South Dakota Pheasants

[Gilly]

My cabin is in Iowa, Mondamin specifically. We purposely developed 30+ acres for pheasant. Last years flood put us right at the edge of the high water, a refuge if you will. Once I realized what was happening (the animals had sought shelter in the grasses to an extent I had not dreamed of) I posted the area and did not allow anyone including family, to hunt. I will still let only a very select few on the land. The birds have held pretty tight to our land and were beginning to spread out but with hunting season at hand we're seeing the numbers get stronger. I had a problem with coyotes earlier but things appear to be balanced right now. I love to hunt pheasant but this new found refuge situation is kind of cool too. When several dozen pheasant are standing back by the barn in the evening or back deeper in the grass and cussing the the heck out of each other it's very satisfying to know our plans panned out. I suppose I'd better be careful with these new attitudes I'm experiencing.......I'll end up driving one of those new green machines.

[ness]

My cabin is in Iowa, Mondamin specifically. We purposely developed 30+ acres for pheasant. Last years flood put us right at the edge of the high water, a refuge if you will. Once I realized what was happening (the animals had sought shelter in the grasses to an extent I had not dreamed of) I posted the area and did not allow anyone including family, to hunt. I will still let only a very select few on the land. The birds have held pretty tight to our land and were beginning to spread out but with hunting season at hand we're seeing the numbers get stronger. I had a problem with coyotes earlier but things appear to be balanced right now. I love to hunt pheasant but this new found refuge situation is kind of cool too. When several dozen pheasant are standing back by the barn in the evening or back deeper in the grass and cussing the the heck out of each other it's very satisfying to know our plans panned out. I suppose I'd better be careful with these new attitudes I'm experiencing.......I'll end up driving one of those new green machines.

Pretty cool, Gilly.

[Phil Lilley]

Got invited to hunt in NE first of November, which I declined. Can't go at that time. Anyhow- they said population looks good. They're hunting a couple of places where they're charged by the gun - $100 per day. Probably alot of those places around.

[RSBreth]

SW kansas has always been hit and miss. Central Kansas is great but mostly private. I have my family there so I know the awesome spots, but the Walk-In-Hunter program is a great way for a guy willing to well, walk around, get into some interesting areas if they have the time.

[Chief Grey Bear]

Glad to hear that RS. I have been thinking about that for a couple of years. Wanted to take CD and do that. One forum member was dead set against it. Glad to hear your testimony as that is what I always felt it would be like.

[Feathers and Fins]

There is 4B's in Mo. not wild birds persay but still fun and good for working dogs.

[ness]

Glad to hear that RS. I have been thinking about that for a couple of years. Wanted to take CD and do that. One forum member was dead set against it. Glad to hear your testimony as that is what I always felt it would be like.

Nothing wrong with Walk-In Hunting, IMO. Sure, it's not the same as having your own estate to hunt on, but it gets you access to thousands and thousands of acres. Which makes it kinda overwhelming.... But, you can download a Google Earth file at the KDWP web site, load it in and do research from where you're sitting right now. You can't tell CRP from pasture, but you can tell a lot of other things. If you've got the time to scout, that can be pretty productive time.

Sure, a lot of the best WIHAs get hammered, but if you're willing to walk a little farther or hunt a little smarter you'll improve your odds. Waiting a few weeks after opening day will greatly reduce the number of folks out there.

The forecast is pretty gloomy for pheasants, but not so bad for quail. Didn't even go to western KS last year, and likely won't this year either. There are some areas closer to home I'm gonna focus on this year for quail. And, NW MO has been pretty good to me on pheasant the last two years.

[Quillback]

I'm back from the Mobridge SD area, I'm back early because the Walk in areas, of which there are many within 50 miles or so of Mobridge are completely worthless. They come in one of three types, pastureland grazed down to bare dirt, corn stubble fields that have zero cover, or wheat stubble fields that have been harvested and have zero cover. I did kickup a rooster out of a ditch that bordered one of the corn stubble fields and missed him as he was a 40 yard crossing shot flying with a 20 knot tailwind.

Maybe the public land on the eastern side of the state is better (not harvested or overgrazed pasture), but it's hard to trust the SD WIHA program after what I saw in north central SD.

What sense does it make to enroll pasture land that is grazed down to dirt with zero wildlife cover in a walk in an access program? I think the state pays the landowner some small amount of money, but why pay, put up signs, and publish this crap on a map when it is completely worthless for hunting? I'm going to see if I can find out who runs this program for SD and give them a call and ask them about this.

Going to SW Nebraska next week, not a lot of public land there, but what is public is usually good cover for pheasants. May look into NW Kansas this year also, if any of you guys go to that area, I'd be curious to hear if you see many birds on the WIHA areas, not looking for specific info on locations, just a general feel for numbers.

[Justin Spencer]

Just a guess, but if they had the drought we did they probably opened up CRP to emergency grazing and haying this year. Probably was enrolled as ungrazed pasture or CRP but changed due to the drought. I'd do my homework before going anywhere this year as I bet there isn't much cover in a lot of areas.

[Quillback]

I can see that on the cattle grazing land, but the wheat fields and corn fields would have been planted in the spring before the drought took hold. Maybe in a normal year they leave strips unharvested, but I'm not blaming the farmers for harvesting, but the state should not enroll land that is barren and publish it in a map. Or they should at least put up an emergency notice on their website letting folks know that the WIHA land is basically worthless as because of the drought the farmers have cut it down to bare dirt.

And yes I do my homework (Justin please don't assume that I don't do my homework ), but sometimes you have to find out things for yourself as it can be hard to get good info out of secretive bird hunters who aren't going to let you know where their good spots are.