A5 Sweet 16
Well-known member
I hunt publicly accessible ground sort of in the east-central/southeastern part of the state. My range covers an area roughly 1,500 sq. miles & includes well over 100, maybe even 150 potential spots. I may hunt 50 of them. Here's the status:
Surprisingly few beans planted; more corn than usual. Some beans picked. Very little corn picked. Even less cut for silage. Did corn look good? Probably not, but pheasants don't care about bushels per acre. Ditch mowing normal. Some sloughs dryer than usual. Some further north looked good. Zero cattails cut/cleared/burned.
Of the CREP & WIAs I hunt, some of the grass had been mown, but it obviously occurred after nesting. And no spot had been completely mown, maybe 75% at most. Frankly, even if the birds aren't using CREP/WIAs much early season, they'll have no problem finding places to be. Then later on, when they're using CREP/WIA sloughs, I'll appreciate having less standing grass nearby. No CREP/WIAs unenrolled this year. 1 new WIA.
It really hit me (again) how large a percentage of my hunting happens on WPAs. Gonna say 70-80%. Saw 1 WPA that had been grazed. Otherwise they were untouched. The bluestem and similar "big" grasses are significantly thinner than usual, which will help late season, as grass will be knocked down & socked in with snow a little earlier. I also suspect that may have led to more suitable brood rearing cover actually on WPAs (which is typically lacking). I think lower water levels in sloughs might mean more ground cover in them, better warmth, & possibly pheasants less apt to do so much sprinting.
That all may sound pretty optimistic, but on the whole, I was excited by what I saw. Last season was the best in my 40-year obsession, & I think this one may be better.
Since current pics aren't available yet, here are a few old ones to help get us through the home stretch.
Surprisingly few beans planted; more corn than usual. Some beans picked. Very little corn picked. Even less cut for silage. Did corn look good? Probably not, but pheasants don't care about bushels per acre. Ditch mowing normal. Some sloughs dryer than usual. Some further north looked good. Zero cattails cut/cleared/burned.
Of the CREP & WIAs I hunt, some of the grass had been mown, but it obviously occurred after nesting. And no spot had been completely mown, maybe 75% at most. Frankly, even if the birds aren't using CREP/WIAs much early season, they'll have no problem finding places to be. Then later on, when they're using CREP/WIA sloughs, I'll appreciate having less standing grass nearby. No CREP/WIAs unenrolled this year. 1 new WIA.
It really hit me (again) how large a percentage of my hunting happens on WPAs. Gonna say 70-80%. Saw 1 WPA that had been grazed. Otherwise they were untouched. The bluestem and similar "big" grasses are significantly thinner than usual, which will help late season, as grass will be knocked down & socked in with snow a little earlier. I also suspect that may have led to more suitable brood rearing cover actually on WPAs (which is typically lacking). I think lower water levels in sloughs might mean more ground cover in them, better warmth, & possibly pheasants less apt to do so much sprinting.
That all may sound pretty optimistic, but on the whole, I was excited by what I saw. Last season was the best in my 40-year obsession, & I think this one may be better.
Since current pics aren't available yet, here are a few old ones to help get us through the home stretch.
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