25 is a bit much. I guess I am just used to my 3/9.
Dakotazeb
Well-known member
Some of us judge the quality of the hunt by the time in the field with our dogs and friends, not by the number of birds harvested. Others judge it by the number of birds harvested and making sure they get their daily limit.
3 per day and 15 in possession seems more than adequate to me. If being able to shoot 2 more birds each day is driving wheather or not someone comes to SD then stay home.
Like someone else said, if you want to hunt longer try public land and save the $150 per day. I'd rather hunt all day and shoot 2-3 birds than hunt 4 hours and shoot 5. Hell, I hunted 3 days in Minnesota last week where the limit is only 2 and we never limited out any of the days. Still had a great time. That's what hunting is about. Not the bird count!
3 per day and 15 in possession seems more than adequate to me. If being able to shoot 2 more birds each day is driving wheather or not someone comes to SD then stay home.
Like someone else said, if you want to hunt longer try public land and save the $150 per day. I'd rather hunt all day and shoot 2-3 birds than hunt 4 hours and shoot 5. Hell, I hunted 3 days in Minnesota last week where the limit is only 2 and we never limited out any of the days. Still had a great time. That's what hunting is about. Not the bird count!
UGUIDE
Active member
DZ, I agree...and it varies widely. With UGUIDE camps I am learning I need to do a better job of explaining the variables with our camps and the sport of native wild pheasant hunting. One of the most difficult things is to have a group of hunters come in first year and have a spectacular experience first year and then follow with just average the 2nd year. They come in year 2 so hyped that it will be like year 1 and is rarely the case and they simply reside to go look elsewhere for that year 1 experience. I find the shooters expectations are harder to manage than the hunters because the hunters find value in all things a UGUIDE camp has to offer and the shooters tend to be focused on numbers. Now with that said ain't nobody happy that comes and hunts for 3 days with a bunch of guys and gets 3 birds total and does not see more than than but it is happening all over the state this year and at normally great locations. Both for freelancers that hunt public and the privatelanders hunting native wild birds are up against a host of risks and variablilities that will determine their success (and based on how they define success) and outcomes. The ones that control these risks and outcomes are the preserves that can put 1000 birds out and hunt the same 80 acres field 7 days a week. Essentially when given the choice the true sportsmen will not dirve any amount of miles for shooting a pen raised bird and want the real game but ofter are not aware and or/or not willing to accept ALL the risks and variables associated with THE REAL GAME. Thats hunting and thats fishing. IN many locations in SD this year "the fish ain't bite'n" and that is a tough go just like being out in the boat all day and not getting a bite.
As far as the limit increase proposal, it is simply a tool for managers to use to increase harvest where harvests can be increased. If a place don't have many birds well it ain't gonna matter. If a place is loaded then maybe there should be some thinning of the herd for the herds sake. Might be to little too late, especially if there is no way to measure results if the limit goes up.
moellermd
Super Moderator
You can hunt with me anytime. :thumbsup:
That is just life though and you know that, you pay your money and you take your chances. I can understand from a business perspective how the 5 bird limit will help out many people and bring in the money. So many folks will have an economic incentive for the new changes this year. However shooters are fickle and that is something nobody can control. Some years are better than others, but there is always the next season to look forward to.
JMBZ71
Member
Good points Chris. I suspect most freelance hunters like myself have a hard enough time bagging a 3-bird limit most days. Personally, I have little or no desire to shoot more than 2 wild birds on any given day but that's just me. If other guys are willing to pay $150 a day to hunt some private land holding lots of birds and think they can bag 5 birds a day, then best of luck to them. For most guys though, I think 5 birds a day is wishful thinking.
FCSpringer
Moderator
I think this kinda hit the topic on the head and I agree 100%.
UGUIDE
Active member
I think the satisfaction/contentment rate would be high if all hunters had this frame of mind. With that being said I do have some camps this year where you could shoot 10-20 birds a day and the jury is still out on what the state of affairs will be on other camps until ALL the corn is out.
Hey, I got a hunt option for you so check your PM.
I can hunt all day here in Illinois and may or may not shoot a bird. I hunt with family or friends and my 2 small munsterlanders. We have a great time. I can hunt preserves here in Illinois if I choose. $13.00 per bird. Again, its a different hunt than wild birds but can still have a great time.
We go to SD for the number of birds seen. 10, 20, 50 and even 100 bird flushes late in December is something that we can't see here in Illinois.
