South Dakota pheasant hunt

[sdhunter]

Hey guys
Hows the weather. Its hard to believe that you can hunt in T-Shirts in the middle of Febuary in South Dakota. We have had an awesome winter so far. Our bird population is going to grow again this year if we don't get any freezing rain. Should be a great seaon this nexxt year.

[fabsroman]

SDHunter,

Welcome to the board. I have been trying to get to South Dakota for some pheasant and waterfowl hunting, and my dad has been bugging me about it, but he wussed out last year when I had made some plans. Maybe next season I will be out your way.

The weather here hasn't been too bad this past week, but we did get a couple inches of snow and freezing rain a couple days ago. Today, I was working outside without a coat and it was in the 40's.

Hope you had a great season.

[sdhunter]

Whats your winters like out there. This year has just been crazy. If your thinking of getting out here let me know. We will have our last group next weekend and were kind of hoping it will cool off again so the birds will sit tighter. Let me know we would love to host ya.

Thanks
Sal

[Nulle]

It is going to be a Real Bad year in Western SD if we don't get some moisture soon and alot of it. The wild turkey population on the plains is starting to feel the effect with last years brood counts way down. The chicks need that moisture in the first stages of life or they are done for. Eastern SD again has had some moisture and things might not be as bad.

[skeet]

Eastern Montana and Northern Wyoming isn't doing too well on the rain either. Birds are gonna be hurting again out there. Any snow in the Bighorns?? If not the irrigation will be in bad shape too.

Hey sdhunter..you ought to talk to Petey(otherwise known to us as THE BOSS) about advertising on HC!. Welcome to the forum

[gspsonny03]

Welcome to the forum sdhunter, there's a lot of good people here, you just met two of them. Sorry Fabs, didn't see your post, make that three of them. I hope you enjoy it here.

You're right about the rain skeet. There is very little snow pack in the Bighorns and the irrigation is going to be really tough this year unless we get some major rains, and I have my doubts about that happening. One thing that I've learned about this country after living here for 28 years, is they don't get much in the way of rain. They only average like 6" a year and that's including snow pack.

[sdhunter]

its been a wierd couple of years. We are just on the edge of the drought. We have been lucky so far with rain in the spring. We use to have alot of ducks and geese come through but we have lost that because of the drought. do you guys think its possible to the birds have 3 hatches in a season. We saw day old chics the first part of september. all through october there were birds popping up that were just starting to color. I feel this is because of the drought but not sure. what do you guys think.

[skeet]

I have found that the quail here will have a 2nd hatch if it isn't too wet...but they seem to lay the eggs after rains that promote seed sproutings. Course the quail are about gone now days

[sdhunter]

we have seen a huge decline in our grouse and partrige out here as well. Seems like everyone is breaking there pastures and stuff and putting it all into crops.

[DelDuck]

Skeet whats you take on the quail? IMHO the farmers are really hurting them by keeping the ditches cut so clean. And the red fox is out of control. Between the 2 rabbits and quail have no chance.

[fabsroman]

GSP,

No worries, I was just about to PM you and ask which of the two you didn't like, Skeet or Nulle. Thought you might have had something against one of them since I know I am a great guy. LOL But then you caught yourself. Actually, I never would have noticed if you hadn't pointed it out.

I shoot red foxes whenever the opportunity arises. They are a disaster out here and I see them quite often. I have never seen a wild quail and used to hunt wild pheasants about 20 years ago and got to kill a couple of them back then.

Let's see, things hurting quail and rabbits would probably also include development along with the predators and farming practices. My father has pointed out a couple of places to me in Prince George's County where he used to hunt quails. Of course, they were shopping centers at the time he was telling me. This is when I was young and naive and didn't understand how development can kill habitat. Now, I understand it all too clearly.

I truly wish we could get the birds back here, but I will be content with the resident geese as long as they are around and I have access to fields to hunt them in.

[gspsonny03]

Del, there is no doubt that cleaning the ditches are hurting the quail population, but the biggest problem they have is pesticide spraying. Don't get me wrong, I use to farm too ,so I know what the farmer has to go through. In order for him to make as many $$$$ as he can, it's usually fence row to fence row, and to spray for pests they need something that will kill the critters the first time, because if you have to do it more than once you're losing money. It's just a tough proposition.