doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Bird hunting season

Buzz,
I've been working with mine to get her to run smaller.

Hello All:

I can sure tell you the hunters of Montana have been looking for a strong pheasant hatch for a couple years now, and we may need to keep calling it "Next Year country". I was in the Mission Valley of western Montana yesterday looking at pheasant habitat. Much of the habitat looks very good, but unfortunately we've also had five inches of rain in the last four days atop our peak date for pheasant hatch. We probably lost most of what had already pipped. At least most the high temps have been above 60 F. It is raining again today.... If I hear better reports from other parts of the state, I'll try to get it posted here.

The pheasant epi-center for pheasants in Montana are the counties of Richland, Roosevelt and Sheridan. All three have endured cold rains and high winds the last week.

This week is the peak of the hatch, historically and so far no freezing rains like last year.

Does Montana, South and North Dakota stock birds in order to keep their numbers up?

I know one of my neighbors used to raise pheasant chicks and turn them loose. He quit that when some smart a$$es followed him to the release points and had a slaughter. I don't blame him it's kind of dis-heartening after taking care of them all summer.

South Dakota does via a provision as part of the qualification to hold a Commercial Shooting Preserve permit whicj requires those operators to replenish birds based on a formula of birds harvested during their entire season of September through February. ND and MT does not stock pheasants.

Rcc do ya'll have Huns and Sharptails in South Dakota? If so are the Preserves required to release them too?

Thanks,

Mike

There are Huns and Sharp-tails in SD. I do not know the answer to your question. However, I have never heard of the SD Game and Fish releasing any, nor have I heard of them requiring a commercial operator to do so.

Looking forward to the grouse season in Michigan's U.P. I have my lodging set up for the month of October and early November and will probably go early just to scout out some new cover. I have come into an old-timers triple secret maps for several areas I frequent and I made it to several of those spots last season. They were productive and the anticipation is killing me.

I sent off my young setter to boot camp. He is the first dog I have ever needed to send to a pro but he is too headstrong for my training methods. He has a good skill set so I am anxious to see how educable he is. My other two pups are getting old so the youngster will see plenty of work his second season. Buzz, the trainer swears he is working at 30 to 35 yards if you can believe that.

I already took my 16 to the gunsmith and he gave it his blessings after dripping a few drops of holy water on the stock. It beaded nicely and the fortune teller I took along gazed into the small pool on the stock and sang the praises of the forthcoming season.

So we are all in for a good season and if it should not measure up to the fortune tellers vision we need to remember that a bad day in the field beats the hell out of the best day in the office. Of course for us retired folks they are all good days albeit some are better than others.

May the Grouse gods be with you, for if you can hit a grouse on the wing you can slay all comers. For what it is worth the fellow who started this thread can hit more than his share of grouse on the wing. He also has some really nice dogs. Now, I only hunted over 5 or 6 of his 14 but those were nice pups.

Mike

So, educate an old Southern boy on grouse shooting. What is a good average, hits to misses?

SRH