Jump to content
  • GUESTS

    If You  want access  to member only forums on FM, You will need to Sign-in or  Sign-Up now .

    This box will disappear once you are signed in as a member.

Hatch looks promising!


tweedlap

Recommended Posts

Traveling in the Watertown,Henry and Webster area last week I saw many clutches of young pheasents. Size varied a lot from a week old to the size of partridges. Looks like we got lucky. Fooled Mother Nature this year!

I talked some people from western Minnesota and it sounds pretty good there, as well.

Time to start tuning up the mutts.

Any other reports?

jim

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I really don't think we faired as well in SW MN. Had some very untimely rains and cool snaps. I've seen very few broods but the ones I did have lots of chicks. I think it will be very spotty around here this year.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

WE didnt fair very well in Sibley county this year,as we had way to much rain at the wrong time.Im in the country most of the spring and early summer and maybe 30 percent of the hens have chicks with them and then only 3-5 each.BAD YEAR.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've only been in the St. Cloud area for the last 4-5 years but I'm seeing way more clutches than I have the last few years. Last week I saw them ranging from about half the size of the adults to little chicks that couldn't have been out of the egg very long.

Any hawkers out there? Truck spooked a family of them up today - didn't see them until they were in the air. Slowed and watched them start across the field when WHAM. Looked like a falcon of some sort but I've never seen this bird before.

Had a black stripe across the eye that narrowed towards the back of the head. Silverish body, very sleek but a pretty good sized bird.

Got a decent look at it because it hit a chick but didn't get a good hold on it and then circled back up and around. Finally dropped down into the grass - I'm assuming he got it because even if he wasn't successful on the grab he hit it hard enough that he probably knocked the the thing out.

Pretty crazy sight.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

I have been driving between Brookings and Marshall the past couple of days and am seeing about 3 to 4 broods each way. In addition, lots of old roosters. Broods look like 8 to 10 birds in each. One morning last week when there was a lot of dew in the early morning, I am sure I counted 50 birds on that route. So, there has been a hatch. I just do not know what a good year looks like compared to what I am seeing now. I would have a hard time thinking however, that the hunting would be any worse than last year, from what I am seeing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.


  • Your Responses - Share & Have Fun :)

    • Brianf.
      I'm not there, so I can't tell exactly what's going on but it looks like a large area of open water developed in the last day with all of the heavy snow on the east side of wake em up Narrows. These two photos are from my Ring Camera facing north towards Niles Point.  You can see what happened with all of snow that fell in the last three days, though the open water could have been wind driven. Hard to say. .  
    • SkunkedAgain
      Black Bay had great ice before but a few spots near rockpiles where there were spots of open water. It looks like the weight of the snow has created a little lake in the middle of the bay.  
    • LakeofthewoodsMN
      On the south end...   Thanks to some cold spring weather, ice fishing continues strong for those still ice fishing.  The bite remains very good.  Most resorts have pulled their fish houses off for the year, however, some still have fish houses out and others are allowing ATV and side by sides.  Check social media or call ahead to your favorite resort for specifics. Reports this week for walleyes and saugers remain excellent.   A nice mix of jumbo perch, pike, eelpout, and an occasional crappie, tullibee or sturgeon being reported by anglers. Jigging one line and using a live minnow on the second line is the way to go.  Green, glow red, pink and gold were good colors this week.     Monster pike are on a tear!  Good number of pike, some reaching over 45 inches long, being caught using tip ups with live suckers or dead bait such as smelt and herring in 8 - 14' of water.   As always, work through a resort or outfitter for ice road conditions.  Safety first always. Fish houses are allowed on the ice through March 31st, the walleye / sauger season goes through April 14th and the pike season never ends. On the Rainy River...  The river is opened up along the Nelson Park boat ramp in Birchdale, the Frontier boat ramp and Vidas boat ramp.  This past week, much of the open water skimmed over with the single digit overnight temps.   Areas of the river have popped open again and with temps getting warmer, things are shaping up for the last stretch through the rest of the spring season, which continues through April 14th.   Very good numbers of walleyes are in the river.  Reports this week, even with fewer anglers, have been good.  When temps warm up and the sun shines, things will fire up again.   Jigs with brightly colored plastics or jigs with a frozen emerald shiner have been the desired bait on the river.  Don't overlook slow trolling crankbaits upstream as well.   Good reports of sturgeon being caught on the river as well.  Sturgeon put the feed bag on in the spring.  The bite has been very good.  Most are using a sturgeon rig with a circle hook loaded with crawlers or crawlers / frozen emerald shiners. Up at the NW Angle...  Ice fishing is winding down up at the Angle.  Walleyes, saugers, and a number of various species in the mix again this week.  The bite is still very good with good numbers of fish.  The one two punch of jigging one line and deadsticking the second line is working well.   Check with Angle resorts on transport options from Young's Bay.  Call ahead for ice road guidelines.  
    • CigarGuy
      With the drifting, kind of hard to tell for sure, but I'm guessing about a foot and still lightly snowing. Cook end!
    • PSU
      How much snow did you get on Vermilion? 
    • Mike89
      lake here refroze too...  started opening again yesterday with the wet snow and wind...  very little ice left today...
    • Hookmaster
      A friend who has a cabin between Alex and Fergus said the lake he's on refroze. He texted me a pic from March 12th when it was open and one from 23rd when it wasn't. 🤯
    • SkunkedAgain
      I don't think that there has been any ice melt in the past few weeks on Vermilion. Things looked like a record and then Mother Nature swept in again.   I'll give my revised guess of April 21st
    • leech~~
      As I get older it's really not just about sending bullets down range.  Some of it's just the workmanship of the gun and the wow factor. The other two guns I have really wanted which I'll never have now because of their price, is a 8mm Jap Nambu and 9mm German Luger.   Just thought they always looked cool!  
    • jim curlee
      I had a guy hit me with a lightly used 1969 BAR, he wanted $1650 with an older Leupold scope. More than I think they are worth, I made an offer, he declined end of story.   You know if you look at the old brochures, a grade II BAR sold for $250 in the late 60s, $1650 would be a good return on your investment.    Why would anybody want a 50 year old gun, they are heavy, have wood stocks, and blued metal.  I guess mainly to keep their gun safes glued to the floor. lol   You can probably buy a stainless rifle that you never have to clean, with a synthetic stock you never have to refinish, is as light as a feather, and for half as much money, perfect.   I'm too old for a youth gun, although I've shrunk enough that it would probably fit. lol   No Ruger 10/44s.   Jim      
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.