when does the limit change?

[WildFan10]

I can't remember now, when does the limit change from two roosters per person per day, to three? Is it early December? Thanks.

[gonefishin11]

Dec. 1st

Check your regulations.

[2 DA GILLS]

Check your regs. Good call.

[inspec_brad]

Is there really enough pheasants around to take 3 per day? My personnal opinion, not even close. It should go to 1 not 3. Maybe do the birds a favor and ease up on them from here on out.

[gonefishin11]

80% of people are done hunting. Snow, cold and ice fishing will eliminate quite a few more.

One rooster will breed over 10 hens. If there are too many birds for the food source, the more aggressive roosters will exhaust the food source, thus killing the hens. As hunters, we need to assist in keeping the rooster to hen ratio in check.

One last point... one hard winter will kill an awful lot of pheasants as will removing thousands of acres from CRP. Lets hunt them while the numbers are high.

[inspec_brad]

80% of people are done hunting. Snow, cold and ice fishing will eliminate quite a few more.

One rooster will breed over 10 hens. If there are too many birds for the food source, the more aggressive roosters will exhaust the food source, thus killing the hens. As hunters, we need to assist in keeping the rooster to hen ratio in check.

One last point... one hard winter will kill an awful lot of pheasants as will removing thousands of acres from CRP. Lets hunt them while the numbers are high.

If the numbers were "high", I would be all for hunting them. But numbers are way down from last year. I have went pheasant hunting zero times this year since the numbers are down so much. not because I don't want to work for my birds, just cause there are not that many around. If I was to go, then there would be that many less. Maybe next year?

[CodyDawg]

the numbers are down slightly, maybe, from last year which was out of this world. Hunting roosters has no effect on the population, it has been proven. If you havent been out hunting, you have no idea of the population of birds.

[Matt Breuer]

Hunting roosters has no effect on the population, it has been proven.

Haha, I love when people say this. If you kill a pheasant, how can it not affect the population? What if you kill 50? And so does your neighbor?

[mngoosehunter]

even though the numbers are down you can still get your birds..obviously you cant tell us you cant find birds if you dont go out...was out sunday and kicked up close to 75 so they are around..push the cattails and you will be successful

[mnhunter79]

Looked and can't find where it says the limit is goin up to 3 birds. What page is it on?

[gonefishin11]

Quote:

Haha, I love when people say this. If you kill a pheasant, how can it not affect the population? What if you kill 50? And so does your neighbor?

Again I say... one rooster will breed over 10 hens. Even if you kill a majority of the roosters in the area, the ones that do survive will breed the hens.

Don't shoot 50 hens and you should be fine.

[inspec_brad]

Looked and can't find where it says the limit is goin up to 3 birds. What page is it on?

Page 44.

[inspec_brad]

even though the numbers are down you can still get your birds..obviously you cant tell us you cant find birds if you dont go out...was out sunday and kicked up close to 75 so they are around..push the cattails and you will be successful

I never once stated that I could not find any birds. I am 100% sure that if I was to go out, I would be able to get birds. I have chose not to hunt them since their numbers are down. Kinda doing something to hopefully help the population out. Maybe next year I will hunt them if the numbers come up? Depends alot on the spring weather.

[CodyDawg]

Bullmn1, get out there now! The numbers are up with respect to darn near every year but last year. Unless you shoot hens it will have no effect on next years population. They have studied it and it just doesnt make any difference. Not anecdotally, but scientifically.

I really dont want you to miss out on some great hunting that we have out there. If we lose a lot of CRP and have a bad winter, THEN you will see a big decrease in the population. Still, it wont hurt to hunt the roosters though.

or if you prefer anecdotally, we shot 24 roosters off a 70 acre farm last year (it obviously has great habitat). There were not a lot of roosters left in our opinion. This year? Tons of birds and we are at 17 and counting. I believe we will easily eclipse the 24 mark.

[lindy rig]

Quote:

If the numbers were "high", I would be all for hunting them. But numbers are way down from last year. I have went pheasant hunting zero times this year since the numbers are down so much.

No offense or anything, but I'm glad there are hunters like this. Maybe a few more guys should stay home because numbers are "down so much". If you read any articles at all, you would know that the pheasant population will go nowhere but down over the next few years. They are replacing much CRP land with corn production for ethanol which will certainly hurt nesting cover for these birds. It's been a really good year (maybe not quite as good as 2007) but still good.

[WaveWacker]

Not going with the how many hens a rooster will breed as that is variable but the studies show that close to 90% of the fall roosters are "harvestable surplus". The remaining will "get the job done" in the spring if the habitat and weather conditions allow for the hen/chick survival.

Also, it has been found that a vast majority of harvested roosters are taken within the first month or so of the season. Now this will change depending on crop harvest.

Last, even though pheasants can live through many years, the average life span is 7 months.

In summation, habitat and weather conditions is the overwhelming main factors that are going to control the pheasant population.

[fivebucks]

Now is the time to get the birds. We will look back on these past couple years as the good old days.

[chub]

No offense or anything, but I'm glad there are hunters like this. Maybe a few more guys should stay home because numbers are "down so much".

Kind of what I was thinking.......LOL

The three bird limit will result in so few extra birds being shot..... .

It's hard work now and the birds have pretty much free reign of the cattails. They aren't afraid to run and jump too far out... .

....oh wait, there aren't many out there though

[sdstatekid]

Harvesting roosters is compensatory harvest not additive harvest so scientifically you are not having an effect on the population. As has already been explained having to many roosters will increase the stress on the hens by reducing food resources and pushing the hens off of the food. Roosters will also take the best roosting cover and force the hens to the edges of the cover reducing their chances for survival. My buddies uncles out in north central south dakota run a pay to hunt. They have around 2000 acres and every year they have a biologist estimate the population and in turn tell them how many they are SUPPOSE to try to take out each year. My freshman year they told my buddy to bring everybody he could over christmas break because they were suppose to take out 200 more before the season was over. None of it really matters. We will have a NORMAL winter again sooner or later and we will be back where we were in the early 2000's. Shoot em while we got em.

[2 DA GILLS]

I definitely would stay home. Especially if you hunt public land.

If I do bother to hunt anymore this season, I bet I will be able to count on one finger the number of times I get a 3 bird limit. Well, aside from the planned trip to another state.

[grab the net]

You cannot save roosters for next year. It does not work that way. Nesting cover/habitat and weather determine the numbers for next fall. Take advantage now, a rough winter and another poor nesting season will have us scratching for a 2 bird limit next year. I am looking forward to shooting my first 3 bird limit after Dec. 1st.

[inspec_brad]

Can someone tell me why people can take 3 birds after the 1st? Isn't that the limit in South Dakota where there are X amount more birds than here? Just does not make any sense to me. Someone please fill me in to the DNR's reasoning for this.

[chub]

Not to sound like to much of a wise hinny, but I believe it's been explained quite thoroughly in a number of the above posts.

IMO it's more of a feel good reg anyway. If you hunt alot, you'll know that for the average hunter, and many seasoned ones, shooting three birds a day is going to be a chore.

Unless your wacking them out the window....

[inspec_brad]

Not to sound like to much of a wise hinny, but I believe it's been explained quite thoroughly in a number of the above posts.

IMO it's more of a feel good reg anyway. If you hunt alot, you'll know that for the average hunter, and many seasoned ones, shooting three birds a day is going to be a chore.

Unless your wacking them out the window....

Fair enough, if it is gonna be such a "chore" then why even have it. 2 birds is just fine.

[chub]

Sell more licenses??????