Corn Harvest Before Pheasant Opener?

[WildFan10]

I am heading to the Marshall area for pheasant opener in two weeks and am hoping some of the corn will start to come down soon. We all know how much tougher it is to hunt when all the corn is still standing. Has anyone started harvesting out there yet? What do folks anticipate for the amount to be harvested by opener on October 15th? Hopefully the warm and sunny weather will help this week!

Is anyone seeing any birds around the Marshall and Canby areas? Thanks.

[Dave S]

I was riding the motorcycle between New Ulm and Sleep Eye yesterday and there were atleast a couple dozen farmers going gangbusters on the beans and a couple in the corn. If this weather pattern holds, I would guess 30% of the corn will be harvested by pheasant opener. I know it's not the same area you're looking for but even considering the management areas I went by, I didn't see one pheasant.

My pheasant hunting out by Ivanhoe wasn't the greatest last year either. Still debating if I'll avoid the orange army this year or not.

[Archerysniper]

I have been seeing them starting to pick some fields in the last 3 days. I know the corn in the back yard isn't ready yet still really wet by the cob when you strip it.

[Eric Wettschreck]

By my place they're hittin the beans like gangbusters. Things are so dry here (weird knowing the spring and early summer we had) there's a burning ban in Murray county right now.

The corn looks uber dry, but I don't know it's moisture content. Will they be in the corn fields in 2 weeks??? Prolly. Will there be a majority of corn out? Doubt it.

FWIW- Pheasant numbers a really down. I normally see and hear bunches and bunches of them, but not this year. Don't get me wrong, there are birds out there, just not nearly as many as past years. Don't know if its due to a couple tough winters, really wet springs, yotes, skunks everywhere, or a combo of all the above.

[Matt C]

I bet all the musky's ate em.

[PurpleFloyd]

If the weather holds the crops will come out fast. The equipment is getting bigger and the corn is so dry they can put it right in storage without running it through the dryer.If we get some big rains it will slow things down a bit but I still anticipate an early finish to the harvest here in SC Minn.

That being said the bird numbers are going to be as bad as they have been in a decade. The only benefit will be less out of area hunters putting pressure on the birds because it certainly isn't going to be worth the drive.

[muc33]

Looking at the forecast, corn harvest will be deep in progress by pheasant opener in extreme SW Mn. 9 days ago, wet corn for the silo was at 27 percent. Dry down is going rapid, with sun and wind. As Eric said, numbers are suspect, but still the best hunting around is and will be in SW Mn for the state. Plenty of habitat. Time and only time will tell what this season will really bring.

[BLACKJACK]

Personally I wish we'd get some rain to slow down the corn harvest, leave more birds for the late season hunting!! But the forecast isn't looking good for rain.

Around here, they're hitting the soybeans hard, and starting in on the corn pretty good too. With the big equipment they have nowadays, I'm guessing that they'll have 50% of the crop out by pheasant opener. Come on rain!!!

[Tom7227]

I think I heard on the radio that 80% of the corn is in. That seems way high to me. How come so much difference between this year and last year? Frost kill?

[muc33]

yes, part the frost kill and then less than an inch of rain since August.

[carpshooterdeluxe]

Lots of corn combined already by last friday night along hwy 59 north of marshall. Mostly saw guys hitting soybeans coming back down on sunday. In the past 3 weeks I've put on 565 miles just scouting for waterfowl in western MN and eastern SD and have seen less than 20 pheasants.

[creepworm]

yes, part the frost kill and then less than an inch of rain since August.

Also, that week of unbearably hot days and warm overall temperatures really cranked out some growing degree days. As well as some people gowing shorter day varieties.

[WildFan10]

Thanks for the information, guys. Sounds like corn harvest will be well on the way by next weekend. What are everyone's thoughts about the idea that the bird numbers appear to be so low due to the fact that nesting happened later this year? Anyone buy into the notion that there really could be more birds out there than what the projections were for this year?

Anyone planning to hunt public land on SW MN?

[harvey lee]

I might guess that between last winter and this springs rain, the birds took a very hard hit.

I would guess the birds are down bad all over the pheasant range here in Mn. I know North Dakota got hit hard also with a very poor hatch this spring with all the rain.

[certified jumbo]

At my place they are picking corn and beans at a fast rate. I predict most be picked by mid october (just a guess on what i'm seeing). I live in Isanti county.

[Dave S]

We had a combine fire a half mile from my house the other day. Torched several acres but don't know the exact amount. Luckily other local farmers came to help with their implements to create a fire break before it jumped the road towards my house.

Aside from that excitement, I normally see a few birds a year around home. Nothing this year. I have one area that I plan on hunting opening day. Otherwise my MN hunting will be very limited.

[creepworm]

Had a combine fire by my house last thursday when it was extremely windy as well. Torched 70 acres of beans before they could create a fire break. Just last night, they had a story on the news about combine fires being much more frequent this year because it has been so dry. Bad news for the farmers.

[muc33]

Lots of end rows came off in the last two days. Rain chance this weekend, which is greatly needed as we have had some major field fires in the wind the last week. That is a little break, but for the most part, corn will be swinging hard by weekend.

[Walleye Guy]

My opinion only.....

In some areas many hunters will think the pheasant counts are better than advertised because they will do relatively well on opening weekend as there will be few crops for the birds to hide in. The roosters will get shot off at a faster rate making the later season hunting not as good as it usually is.

[Dave S]

Good point WG. Regardless, I'm going to pass on my trips to SW MN. It's been long touted as having the highest population of birds and now with the introduction of the Walk-In program, there will a large number of hunters out there IMO. It would take some significant arm twisting to change my mind.

There's plenty of talk about another winter like the last. Hate to see what this would do to the birds in SW MN as well as ND and SD.

[Eric Wettschreck]

There's plenty of talk about another winter like the last.

Geez I hope not, the plow truck is kind of tired.

Having said that, no kiddin, the bird numbers are down. Yeah, I've seen some here and there but it's slim. I'm not going by the DNR counts, I'm just going by what I've seen.

Don't get me wrong, there are roosters around but they're not near the numbers we've had in the past.

[BLACKJACK]

I hope all the gloom and doom cuts down on the number of hunters. I know that I'll be out roaming the fields, following my dog, enjoying some beautiful fall days. Any pheasants I get will be a bonus.

[rundrave]

Here in SE SD they are going to town on the beans but still alot out there. I have seen some corn come out but mostly just end rows as mentioned.

Its been very very dry here, and extemely windy the last couple days. There is a huge fire spanning 15,000-acres in the South Central part of the state. Been reports of lots of other smaller fires as well.

Rain is in the forecast starting today through the weekend which is needed bad around here, but not sure how that will affect the harvest yet.

[ducksnbucks]

I drove up to LQP last night and the harvest was in full swing for both corn and beans. Extremely dry around here, a little rain this morning helped but we didn't get much. I would think most of the corn will be gone in the next 2 weeks. I did see 3 pheasants too!!

[Musky Buck]

Wish more guys chopped for livestock, but it's ethanol plants etc. more so nowaday. Does it open this wkd not that I'm going ?