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Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 5,021
Sidelock
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OP
Sidelock
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 5,021 |
Are their respective Department's of Natural Resources predicting a good season? Or, is there any news good or bad at all? But, more importantly, any motel rooms available at a reasonable price?
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Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 1,850
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 1,850 |
Are their respective Department's of Natural Resources predicting a good season? Or, is there any news good or bad at all? But, more importantly, any motel rooms available at a reasonable price? Pheasants are abundant on my farm west of Bismarck. Sharptails are very few as well as partridge. The closer you get to the oil patch motel rates are rape.
Practice safe eating. Always use a condiment.
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Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 11,372 Likes: 103
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 11,372 Likes: 103 |
Both states predicting a good season. Counts are up from last year in SD, and ND--which showed a solid increase in pheasant harvest last year over 2010--is looking at least as good this year.
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 3,216 Likes: 120
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 3,216 Likes: 120 |
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
Gregory J. Westberg MSG, USA Ret
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Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 5,021
Sidelock
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OP
Sidelock
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 5,021 |
Thanks guys but it seems to me that it may be harder to find a place to stay then the birds. I usually drive up around Thanksgiving and hunt the roads and railroad lines, cricks and streams for stragglers around Chamberlain. Great time and good people and excellent hunting!!
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Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 1,850
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 1,850 |
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 Thank you for incuding that Greg. I want to include "respect" for the game birds. As a land owner and hunter I find it dis-heartening to see people hang pheasant heads on my barb wire fence. I also feel it is dis-respectful for people to just rip the breast out of a pheasant and leave the thighs and drumsticks for the coyotes. There is a lot of meat on the thighs and drumsticks of these big beautiful birds. I hope everyone has a good season this year.
Practice safe eating. Always use a condiment.
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Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 571 Likes: 9
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 571 Likes: 9 |
Numbers have bounced back some on my place as well. I still think the ND game and fish were full of crap that more birds were shot last year than the previous. It was the poorest year I have seen in a while. Sharptail numbers are good from what I have observed. I just got my dog back from the trainer in Mott last night because he said it was not worth keeping her there due to all the crp had been cut in the surrounding area due to the drought and he had no where to run her on birds. He is a local with lots of connections for land so that shows how bad that area may be this fall. There are birds there, just no cover to hunt. Off to MT today to hunt Sage Grouse. Hope they are well.
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Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 916 Likes: 1
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 916 Likes: 1 |
SD has posted 2012 brood count survey results on their game and fish dept. website.
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Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 11,372 Likes: 103
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 11,372 Likes: 103 |
wburns, I think even ND Game & Fish would tell you that one reason more birds were shot last year than 2010 was also weather-related: given your mild winter, hunters were still doing their thing right up to the end of the season. Makes a big difference vs a season that ends in early Dec due to a whole lot of snow.
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Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 1,850
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 1,850 |
It wouldn't be the first time I put on a pair of snowshoes to go hunting.
Practice safe eating. Always use a condiment.
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