Pheasant Hunting/Bird numbers

[JConrad]

Just back from 5 days west of Aberdeen. Very dissapointing bird numbers. Most low areas on Public hunting land is underwater which means great nesting habitat is gone for several years. Also, most road side ditches have been cut/hayed which I really don't understand. The Aberdeen area is fast losing much of the great habitat that has existed over the years. My guess is bird count is down 60 - 70 percent in the area. The outlook for the next several years is not very good unless farming practices change.

I normally go out to the area in November and then again in December. I will not go out this December.

South Dakota needs to wake up on this topic!

[rundrave]

sorry to hear your trip wasn't up to par. Your experience is definitely the opposite of what I have encountered and also heard from others. Yes numbers are down but where else are you going to find better? I don't think the decline in numbers is as much as a result of the farming practices than the weather but that's a another can of worms.

There has been lots of moisture up in that area considering much of the rest of the state is seeing very bad drought conditions.

I would still hunt that last 5 days, its a completely different ball game when those small sloughs freeze and you are able to get out to the birds hunkered down in them. I don't really care to do much road hunting so the conditions of the ditch's are moot. But usually if they are mowed its close to property/buildings and shouldn't be hunted anyway. Other wise once you venture off the beaten path the ditches and minimum maintenance roads hold lots of birds.

[Jarrod32]

Yeah...we went west for a day of hunting last week. Yes, numbers are down...but there are still plenty of birds around. We didn't have a problem getting seven birds between three of us in an afternoon.

We found that they weren't in the tree groves or ditches...they were in the sloughs on this day. Hit the right slough, and it is the jackpot...

[reddog]

Yeah...we went west for a day of hunting last week. Yes, numbers are down...but there are still plenty of birds around. We didn't have a problem getting seven birds between three of us in an afternoon.

We found that they weren't in the tree groves or ditches...they were in the sloughs on this day. Hit the right slough, and it is the jackpot...

Just when I was thinking about heading home on Sunday, I hit a 25 acre patch that had 350 birds in it. If youre not seeing birds, change up your tactics, or adjust the cover youve been hunting.

I think we need a freeze up to unlock the water birds.

[late night]

I was out in that area around the first of November deer hunting. I would say the number of birds is way, way down. In 7 days of deer hunting I saw one rooster and herd only a few cackling. On a good year I watch them run around like chickens from my stand. I did hear plenty of cyotes though. I would say the ditches have been hayed because of the high water and farmers are getting hay where they can. Deer numbers were also way down. Probably the worst I have seen in the 20 years I have hunted that area. I am sure that is due to a couple harsh winters, high water and tons of cyotes. The state of South Dakota also put a nice price jump on a non-resident archery lisence, $90.00 higher than last year. I wasnt to impressed with that.

[ReelTimes]

We had 2 five day trips. One to the Aberdeen area and other down towards Miller. Both were excellent trips. My youngest springers first trips. Nothing like SD trips to turn on the light bulbs on a young dog. He did excellent and allowed me to rest my oldest dog a little more. Dog work was great; shooting not so great. Still managed limits most days, and days we didnt, we should have. Bird #s were down some but not like I had expected from all the posts (at least not where we hunted). Hunted publics 80% of the time. Hunted private 1 day each trip from someone I met several years ago. Plan to hunt in MN rest of the season, beginning this weekend.