... where you should be updating your pheasants mailing address, is Hwy 83 south of Gettysburg. Because they all moved there in case you where wondering where they went. Great bird numbers there, concentrated in the crop areas that are centered in the pasture land. All the corn and milo is still in but the beans were all off. Sunflowers were predominant harvesting coming off the last two days. Filled out 3 hunters with one dog the last two days walking ditches and road hunting the last hour, including Mon which was 50-60 mph winds. They just sat in the ditches and never heard us coming. Hunting felt like the good years where there are birds around every corner.
Saw 40-50 birds per day with a mix of feathered out young and 2-3 year old birds so they had a strong hatch. Locals where out road hunting in force Tue and we heard reports of no other locals out in many areas so they know there are good birds there. We hunted Mobridge and Hoven last year and they had good bird numbers as well then. We heard they were good again in this area which is just north of Gettysburg but we didn't get up there this week.
We covered a lot of ground Sat/Sun in our hunting parties with these results:
15 mi wide line from Frankfort to Artesian- went back and for on opening day and hit birds in ditches about 20mi apart each time. Watched a number of shelterbelts and walk-ins being run with some decent bird numbers coming out of them. I would say scattered low number of birds with good pockets in ideal cover.
(generally square sections with these towns at the corners)-
Conde/Doland/Clark/Bradley- just a few pockets of birds with good numbers in cover on private land spots that were available but otherwise not much seen. Never a really big producer lately but did get some rain at hatch time so the few broods here did produce new birds.
Redfield/Zell/Tulare- Low number of birds, all day hunt in the ditches with just two birds for two hunters.
Cresbard/Chelsea/Athol/Miranda- Used to be huge numbers here last year, not any more. Didn't see anything for a half a day, headed west to Gettysburg and never looked back.
In all these areas, all the beans are gone but corn/milo/sunflowers were still standing with some corn and flowers starting to come off.
Saw 40-50 birds per day with a mix of feathered out young and 2-3 year old birds so they had a strong hatch. Locals where out road hunting in force Tue and we heard reports of no other locals out in many areas so they know there are good birds there. We hunted Mobridge and Hoven last year and they had good bird numbers as well then. We heard they were good again in this area which is just north of Gettysburg but we didn't get up there this week.
We covered a lot of ground Sat/Sun in our hunting parties with these results:
15 mi wide line from Frankfort to Artesian- went back and for on opening day and hit birds in ditches about 20mi apart each time. Watched a number of shelterbelts and walk-ins being run with some decent bird numbers coming out of them. I would say scattered low number of birds with good pockets in ideal cover.
(generally square sections with these towns at the corners)-
Conde/Doland/Clark/Bradley- just a few pockets of birds with good numbers in cover on private land spots that were available but otherwise not much seen. Never a really big producer lately but did get some rain at hatch time so the few broods here did produce new birds.
Redfield/Zell/Tulare- Low number of birds, all day hunt in the ditches with just two birds for two hunters.
Cresbard/Chelsea/Athol/Miranda- Used to be huge numbers here last year, not any more. Didn't see anything for a half a day, headed west to Gettysburg and never looked back.
In all these areas, all the beans are gone but corn/milo/sunflowers were still standing with some corn and flowers starting to come off.