Brutal Pheasant Weather/pheasant activity reports

[Scott M]

Nasty pheasant weather we've had this week. First it was warm and melted some snow off the fields...good for pheasants since they can peck at waste grain. Then it rains and gets super cold, freezing the tops of those fields. Then it snows and the wind chills drop to like -40. I'm sure a few birds have kicked the can. We'll see how the rest of the winter shakes up, but as of right now I'd say this hasn't been the mild winters of the last few years that have brought up a couple really large pheasant populations the last couple falls.

Anybody have any pheasant activity reports from your neck of the woods?

[sparcebag]

I've been seeing the largest groups of birds I've seen in many years.last week over 200 in two drives,this week groups of 10-12 to 30-60 one group I stoped counting at 83 and there were more but a truck made me get goin.LOTS between Willmar and 212.

[Augusta]

About the same with me, but I seem to see mostly roosters, few hens, maybe its just me, I sure hope the hens make it ok.

[lawdog]

There is little doubt this is a tougher winter than we've had the last few, but not a "bad" winter like we had about '97 where we wiped almost all of the birds out...

Spring nesting will be the key (assuming we get out of this pattern real quick).

[sparcebag]

I'm seeing a hen to rooster rate of 1-5 1-4 in most groups.I also did'nt see the number of hunters on WPAs and WMAs across the road this year.I archery hunt and when the Duck, Pheasant seasons open I move to other areas,this year the only flow of hunters was youth Duck weekend,other than that it was occasional not the norm of when one group leaves another is entering.Maybe thats why I see more roosters than norm.My feeders are only seeing 6-8 birds a day last few years it was 20-40 a day mostly hens.Spring weather will make a difference now,Hope its not wet & cold.

[rundrave]

we are getting through our latest cold spell here in SD, was very cold as of late with extremely low sub-zero wind chills and very stong gusty winds and some snow on top of all that.

i have not noticed any impact. I still see several birds when I drive home every evening it the same spots I always see them. For the most part they are out there scratching away in corn and bean fields eating away.

[kobear]

I've seen a couple "feather mounds", eatn birds, when back in the slough and not just a few, saw three new ones last time all hens. Still seeing groups of birds out and about. Last week I heard owls hooting like crazy at night I've never heard them setting up territories before. They were hooting all around the house NW, W, S, SE, E had me a little concerned never knew there were so many around, as soon as one let off another started up.

[icehousebob]

A week ago, I was returning to Minn. from north-east South Dakota. I saw lots of singles and small bunches of birds for most of the way. There was one spot in a low marshy area by a river bottom where they brought me to a halt. Well over a hundred pheasants were on the road, in the ditches, or feeding in the fields there. I drove in low gear for about a quarter mile so I wouldn't hit any or get one in the wind shield. They were too busy feeding to be concerned about me. Roosters seemed to be 3 to 1 over hens.

[Dotch]

Numbers not like that in SC MN but the ratio locally appears good as of late, about 4:1 hens to roosters. On the road, mostly hens and an occasional rooster. During chores this morning, half dozen hens flew out of the pines. Several more holed up in the yard yesterday afternoon in the wild plum & sumac during the storm. They've got some ear corn to pick at there, the neighbor left one heck of a nice food plot, the unworked corn stubble around our place had lots of ear droppage because it was picked late and there is still plenty of corn in the garden plot we left for them. Looking good to this point but we need to get through the rest of February & March with no ice storms and ideally have a dry spring for nesting & the hatch.

[UGUIDE]

Aside from the blizzard going through ND there have been no adverse weather reports from our pheasant camp owners across the Dakota's. I just check Baerdeen's weather and it is cold right now but will be up in 30's around Tuesday.

So far there is excellent carryover propositions of already high bird populations. If we make it through April OK we could be staged for a excellent breeding population.

[BLACKJACK]

On Sat morning I walked out to a cattail slough by my 5 acre food plot and lost count at 60 pheasants!!! They must be calling them in from all over!!!! Hopefully we can get thru Feb without another snow blast, the corn is almost gone, deer have been cleaning it out.