Your pheasant hunting experiences/bird numbers this past season?

[KY_Windage]

My little Golden is the first dog I've ever trained. This was the first year to hunt pheasant for both of us. Her and I are very rough around the edges and have a lot to learn. We mainly only had access to plots and CRP just like everyone else here in North Dakota. We definitely didn't limit out everyday by a long shot but it kept us coming back for more for sure. I think there were definitely a lot of birds in the standing crops that didn't get harvested around us.

It isn't about quantity, though, is it? Standing beside the crop fields after shooting time is over, and hearing all those roosters talking, can drive you nuts!

 

[Montana'eer]

It is not about quantity- it's all about the dogs. I have 3 GSP's and watching them work with so much passion is what drives me. I put 5,000 miles a year on my truck and most of my free time putting them on birds.

The awesome thing with three dogs? "Honey we HAVE to work them!"

 

[Montana'eer]

NE Montana had the best year this past season as far as counts go. The prior 3-4 years were horrible. The drought from 3 years ago played out on 2018's hatch and literally wiped the slate. I think I bagged 3-4 roosters that year.

Most of my friends and I switched to grouse, ducks and geese.

This past season we witnessed an incredible resurgence of wild birds and I had one of my best seasons ever. However it was a lot of young birds.

 

[remy3424]

Love those GSP pics 3run and so jealous of the other game birds you have gotten into, nice work. I can't imagine 3 GSPs in my home, my old one is finally calming down to where the wife likes him, as opposed to tolerating him. Looks like good numbers of birds survived the winter locally (almost at the end of it), so maybe another great season coming with decent nesting conditions this spring.

Seems bird numbers real vary across the county, which is no surprise, but even locally, they seemed to be concentrated in certain areas. I hunted places this year that had always had good bird numbers, but were without any, the CPR fields seldom disappointed.

 

[Montana'eer]

We've lost a lot of CRP acreage, and this year there were a ton of places we hunt that still had standing wheat, and that was really tough on the dogs.
Once we worked the edges we found great success on ditch pigeons.
Sharpies, as usual where I hunt, requires new boots every year!

sharp looking pup- enjoy every outing and maybe we'll run into you at the border. I hunt a lot in Westby MT

 

[remy3424]

We don't have a lot of CRP, most went in 4 years ago, but I am fortunate to have the connections to get on a few parcels locally. I haven't heard of any new enrollments under the current program, but hpoefully there are some happening.

 

[Laguna Freak]

Right after turkey day 2019; 24 quail, 7 roosters in two half-day KS hunts. 2.25 hunters...

 

[browndcm]

Having any dog is a pretty big time commitment for sure. I am blessed to be self employed and working from home, so the task of puppy training gets fit in nicely to my daily routine. Really between a few big game hunts and a lot of upland hunts, those are my only hobbies. And it helps that my wife loves dogs too.

Any reports from SD, ND, or MT from the group?

Get a labrador nothing better lol

 

[browndcm]

I just like you, spent the summer in a cool atmosphere. I went hunting almost every day. I mostly caught pheasants. Although I think that for the most part it is the merit of my dogs. I wanted to know what kind of weapons you take with you on the hunt?

12 ga browing auto lite with briley choke tubes and the forcing cone been done

 

[Laguna Freak]

I just like you, spent the summer in a cool atmosphere. I went hunting almost every day. I mostly caught pheasants. Although I think that for the most part it is the merit of my dogs. I wanted to know what kind of weapons you take with you on the hunt?

On that hunt I shot a 1956 Browning A5 12 ga mod choke. It is heavy and slow for quail. I shot less than a dozen of the quail but I hammered 5 of the Roosters. Wind was not fast so neither were the pheasant.

 

[hydehunter]

I live 30 miles west of Mitchell, SD and have not seen a single bird around my area in over 6 weeks normally I will see dozens around my property and it was that way this past summer but not now, pretty bad

 

[remy3424]

Closed out another season and was very similar to last year, lots of birds, little pressure from other hunters it seemed. Gathered a posse for a late season hunt (usually myself and my buddy or one other). A couple pics.

 

[HNDLDR]

I live 30 miles west of Mitchell, SD and have not seen a single bird around my area in over 6 weeks normally I will see dozens around my property and it was that way this past summer but not now, pretty bad

I usually see at least a few bird around Billings Mt here. I think I've seen one bird all year. Didn't make it out to hunt so hopefully they were there and I just didn't see them. I think the numbers are way down this year.

 

[Doublezranch]

ND was slow, comparable to the last couple years I suppose. We had to work hard for them.

Western ND was very slow. Central ND seemed to have the best population.