where are the birds hanging out now?

still_steamn

still_steamn

New member
Hoping to get in one more hunt in NCentral SD around Jan 1. For those that have been hunting them lately, what kind of cover has been working for you? Shelter belts around farm houses usually hold them this time of year, but will not have access and they are usually really hard to kill from shelterbelts with one or two guys.
 
You're going to have to find some trees and cattails. Most of the CRP is pretty much covered and not holding birds. Unless you can push them from the trees and sloughs into the CRP then some with burrow down under the snow and sit tight. Can be great with a pointing dog. But getting around is tough. Falling through crotch deep snow drifts just trying to get in and out of fields. In the cattails the snow was about a foot deep last week and we've gotten another 5-6 inches on top of that. Of course it has settled some. Hopefully the warmer temps yesterday didn't put a crust on top. That will really make it difficult for both man and dog. I haven't been out for a week but plan to get out for a couple of hours today on some public land. I'll report back later.
 
I spent a little over 2 hours out on some public land this morning. I was disappointed in the number of birds I saw. Only shot one rooster. Found a few in a food plot and a few in some tree strips. The cattails I walked only yielded on hen. Not sure where they are all holed up. It tough walking. Doesn't take long to work up a good sweat even when the temps are in the single digits. I found walking for 30-45 minutes then taking a 10 minute break helped both me and the dog stay fresher.
 
Wed when I went out I had a similar experience. A lot of the sloughs that normally have had birds in them had none. I did find birds here and there in trees. Overall, the real thick cover was disappointing. I hope with the snow settling things will be different.
 
The birds seem to be in there normal hiding places again. The 40 degree weather has really got rid of a lot of snow. It can be a wet walk however. The melting snow has created a sloppy mess in a few places.
 
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