Pheasant chicks

[firebug]

Hey is anyone seeing any pheasant chicks yet?? They should be popping out soon.

[tybo]

I saw some on Sunday trying to cross rt 12 just east of Montrose. The hen got halfway across and stopped due to traffic. We tried to flash a few people to get them to stop but they never even slowed down!! Luckily she went back to the side of the road. Hopefully they made it back across OK. Not sure how many but there were but we saw 6 or 7, could've been more in the grass. That's all I've seen but I haven't really been looking much.

[muc33]

I have now seen quite a few in SW Minnesota!!!!!! Not sure how the rains of a couple weeks ago effected some nests, but I have been seeing more and more in recent days!

[123fish]

I've seen a couple of bunches around the Worthington area also. I've also seen a number of hens with roosters again so I imagine there is some serious renesting going on. Too bad the ditch mowing is getting serious right now.

[muc33]

I agree, we were doing so good but then they would have been cutting sooner as well. Always an issue, but I know the majority of nesting is not occuring in the ditches, but the feedings and stuff are! YIKES, run little chicks the sky is falling, or should I say chopping!!!!!!

[UGUIDE]

I saw 3 broods the 3rd week of June when out at the farm. The first brood was smaller in mumber but the chicks were about 5-6 inches long and could fly.

The other 2 broods were combined with 2 hens hanging around and brood numbered 20 and they could barely get through cover. 1-2 inches long.

I have never seen the cover as thick as it is this year and some are forecasting higher bird numbers than last year which was a record.

[maros91]

I seen a hen with about 5 chicks the other day by Cambridge. Have also seen alot of hens with roosters the last couple of days. Hopefully see some more chicks soon.

[Sko]

I have been seeing quite a few chicks in extreme SW MN as well. They are very little, the ones I am seeing. I know the DNR was concerned about the cold, wet spring, but from what I could tell, nesting did not begin in earnest until mid June. Many, many hens were still walking around breeding with roosters those first two weeks of June, so in my humble opinion, things are 3 weeks behind. Yes, the ditch mowers are probably whacking hens, but there is nothing you can do about it. They do it every year. But I certainly do not understand that law. I thought you cannot mow until 8/1. Heck, they mow everything down here. County roads. State roads. US roads. Everything. I am guessing some of it is 'illegal' but when is the last time the State fined someone for mowing a ditch???

[tybo]

I saw three last Sat that were the size of quail. They were on the side of the road and flew about 30 yards into a foeld when I drove past and stopped.

[BobT]

Took a walk around my alfalfa (7 acres) a couple days ago and flushed two coveys of about a dozen or so. One of them was quite mature already and the other group was a bit younger. I know they were hatched at least a month ago when I harvested the alfalfa. At that time they were too small to fly being about the size of baseballs.

Bob

[maros91]

Seen a hen 2 days ago with 8-10 chicks about the size of baseballs.

[muc33]

I have seen flyers, and runners alike, remember there is no general rule to timing for hens. Some go to nest early and some not until later. As long as you are seeing some young ones, we should all be happy. I for one am thrilled with the young numbers I have seen so far.

[tybo]

Saw a few hens this weekend around Cokato, not many chicks but some of them may have been hiding.

[sparcebag]

Latly I been seeing alot of hens with chicks of all sizes.What truobles me is I have'nt seen any with more than two or three chicks.I been driving more than usual but three is the largest brood I've seen.

[BobT]

Was cutting alfalfa yesterday morning and flushed a hen with about eight youngen's.

Bob

[Scott M]

I always see a few broods on Highway 13 between Jordan and Waseca. Looks like a decent hatch.

[muc33]

getting tougher to find them now with tall crops and intense heat, but the numbers I have seen so far are very good in SW MN! We again, without doubt owe it to Habitat!!!!

[tybo]

I saw 6 or 7 nearly adult sized birds yesterday near Waverly. They were still too small yet but they were much bigger than I would expect for this time of year. My english Setter also pointed a hen last week and she had two very small birds, roughly the size of quail, near Montrose.

[123fish]

My brother called me on his cell phone this morning on his way to Worthington and said he had a hen with six chicks run across the road right in front of him. He said those chicks were barely the size of a sparrows. My gut feeling is that we are going to see a lot of late hatches at least here in the far southwest corner. I'm still seeing roosters with single hens almost every morning on my way to work. There will definitely be some pip squeaks around come Oct.11.

[Eric Wettschreck]

Habitat is where it's at.

I drive to Worthington every morning around 5:30-6:00 ish and have been seeing a lot of birds on the side of the road getting gravel. Tall crops and high grass ditches are providing good cover so I feel I'm only seeing a very small percentage of what's actually out there.

It's gonna be another great year.

[harvey lee]

I have seen some nicer sized chicks in the last few weeks but its so hard to see them now with all the cover.

I hope I find time to get down and hunt a few up with you Boiler. Maybe a walleye-pheasant weekend.

[Eric Wettschreck]

I hope I find time to get down and hunt a few up with you Boiler. Maybe a walleye-pheasant weekend.

Don't find time, make time. I'm no expert so I can't say how long this is going to last. Hopefully forever, but dang, last fall was great and I see no reason why this fall shouldn't be the same, or even better.

Crappies in the morning, ringnecks in the afternoon, pike late afternoon, and eyes in the evening.........does it get any better than that???

[123fish]

Went on a little dog walk/early goose scouting jaunt this nice fall like morning and had the dog bump a hen with two chicks about the size of meadowlarks. Went about fifty yards looked over at her and she was on a perfect point(black lab female). Went over to her and up came another hen with about eight chicks that could barely fly. I guarantee chicks this small are not going to be showing up in the roadside counts.

On a side note I was walking along a mature shelterbelt and had a dove hop out of a bush and do the broken wing act in front of the dog. I knew what that meant and went over to the bush where she came out of and there were two young ones in a nest that barely had feathers. I don't think they will be providing sporting targets a week from Monday yet. You have to be able to fly first.

[CaptainMusky]

3 times in the last week I have seen a nice group of chicks on the way home. There is about 8 to 10 in total and they are large enough to fly. They are about the size of a Hungarian.

it is the same group each time since I see them in the exact same spot.

The first time I saw them they all flew across the road at the same time, as I drive up I see mom sitting on the top of the little hill as if telling them to hurry up!!

[MN Shutterbug]

Just 2 weeks ago, I surprised a hen on her nest, just on the edge of Marshall. She actually surprised me too, to say the least. Four of the eggs had hatched, and 3 hadn't. I then observed a couple tiny chicks running thru the weeds. I was shocked, considering how late in the year it was.