Pheasant season extended-what do you think?

[BLACKJACK]

From the Strib:
The agency announced Wednesday that the ringneck season that begins Oct. 16 will extend through Dec. 31. Hunting would have ended Dec. 19 if previous season f criteria had determined the closing.

"The extended season will offer more opportunities for families and friends to hunt pheasants over the holidays, without harming pheasant populations," said Ed Boggess, DNR Fish and Wildlife Division policy chief. "While we recognize that some hunters did not favor this extension out of a concern for pheasants, the biology of pheasant populations supports this change, and the DNR has emergency authority to close or reduce seasons if necessary."

The hunter harvest will rise slightly, but bird numbers shouldn't be affected the following year, the DNR said. Hen deaths also likely will increase slightly during the late season after being pushed from their winter haunts.
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I really like that last part about increased hen deaths!! Any hardcore pheasant hunter worth his salt knows that the first heavy snow, or any storm complex is a good time to go after pheasants, they'll be in the heavy cover. Or by the end of Dec, people will be driving them out of the cattails even on a sunny day. The DNR's job is to protect the resource and in this case they're not!! The 60 day season til Dec 15 was enough!

I know some people will say 'just don't go out' but if you see other hardcores out rousting pheasants, and your lab is looking forlorn, you're going to do it too. And people will say 'they do it in SoDak and Iowa'. Fact is both of them have milder winters, when we're at 20, Winner, SoDak will be at 35 degrees.

Dumb.

[WALLEYENUTZ]

Awesome!!! I love those late season hunts!!!

[gspman]

Call me a masochist but I'll hunt them until the bitter end. Late season is usually feast or famine. I don't think that there will be much difference in hen mortality by extending a few weeks. I'd like to know the science behind that statement or if it is just a guess.

[WALLEYENUTZ]

BTW Extending the season won't hurt the pheasant population at all. I can't see how, Maybe someone could enlighten me???

[mnhunter64]

I think its a good idea.I would rather hunt when its cold compared to our openers which have been in the 80's or even 90's in SW MNthe last few years.The cold weather is much easier on the dogs.Also most pheasant hunters are fair weather types which means you won't see alot of people out in the cold.It's that way now!

[Norsky]

I think it's great, walleyes on the ice in the early morning, limit of roosters by noon, hot lunch, northerns on tip ups in the afternoon then the evening bite for walleyes. Gotta love Minnesota!

[SgtCaesarfishinguy]

I am all for it, and think it is about time!! I usually only get out hunting for roosters a few times a year, but this will give me something to do on a weekend when the ice isn't real thick on the lakes yet!

[BDR]

I am all for it, BUT the DNR needs to stand up and shut it down if we get early harsh weather. In a couple years I can remember it should have been shut down before the Dec.15 ending.

I spend most of my time hunting the last 3 weeks of the season now just to stay away from the crowds I will definately enjoy an extra 2 weeks and it may save me some cash by skipping one of the out of ***** licenses.

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I'd rather be skunked than follow the crowd!

Brian Rogers

JR's Tackle
Catch-N Tackle and Bio Bait

[MLaker2]

I would say that after/during rough winter weather the impact from hunters would be minimal because there aren't that many of use that do the late winter hunts, and most of the pheasants are in private cattail sloughs having been educated off the public areas. Phesants tend to end up where they are bothered the least, saving them from a lot of the late winter hunter impacts.

[Mayfly]

Sounds good to me....I'll hunt

[fivebucks]

I'll hunt also but I hope my bow tags are filled otherwise I won't know what to do and my wife might like me less.

[wasssit]

Thumbs Up. It's about time they did something good for us hunters.

[RandyFish]

Blackjack, you got my blood boiling (not really boiling, but hear me out a second) with the statement about weather being milder in S. Dakota and Iowa than here...and, therefore, comparing the seasons vs. bird population between state becomes invalid.

Baloney. Baloney. Baloney.

I have heard that reasoning before on a number of pheasant-related issues, particularly when Minnesota hunters ask the DNR why our populations are not as good as neighboring states.

Cold weather has little to do with pheasant survival rates during the winter unless there is heavy snow and the cold forces the birds to consume more food. Then it becomes a major contributor

Year and year out, what is more deadly, given that existing cover is the same, are ice storms and wind driven snow events: blizzards.

South Dakota and Iowa have just as many of those as we do. Heck, all of our blizzards come out of the Dakotas. And a blizzard in Austin, Minn., could well be a sleet/ice sotrm in DesMoines.

