doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com NW Kansas birds and stuff

We are into the 2nd week of the season, and are seeing almost NO birds...Last year was the best ever, this year the worst ever. With the almost complete lack of cover, and a harsh winter, it will be a long time coming back..To all of the wonderful folks on this forum, who have shared this hunting experience with me over the years, I say thanks....and God Speed...Doubtful I'll be back this way again....

NE Kansas is not much better. Last year was not a good year, but this year is worse. A decade ago I was seeing 4-6 coveys a day. Now I am seeing 1-2 Coveys with some days no coveys. North of me I often bump a hen pheasant or at least see a pheasant slipping away way out. This year in five days in the field I have seen one hen total and five coveys total; further all the coveys have been small 6-12 birds, no twenty bird coveys at all.

Friends report negative numbers in both south central and SW Kansas. A few report a hot spot here and there where the population seems to have survived ok, but they are the exception.

Just returned from Iowa. Considering the weather--2 of the 3 days I hunted, 30-40 mph winds; 70 degrees Saturday and 20 degrees Monday, so take your pick--results were probably as good as I could have expected. (Iowa is also in the pheasant pits, but unlike KS, it's been several years now since it was really good. Last winter and spring were kind to Iowa, but numbers are so far down that recovery is a long ways off.) Had a nice solo hunt in familiar stomping grounds last Friday morning, moved maybe 20 birds total. Only 4 roosters for sure, but 3 of those shootable.

Cover is also in short supply most places in Iowa due to the drought. Had decent cover everywhere I hunted, but still didn't see many birds--although the elements only really cooperated one day out of 3.

In SD, the hunters that were successful in large numbers of hunters limiting were on "food plots" with man-made water sources as well.

I may have to suggest our farmer do some game management. He has plenty of covers, but little water near most of those and the food sources are long gone now.

Hunted three days over the opener in northwest central Kansas. Saturday, 5 guns, 1 pheasant; Sunday, 5 guns, 2 pheasants, 1 quail; Monday, 3 guns, 0 birds. Very little cover, and what there was has either been heavily grazed or cut for feed. LD is right, not sure it'll be back in my lifetime.

Sorry to hear you guys are experiencing what it's been like in Pennsylvania for over thirty years. Actually, now you have about the same chance of seeing a California Condor as you have of seeing a Ringneck. But it wasn't drought or lack of cover or hard winters that put pheasants on the endangered species list here. It was stupid management by our Pennsylvania Game Commission.

Hunted three days near Junction City.

Quail in this area of Kansas this year are less numerous. Hunt was so-so, and we found 3 to 6 coveys each day -- but came nowhere near limits each day. Previous years were much better.

Pheasants around Junction City were sparse this year. We only got two roosters in 3 days of hunting. Last year we got 2 to 3 per day.

In summary, hunting was on the low end of O.K. But it beats staying home.

JERRY