Weather

The ones I talked to said they'd been a little cold recently, but holding their own just fine. Plenty of cover. Not too much horrendous wind & blowing snow to contend with. Not so much snow (especially the hard, crusty type) that feeding has been difficult. No freezing drizzle. And they're aware the forecast is looking up, so they were in good spirits. They said that's 90% of the battle - maintaining a positive attitude.
 
Hmmm. I wear orange in December. What does that make me? Not sure I want to up my odds. I already do very well and if I would do much better, the guys I hunt with might get ugly! Kind of a joke but we party hunt and I am always on the plus side of my limit. However, if and when I am a blocker, I take my orange off and sit down in the grass or hide as much as I can. I have even gone as far as posting my hat at one spot , my coat at another and sitting in the middle or on the flank. Hoping they would cut the gap. It has paid off, or maybe just got lucky. Depending on what cover you are hunting and how your access it, for the most part I believe the birds know you are there. The trick is to keep them on the ground, in front of you until they have no escape other than to fly while in range. Should I emphasize "TRICK". Sometimes it's so easy and other times..... Either way, as long as I'm in SD chasing tail, I'm all good.
 
How is the weather in SD impacting the birds?

I spent the weekend house sitting at my folks farm and saw very good numbers in the area, suggesting they weathered the cold just fine. In fact, my mom mentioned that she saw pheasants out scratching even in the brutal cold (-15 or so). With generations of survivors before them, I am confident in saying that this cold snap had very little impact on the population of pheasants, at least in my corner of northeastern SD.
 
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