New Year's Eve Roosters!

[lawdog]

Buddy and I went out New Years Eve and got four nice roosters. Great way to end the year!

Birds were in GREAT shape. They were all four full of food and I've honestly never cleaned birds with so much fat on them. They look to be in great shape for the winter so far. Another month to month and a half of decent weather and they will be A-OK heading into spring. Keep your fingers crossed guys!!!

I'll try to remember to post a pic tonight when I get home...

[brittman]

I agree - the birds are doing well now.

The birds seemed to be stressed in mid December with the snow and cold. A couple of roosters were pretty thin. If the cold, cold weather would have continued, it would have not put the birds in very good shape entering 2006.

The last four roosters cleaned were plump and full of yellow fat. This warm weather is really keeping the birds healthy.

No long term January and February blizzards and a half way normal May and June - is that too much to ask?

[OUTDOORNUT]

Nice work dog!

I tried to find a stray Grouse or two on the Eve, but our efforts of walking though plenty of snow yeilded only two Hares. But I do agree the birds are looking good, I bagged a few during Christmas and not only were they plenty fat, but they were full of corn and even some beans.

[catman71]

there are roosters left??? I figured when i flushed 20 birds (all hens) the day after Christmas that you guys all beat me to them. no kidding tho, 3 hour hunt, saw 50 birds, 20 nice close flushes, (all hens again) but they were big and looked great. public land no-less. with any luck we'll have a bumper crop next year. until then i'll get a few predators....

[Nova]

same goes for the birds in the Stillwater area. I have 4-5 roosters every day coming to my deer feeder and they are nice and plump. couldn't seem to find any in the back 40 where I hunt though, but good to know they are still around.

[CodyDawg]

I was out as well and although I got only 1, I saw over 100. They were soooo wild though. It makes you appreciate every one you get this time of year. Lots of close flushes with hens, but the rootys bail out pretty early this time of year. They were busting 100-150 yards ahead in the willows and cattails. the guy I was with missed 2 though, so we should have had 3. All in all, a great hunt and a great way to end the season, which was my best ever. The new puppy is turning into a decent pheasant dog already at 7 months. Now, if I could just get her to mind her manners at home.....

[Dotch]

Interesting observations brittman on the bird conditions. Got a reply from Al Berner back before Christmas regarding a pheasant pic I'd sent him and at the time we had a lot of snow cover. He could tell by looking at the tailfeathers on the bird, she had been struggling and, at the time, seemed a lot of the birds were. Could see they were really digging to get at the leftover sweetcorn in last summer's patch when I was out snowshoeing. Now that we've lost some snow cover, the birds should be able to find more in the way of goodies in the fields to eat. Some things about this past season that would lead one to think that include the fact that much of the corn harvested this fall was very dry, making for more shelling loss at the header. There is a lot of corn scattered around some fields. Ditto with some fields of soybeans. There are more no-till soybean acres on tap for this upcoming spring so the standing cornstalks should be a plus. Lots of hens around here so as you say, given a blizzard, low snowfall and ice-storm free Jan. - Feb., coupled with a drier, warmer spring-early summer weather regime, could make for another banner reproduction year.

[lawdog]

FINALLY got the pic uploaded last night...