Hi all, to add to what JRB said, the pheasants really came back after our very mild winter. But, the numbers are not as great as in the boom years (07-09 seasons). There will be some very good hunting, but you'll still have to work a bit for them, your not just going to step out of the truck and get a limit.
The grouse are really up in the area where I hunt them. The rancher whose land I hunt told me that he's seen more grouse this year than in the past 10 years.
Huns are a different story, down period. Maybe a slight increase in some areas, but I would not cross my fingers too much. They are now pretty much a bonus bird and that's about it.
Like in the past few years, your going to have pockets of good hunting and ones that are crappy. Best thing you can do is talk to the locals and knock on a lot of doors. The best areas are generally south of I-94 and west. But as JRB said, with the oil boom, it's going to be very tough finding a place to stay, that includes camp grounds. This boom has been a blessing and a curse, but that's another story!
The loss of CRP is going to be very telling here soon, it's not quite bad yet, but it will have a major impact in the coming years, unless Congress and the state get their Sh** together and do something to make it more attractive to put land into CRP.
The PLOTS program we have is hit or miss, some are good, but a lot is just plan crap to hunt on. Grazed or hayed over, no cover. You'll have better luck in the K-Mart parking lot. The good ones get hit hard the first couple weekends and don't improve until late in the year.
Just a reminder, the first week of pheasant season (Oct 13 to the 19)is for resident hunters only. But, this only includes state lands (PLOTS, WMA, School Lands) Private land and WPA's are still good for out of staters. So you can still hunt these lands.
If you do come out, welcome, but please be respectful of my state and the famers and ranchers.
Good Luck to all of you!
Greg
