Winter Weather

C

cyclonenation10

Well-known member
Just thinking out loud.. but this winter weather we've had has to be awesome for the birds. Outside of the blizzard and a few days of brutal temperatures, a good portion of the state has had mild temperatures and next to nothing as far as snow pack so far this year. I don't think the conditions lasted long enough during that week or so stretch of brutal weather to really impact the birds much as they should have been very healthy going into that, and it just didn't last all that long. Fingers crossed, but with any luck this is shaping up to be a great winter!
 
There is a winter storm that is projected to cross through Iowa this week. Some areas may receive up to 12 inches of snow.

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Yep, they say were are getting our snow all day tomorrow! The rain Monday saturated everything, next week they are calling for below zero low temps again, this time, worse roosting conditions than before. They are tough, but the food on the ground might be iced-in now. Glad we have the sorghum food plots.
 
And I had a trip to check out Southern IA this friday for some quail....
Hoping the forecast I see for the south remains, up to 3", but we will see
 
Baxter, isn't that by Brainerd? That is a drive to check out Iowa quail ground! Keep driving sound I would say. Maybe below I-80 has some decent populations. Is Missouri's season still open? You have a great FF store up there! Is that separate gun store still going? About 7 hours away, but I was always intrigued when I saw "bear bait" there, sure weren't in Iowa any more! Do you see bears (or tracks in the snow) often in that area? About 3-4 years ago we got a FF in Sioux City, a bit before that, my father sold his cabin by Garrison.
 
remy3424 said:
Baxter, isn't that by Brainerd?
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Yes, they are essentially the same city. Brainerd is on the east side of the river, Baxter on the west. Brainerd is the "older" portion of the city, and Baxter is the newer part. My wife is from this area and several of her family members still live there. Its an awesome place in the summer with an abundance of lakes. Not so much in the winter.
 
remy3424 said:
Baxter, isn't that by Brainerd? That is a drive to check out Iowa quail ground! Keep driving sound I would say. Maybe below I-80 has some decent populations. Is Missouri's season still open? You have a great FF store up there! Is that separate gun store still going? About 7 hours away, but I was always intrigued when I saw "bear bait" there, sure weren't in Iowa any more! Do you see bears (or tracks in the snow) often in that area? About 3-4 years ago we got a FF in Sioux City, a bit before that, my father sold his cabin by Garrison.
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Yes sir as gimruis said, same city more or less.
I was hoping for walking some snow free ground near the creston area, but the travelling may limit my plans now.
FF store has gone down hill since Mills sold it in my opinion but it's our only option for sporting goods!
seen a couple bears in town, my pudelpointer pointed a decent bear this past fall crossing the road in our neighborhood before chasing it in the woods:LOL:
winter is fun as long as you like to ice fish!
 
As of Saturday, Ft Dodge area had no snow. My brother from Spirit Lake called me this morning and said the pheasants and deer are in trouble in the snow belt if they dont have woody cover and a livestock operation in close proximity..
 
reddog said:
As of Saturday, Ft Dodge area had no snow. My brother from Spirit Lake called me this morning and said the pheasants and deer are in trouble in the snow belt if they dont have woody cover and a livestock operation in close proximity..
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Need woody cover (conifers) and FOOD PLOTS. I drove north Monday to Sioux Falls, you didn't have to go far to find snow, an hour away there was a lot of snow. Not much snow here, ice down there, but the snow is pretty much gone.
 
remy3424 said:
Baxter, isn't that by Brainerd? That is a drive to check out Iowa quail ground! Keep driving sound I would say. Maybe below I-80 has some decent populations. Is Missouri's season still open? You have a great FF store up there! Is that separate gun store still going? About 7 hours away, but I was always intrigued when I saw "bear bait" there, sure weren't in Iowa any more! Do you see bears (or tracks in the snow) often in that area? About 3-4 years ago we got a FF in Sioux City, a bit before that, my father sold his cabin by Garrison.
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What is a FF Store?
 
PF sure is not in favor of feeding birds, they cite bird flu as a concern, which I have never thought about. When I do feed, I feed deep in the section, right next to the heavy cover, away from any perch tree or vehicle traffic. We have decent food plots this year, so even with this new 6-8" blanket of snow, there is readily accessible food for them in our cover. Create habitat if you can fellas!

The link below is to an interesting article regarding winter conditions and bird survival...I cut the "Did you know" image from this article.

During Harsh Winters, the Urge to Feed Wildlife Identifies a Habitat Issue

Feeding is a well-intentioned activity with deadly consequences
pheasantsforever.org pheasantsforever.org

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remy3424 said:
PF sure is not in favor of feeding birds, they cite bird flu as a concern, which I have never thought about. When I do feed, I feed deep in the section, right next to the heavy cover, away from any perch tree or vehicle traffic. We have decent food plots this year, so even with this new 6-8" blanket of snow, there is readily accessible food for them in our cover. Create habitat if you can fellas!

The link below is to an interesting article regarding winter conditions and bird survival...I cut the "Did you know" image from this article.

During Harsh Winters, the Urge to Feed Wildlife Identifies a Habitat Issue

Feeding is a well-intentioned activity with deadly consequences
pheasantsforever.org pheasantsforever.org

View attachment 5153
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I thought the same thing about the bird flu - never really thought of that but honestly don’t know much about it.

Personally, I don’t think winter feeding is a bad practice given some considerations, especially taking into account harsh winter conditions much of the Midwest experiences most winters. If placed strategically next to winter cover with no perch sites nearby like you mentioned, it seems drastically better than having birds search clean ag fields this time of year. I’m saying this being in a region with few standing crop fields in winter. I would also think more feed spots would be better than fewer. Winter habitat is definitely king like the article mentions - but to the article’s point, I’m just not sure ensuring winter food availability with some considerations in mind can’t be a factor to implement as well in areas with no standing crops. Interesting topic this time of year. Just my 2 cents.

Also, the article mentions a couple of practices I don’t think (I hope) most members here would partake in - feeding in open areas and next to roads.
 
Ugh, getting more snow. A bit of wind...with below zero low temps coming tonight through Wednesday. Not optimal for the birds.
 
remy3424 said:
Ugh, getting more snow. A bit of wind...with below zero low temps coming tonight through Wednesday. Not optimal for the birds.
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How much snow do you have on the ground out that way now? The public areas that have cattails and food plots will support survival for some but I’ve noticed the food plots on public are getting less or none more and more as years go by
 
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