The birds are at similar weather-related risk in each state.

I grew up in Rock County, Minn. Eight miles from both the Iowa and S.D. Bird populations would jump a lot when you went less than 10 miles into each state.

And, do not blame differences farming and land use in those instances (overall a major factor, but not here), because the land in all those areas was heavily drained and row-cropped.

Now if the northern tier of Iowa can hold good bird populations. And the eastern tier of SD can hold bird populations. Then why the drop off into Minnesota?

In 20 years of hunting, I have never really heard an answer that makes common sense.

I don't have the answers, but I do not want to hear "tougher winters" as a reason for not having a longer season.

Forgive the rant, Blackjack. I am normally not so crabby. Trust me.

[ATM]

randyfish, Why the drop off in Minnesota. Simple answer there is habitat and the poor nesting conditions in our state compared to the dakotas. It is the same reason they have more ducks we have tilled under every little wetland possible. Adam

[BLACKJACK]

Randyfish, you're right in the biological fact that cold weather doesn't kill pheasants - IF they have food in their crops. The colder weather here in MN keeps the snow on the ground longer, which makes it harder for pheasants to find food. Going longer distances to find food increases their motality from predators. And on a day where its 35 degrees in Winner SD (and the snow is melting) it may be 26 degrees in Owatonna, increasing the pheasants food requirements. Over the long winter, that makes a difference.

ATM hit it on the head when he said that the problem is the wall to wall farming and lack of wetlands. Good pheasants populations are all about good habitat - winter cover and brood cover for nesting. As for your situation in Rock County, if the areas in SE SoDak and NW Iowa truly have better pheasant populations, its because of a difference in habitat. Weather won't be a factor in the space of 20 miles. I'm talking about a weather difference over 200 miles - Redfield, SD to Willmar, MN or Des Moines, Iowa and Willmar.

[This message has been edited by BLACKJACK (edited 08-02-2004).]

[rundrave]

Randy, I couldnt agree with you more. I grew up in South Dakota, and I go back to hunt every year, and can say SD winters arent much different then Minnesota.
But I think one good point on why the south dakota season is longer, is because less people live in the state, 750,000! Where as minnesota is 5million! Granted south dakota probably has the highest number of out of state hunters, most those arent the diehard types who would even consider hunting in the winter.

[Norsky]

It's all about habitat, habitat, and let's not forget habitat!

[stockchopper]

There is areas in minnesota with far better habitat than SD. So why is SD better? Lot less hunters and many more acres to hunt. We put way to much pressure on these birds already on public land. Doubt me. Go hunt public land Dec 15, then hunt moderality hunted private land and notice the difference. We should shorten the season, if anyone really cared about better hunting. On public land at least. Same goes for ducks.

And how many people double dipped or even triple dipped last year? We need far more CO's.

[bigeyes]

I am able to hunt my pops 250 acres around the alexandria area. We are the only ones that hunt it and it has been crp(so really good habitat) for 15 years but has corn planted across the stream and in a few other spots withing 3/4 mile. We saw 1 rooster there last year and heard another one when we were goose hunting. I have walked it many times with my gsp and nothing. Last years roster was only the second one we have ever seen on the land. So I don't believe it is all because of too much harvest and that private land is much better.

[stockchopper]

Alexandria is not very good pheasant country. Too many trees. People with good private land south of Alex. know what I'm talking about. The pheasant pop. is pretty awesome. Hunt pubic land in Nov. you would think its terrible. Does anyone agree?

[Borch]

I've had mixed results on public land late. Sometimes awsome, other times terrible. A lot depends on the surrounding land and cover. If it's surrounded by picked agricultural land with little to no cover it can be very good late in the season. Especially cattail swamps.

Borch

[bigbucks]

There's a ton more pheasants once you get South of Glenwood & on down. I used to drive through there a lot for work. Way less trees, more grass & sloughs, lots more pheasants. It's just like SD habitat in that area. The Benson area always used to have a ton of birds.

[fishing 101]

I honestly can't say what the difference is. I agree with everyone that says the weather is not a factor. We only live 30 miles from Brookings. Our weather is identical to theirs. Our habitat is identical to theirs - in fact, locally I believe ours is better than the land to the east of Brookings. We have more CRP and wetlands. But once you cross that border - the pheasant sitings on the road seems to be 4 times higher in SD. Why?? We have been wondering that for 20 years??