what is the status of this years wheat harvest?

Cutting wheat around Hugoton and the dry land is looking real good if it missed the hail. The smart guys always say the hatch goes along with the wheat crop. So maybe we are in for a bumper crop. Cross your fingers.
 
well? how's it going? Here,in SEK,the combines are going hot and heavy,and I do mean hot,with heat indexs over 105.
 
its going strong here in barton and russel counties and I'm sure everywhere else. I did see 3 chicks today all of which could fly very well.
 
Here is the latest scoop!!!!! The guy's I hunt with, who custom harvest have stopped because they have run into green wheat around Dighton. Might be 3 to 7 days until they resume. Talked with the truck driver who hauls the wheat into town, or nearest town and he said he has seen little pheasants running across the dirt roads everywhere. Hens with 8-10 little ones the size of doves. He says if the hail misses this Summer, it could be a great year. They have been cutting and hauling from Cimarron to Ness to Dighton. Said he has seen quite a few Quail chicks as well. I will update as soon as Possible!!! Bleu:cheers:
 
Dad's wife said they would be finished with their acreage NE of Dodge by the middle of next week. There is still plenty of wheat in all around them, but they're nearing completion. I'll ask him about bird #'s when he's done and report back to the group.
 
green wheat in dighton thats strange we are starting to role the wheat in around grainfield we actually havew had 2 combine fires already its so dry
 
Ok, my best source for pheasants where I hunt is at my house right now. I'm getting mixed feelings. He only harvested a couple of wheat fields himself, the rest were done by custom harvesters. They are done with all of their wheat at this point. He said he saw lots of hens coming out of the wheat while he was cutting, but no chicks to speak of. He's seeing a few chicks in each field, but generally sees many more. He said the alfalfa fields were loaded with birds when they were cutting them. He said the alfalfa held more birds than the wheat, but again, they saw a bunch of hens while cutting, but not many chicks. He doesn't give me good bird estimates like a fellow hunter (#'s per square mile isn't what he's thinking about), but he's never led me astray. His reports go from "Not enough or not as many as such and such year, or They're everywhere; or more than this year, but not as many as that year"......SO, this year he said "They're there, but there aren't enough". I'll still hunt that area b/c it means a great deal to me in terms of sentiment, but I hope to hear better news from other parts of the state. Every time he's told me the #'s are way down, he's been right:( Not all hope is lost though. There may have been chicks running out that he didn't see and there are other fields standing that they may have been in those days. Either way, season is getting closer and I'm still excited even if there are only 5 roosters in the county by the time I get there.
 
lots of hens and few chicks may just mean (in that area) first nests were not very successful due to weather conditions. the hens will have to hurry, but many could still conceivably pull off a late hatch. as we all know, localized conditions/results can vary, overall, i would guess Kansas will still fare pretty well this season.....we all appreciate first hand observations though, thanks again for the latest! :cheers:
 
I believe there is still a chance of a decent population. He didn't do many acres of wheat himself this year, but he should still be seeing some chicks on the roads and near pasture entrances while working. He's just not seeing them. I don't want anyone to feel like the sky is falling. I share the information I get before season whether it is favorable or not. Another thing to keep in mind is that this is a very small area that he covers. I hope we hear better reports from other parts of the state as time goes on. My friend in NC KS says he's seeing a lot of birds.......it was good there last year so if the rain doesn't hurt em', it should be good again.
 
Kansas is pretty much finished up, with some wet fields up North still too finish, but all in all it is wrapping up! Talked to my contacts out there and he said when he got off the phone with me last time he must of not been paying much attention. Because he saw a hell of a lot of birds after our conversation. Pheasants, Quail and even Chickens. Lots of little ones! Said they could use a little rain soon!! They missed all the heavy stuff earlier! Says the birds should be in great shape come fall barring any bad weather!!!!!:cheers:
 
My farmer in NC Kansas says he has seen less birds this year than last year! (around Beloit). but my farmer in Liberal says he has seen more this year than in years past! not sure where to go this fall!
 
KansasCowboy said:
My farmer in NC Kansas says he has seen less birds this year than last year! (around Beloit). but my farmer in Liberal says he has seen more this year than in years past! not sure where to go this fall!
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This is the kind of report I expect to hear time and time again this season. Spotty, spotty, and more spotty, which is ok. I think it helps spread the pressure around, especially long term. It encourages people to find new areas to hunt so you guys that hunt around Norton and Wakeeney may see pressure dwindle after a rough year or 2. Norton/Wakeeney is only used as an example here as I know nothing about the #'s up there currently.
 
I was on the tractor of a couple hours Monday evening and saw a few pheasant and quail, oh and fifteen turkeys, one feisty badger, one fleeing bobcat and about thirty rabbits, cottontails and Jacks of all sizes. Most rabbits I have ever seen in that short period of time. I assume those tender young rabbits was what bought the bobcat to my treeless prairie area.

Only one hatch of LPC to report, but the cover is fantastic this year and I suspect there are more. Time will tell.
 
wheat here is averaging 11-12 for moisture and is doing very well on winter wheat. pheasants, deer and other critters are fleeing but the numbers seem to be high. I was hauling wheat for a big farm as they hire us to do their trucking, i do got some pics and there were numerous of pheasants flying here and there.


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a farmer's truck
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9 combines running with 3 tractor/grain carts.
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