benelli-banger
Well-known member
I was analogizing that Ms. Noem may have ignored science in other aspects of her job in the recent past as well...in favor of SD's economy....quite blatant with the pheasant flock, for sure....
Tell me this isn't smokin' hot
- Thread starter KSnative
- Start date
Ericb
Active member
I think I saw it mentioned before, maybe in a different forum but are pheasants stocked around the state in SD or are the birds all wild? Seems like when I hunted there all the birds my group shot had short tail feathers, indicating young birds but it was a mid December hunt when most young birds would have been thinned out.
Munster927
Well-known member
That may have been me haha I'm of the mind SD stocks alot of birds. I received alot of criticism when I mentioned that here before but I've never shot birds in MN that had blinder holes. Seems like half the birds I shoot in SD have blinder holes.
Whether that is due to SD stocking birds or it's related to the enormous number of game farms (guided hunts, whatever you want to call it) in the state and those birds end up on public land, remains to be seen.
benelli-banger
Well-known member
State doesn’t, private landowners do...
FWIW, caught out of the corner of my eye on this morning's news that MN, WI, MI, NY aren't doing as well as the less restrictive states on COVID rates. They followed what has passed for science (maybe, more politics). I'll cast my vote for a healthy (groan) skepticism on this one.
Have you had the vax yet and if so, which one?
gimruis
Well-known member
I haven't. I'm patiently waiting for my turn in the rotation.
Both my parents, my wife, my mother in law, and my 93 year old grandmother are fully immunized.
Now is not the time to lift most restrictions. In the case of South Dakota, that doesn't apply because they never had any to begin with.
benelli-banger
Well-known member
first dose of Moderna on 3/10....
benelli-banger
Well-known member
was this cumulative data, or recent trend???
I'm more of a fan of the build it and they will come model of wildlife. If the state would focus on increasing the population of pheasants. As well as increased accessibility. It wouldn't take a lot of money in advertising. Folks would know and hear from word of mouth that pheasants are up in SD.
It has been quite consistent throughout the pandemic, or whatever it is. I just plucked this from the headliner blurbs - and "People" is hardly a right leaning source, I might add. COVID Cases Are Rising Again in 14 States, Primarily in the Upper Midwest and New York Area (msn.com)
No axe to grind; I don't want COVID any more than you do - but it would appear that we've been taken for a bit of a ride. Intentionally or otherwise.
Sister in law got the J&J vax a week or so ago, with no side effects (plus, supposedly protects better against variants). Might be the way to go.
I'd be happy if the states would just cease and desist actively reducing access for residents (whether intentional or not).
Munster927
Well-known member
Regarding COVID, I can't speak for other states as I don't live there, but in MN we have been opening things up lately. Bars and restaurants are open, many kids are back in school. So of course we would have an uptick due to that compared to states who were maintaining status quo of things staying open.
gimruis
Well-known member
I agree. But the solution is generally more habitat and that generally isn't going to happen. Land practices favor farming, and modern agriculture will win the fight every single time against conservation practices. Favorable weather patterns can affect wildlife populations on a short term basis.
Munster927
Well-known member
100% agree. Don't tell me, show me.
benelli-banger
Well-known member
looks like to date, SD has had 115k cases and about 1900 deaths...MN has had about 500k cases and about 6800 deaths; MN has about 6.6x the people (5,650,000 vs 860k)...so based on this data, which I got from the CDC, about 8.8% of MN has tested positive and about 13.3% of SD has. Looks like our death rate is lower as well....I've never juxtaposed the two, nor do I have an axe to grind, just got me thinking. I live in MN, and spend about 60 days a year in SD. I got covid either in ND or MT last September; I had been in SD a lot over the summer...3 trips between April and May just to hang out with farmer friends, grad party in July, two weddings and a funeral in August, including being in the hills during the rally; none of that got me, must have stopped in the wrong C store in ND or MT on my way to MT to bird hunt in early September. Wouldn't shock me if certain states are getting close to herd immunity, especially those that were hit hard very early, like SD....who knows? I probably should have died from Covid, I have two co-morbidities....I was sick for several weeks, never had a problem breathing. I attribute that to my walking that I do. I did have a strong reaction to my vaccine last week....knocked me on my ass for a day.
Ericb
Active member
If only there was a business model that could provide game, cover, accessibility, reasonable prices and have a long term stewardship over land quality that would generate income in perpetuity. Where hunters or really any outdoorspeople could buy access and the concern would only deal with it’s purpose and not politics. Land prices and taxes probably prevent such an idea from getting started though.
gimruis
Well-known member
The license system for non-residents in SD sucks too. If I buy a non-resident license, I should be able to hunt the entire season whenever I want to. Not be limited to one 14 day window or two 7 day windows. When a non-resident buys a license here or in Iowa, they aren't limited to hunting windows. If the hunting is oh so great there as they market it as, why are they limiting the number of days when you buy a license? I think its send some return fire on our neighbors to the west. A lot of them come here to fish as non-residents so lets limit their fishing season to a specific window too.
What's lacking to date is establishment of cause/effect, guys like us speculate based on anecdotal evidence -- and our conclusions seem to be at least as valid as the big dollar "experts". If high initial rates made for good times now - hard to decipher NY state, for example.
Sorry to hear about your COVID experience and vax reaction. My mother wasn't able to take the 2nd shot, and a friend's son (30 something) wound up hospitalized with heart rhythm problems and high fever, believed to be from the vax.
Certainly much remains unknown, or unproven.