There is a reason people charge huge $$$$ for this opportunity in SD. U-guide chargers as well correct? Even more than $150.00 per gun per day. There is never any guarantees but we are paying the farmer $2,250 for three days hunting his land. That my friends is not chump change and we are just a very small fraction that come through his land over the course of the year. Its a business. The customer pays a hefty fee and expects quality for that hunt. If we only shoot 10 birds toatal for our trip do you think the Farmer will give us a refund? No way! If you pay for a $40.00 steak and order it medium rare and it comes to the table well done are you still eating it or sending it back?
We go to SD for the number of birds seen. 10, 20, 50 and even 100 bird flushes late in December is something that we can't see here in Illinois.
There is a reason people charge huge $$$$ for this opportunity in SD. U-guide chargers as well correct? Even more than $150.00 per gun per day. There is never any guarantees but we are paying the farmer $2,250 for three days hunting his land. That my friends is not chump change and we are just a very small fraction that come through his land over the course of the year. Its a business. The customer pays a hefty fee and expects quality for that hunt. If we only shoot 10 birds toatal for our trip do you think the Farmer will give us a refund? No way! If you pay for a $40.00 steak and order it medium rare and it comes to the table well done are you still eating it or sending it back?
landman
New member
You can spend big bucks to hunt elk in Montana or Sheep in Alaska too. I don't think any guides guarantee a filled tag. Hunt a preserve if you need a guaranteed bag but if you pay to hunt in the wild then you must expect that things may not work out sometimes.
LM
The only guarantees in life are death and taxes.
landman
New member
A person is paying for the Opportunity when he pays for a hunting guide or land access in a wild bird hunt. If he feels that the cost/benefit ratio is better elsewhere then by all means go there.
LM
I would prefer to call it enhancing your chances of success, the more you pay the better chances you might have.
Dakotazeb
Well-known member
There is a good editorial today in the Aberdeen American News about the proposed change in the pheasant limit. They raised a very valid concern about the potential impact on public hunting areas under a five bird limit. I don't think anyone here, in this dicussion, has thought about that aspect.
Here's the link to the editorial:
http://aberdeennews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20091202/OPINION03/912020316
Here's the link to the editorial:
http://aberdeennews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20091202/OPINION03/912020316
benelli-banger
Well-known member
perhaps their point is valid...however, the other side of that is the impact too many roosters can have on the hens' survival rate in a tough winter, especially after so much CRP has been cut since 9/30. Either way, GFP created a buzz, and will have succeeded in creating a heightened interest in the last season hunt. Regardless, I will be back twice, maybe three times, between now and seasons end. Good luck!!!!
JMBZ71
Member
We have to wonder if this isn't really an attempt at a late-season â??saleâ?� by the powers that be in Pierre. According to a story we published earlier this week, license sales have been down this year among both resident and non-resident pheasant hunters.
I agree. As I posted earlier, it's a marketing decision.
Allowing hunters to take even more birds out of public areas in the next month, especially as pheasants bunch up in thick cover during cold weather, might be a penny-wise, pound-foolish approach that diminishes opportunity in some public areas next season.
In theory this makes sense but in practice I still maintain that for the average guy hunting public areas, the limit increase will have little or no effect on the number of birds he'll harvest.
Expanding to five birds sends the wrong message - a message that hunting is more about killing than it is about the outdoors experience.
Agreed.
Uncle Buck
New member
I do not see any problem maketing an excess of birds. What do you do with any commidity excess?
What if they said 5 birds on private land only to confront the pubbie issue? Can you hear the howling on that?
Personally, I do not care as I would have/will be out there till the sun goes down on the last day. If they can bring in some extra bucks, I guess I see that as potentially helping wildlife.
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Starcraft ii replay
What if they said 5 birds on private land only to confront the pubbie issue? Can you hear the howling on that?
Personally, I do not care as I would have/will be out there till the sun goes down on the last day. If they can bring in some extra bucks, I guess I see that as potentially helping wildlife.
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Starcraft ii replay
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bobeyerite
New member
George, I agree with the article, that it could take the spotlight off the Outdoor Experience and place it on Killing Birds. It has been said on this forum many times we hunt to be in the field with our dogs. Also we enjoy the benefits we derive from just being out in "Mother Natures Domain". When we lose that, we lose what hunting has meant to a lot of us for many many years. To a lot us getting a bird or 2 is just a bonus we get for doing something we love.......Bob
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