When we were in Minnesota last year, we heard tell of a worm-like parasite that was suspected to have been bringing down the grouse population. Never saw it ourselves – probably didn’t kill enough birds (lol) – but recently a compadre of ours sent us these photos of parasitic worms he found in his first […]
…A Leather Education Recently we heard from a guy named C.H. Judson who owns a company called Wood and Metal. The subject of his missive: gloves. Gloves! A key part of any upland hunter’s gear, and one of the things we’ve had the toughest time finding – to our satisfaction. Admittedly, gloves are tough because […]
We’d bet that in terms of numbers of hunters and dollars raked in, South Dakota is the numero uno destination in the world for bird hunters (including waterfowl). Has to be true for North America, anyway. One reason for that is the sheer number of pheasants in South Dakota, which means lots of good habitat, […]
…Surprised?! Is the ruffie hunting in Minnesota off to a slow start or not? Probably depends where, when and how you’re hunting – just like it always does – plus the amount of leafy and green vegetation still there. But nonetheless reports vary. From the Minneapolis Star Tribune: > It’s way too early to call […]
Of course you care! One of the great things about bird hunting is that it’s tied to habitat and the hunting experience, notably our four-legged buds. It’s not just about hunting and keeping score like, for example, the whitetail scene. A recently announced initiative by Scott Linden, host of the TV show Wingshooting USA, and […]
Last year we did this and it was a super-popular post, so here it is again. This is a compilation of info from newspaper reports, info from Paul Fuller/Bird Dogs Afield, the Ruffed Grouse Society’s (RGS) forecast and the forecast in the autumn issue of The Upland Almanac – plus a little anecdotal info we’ve […]
Kansas has been suffering through a drought and record high temps this year, and even though the state was hoping that the effects on their darn good bird population wouldn’t too bad, appears that’s not the case…which shouldn’t be much of a surprise. Today Kansas issued its 2011-12 bird forecast, and the summary of the […]
We love the facts that Federal 1) pushes the envelope in shotshells, 2) made a unique pheasant shell that works as advertised (Prairie Storm), 3) donates money to Pheasants Forever for every box sold of Prairie Storm and 4) is a company that actually comes out with new upland products – they haven’t given up […]
Before announcing the winner of the Irish Setter upland boot giveaway, we’d like to say a big thanks to everyone who entered. In a word, the “entries” were…great. Really. So much so that we’re going to pester Irish Setter (and others) for more stuff to give away. But since someone had to win, we picked […]
Last week we published the first part of a point by point rationale for why bird forecasts are more bad than good, and should potentially be banned…or changed, per the below. Here’s the second and final part. If we’re missing something here or got our logic wires crossed, make sure you let us know. Also […]
Part 1 We get it. We get why everyone likes to read bird forecasts: We all want to know how good the hunting is going to be. Yep good, not bad. We want to be psyched. So there we are, stoked about the season, sitting in our rich Corinthian leather chairs (anyone remember that commercial?!), […]
…How Does It Look To You? Pheasants Forever (PF) just published its pheasant hunting forecast for the season, and it looks…well, that’s the first question – how do you think it looks? Here are PF’s few-word summaries for each state: California – Average Year by Modern Standards (3) Colorado – Northeast Up While Southeast Prospects […]
The Minnesota DNR recently published some pretty interesting details about a survey it conducted of grouse hunters. There’s a lot in there and we’ll talk about more of it later, but this installment addresses why folks don’t grouse-hunt more. The Duluth News Tribune picked up on the fact that when those surveyed (2,313 hunters surveyed, […]
…Still In the 6 Figs Along with Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota, North Dakota has now officially joined the list of major pheasants states where this year’s pheasant population is forecast to be down. The state said that its roadside pheasant survey in late July and August “suggests poor production this spring, meaning a […]
…We’re Going Anyway! Maine is one of many states that doesn’t publish an upland bird forecast – which we used to think was slacking but now think might be a good idea (more on that later in the week). So every year at least one member of the press chases down the upland bird biologist […]
NOTE: This giveaway is done, winner announced here, thanks to all for participating! Since you’re a Serious chicken chaser, we bet you’ve put some Serious miles on your boots. Maybe too many – meaning you haven’t taken the time to replace your old standbys with something new. Why should you? Because new boots (many but […]
Weather has been hammering our gamebirds. Actually hammering everything, but gamebirds seem a bit more sensitive to these changes. Every time we talk about that, global warming comes up, and…no definitive conclusions reached, even with the help of a good (or at least decent) bourbon. But on that topic, did you happen to see the […]
Iowa used to be a pretty major destination for pheasant hunters, but the last few years has put the kabosh on that. This year won’t help either. The Iowa DNR just released a short, to the point forecast that can be summed up in this quote from it: “The Iowa pheasant population has fallen to […]
Brian Heft is a bird hunter who’s also the park manager at Smith Mountain Lake State Park in Virginia. We saw some photos he shot, and asked about the story behind ’em. Here’s what he said: My first bird dog was a German Shorthair Pointer named Hobbes (I love the comic strip Calvin and Hobbes). […]
by Jay Well that sucked! Every August it’s something. Three years ago my back was out for weeks, and it was questionable whether I’d make the first trip of the season. Turns out I did, after 2 weeks of recovery. Made it through every day, but it about killed me…. Last year it was a […]
Just read this article on hunting ruffies in MN this year. So much of it, while well-intentioned, is wrong. Here goes: > The good news is, counts were up 34 percent this spring in parts of northern Minnesota. Counts remained stable in southern Minnesota. This COULD mean that there’s more easy birds (young ones) early […]
Lessons from 2012 Maine-NH Hunt
Don’t know if we’ve fully recovered yet from our not-quite-a-week of hunting Maine and New Hampshire for ruffies and woodies. We all actually bailed 2 days early, having put in 5 consecutive days instead of our usual 7. Felt like wimps about it, but hey, we were BEAT…from 5 days of the most brutal hunting […]
No Grouse Comeback in SW Penn?
Sounds like ruffed grouse will never be as much a part of the landscape of southern Pennsylvania as they once will. “Never” sounds ominous. Permanent. But that’s the conclusion of an article by Bob Frye in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Why should you care if you don’t live or hunt in PA? Reasons: > Pennsylvania is […]
Hey: All Ruffies Drum Differently!
Did you know that? Not until now…. This info won’t help us hunting, but it’s interesting – and makes sense. Here’s more, from newscientist.com: Male ruffed grouse are the first animals known to make unique non-vocal sounds. Humans and many other animals, particularly birds, can be identified by their voices. But no one had looked […]
Ran across this quote from an article about Iowa’s pheasant count: > “I haven’t even gone pheasant hunting the last couple of years because the birds just weren’t there,†said Tim Wolf, a 61-year-old bank president who lives in Waukee. YES THEY WERE! They most definitely were there. Maybe not like this… > “But I’ve […]
Top 10 Reasons To Go to Phez Fest
Pheasants/Quail Forever’s Pheasant Fest/Quail Classic is coming up soon at KC, MO (see info in right column), and just in case you’re thinking it’s too far or whatever, here are the Top 10 – really just 10 of many – reasons to go. We’re doing it Letterman-style, 10 to 1. 10. What else are you […]
Across the Pond Bird Follies, Vids
Ah the UK, the land that gave the world 17 pieces of silverware on the table, animal rights and other questionable stuff. Okay, it wasn’t all bad – that’s where our bird hunting came from too. But it’s different here…or there, depending on your perspective. Here’s some recent bird news plus some interesting vids. Katie […]
Do Congress, Tea Party Hate Pheasants?
We make it a point to try not to get suckered by political hoo-ha, so that’s not what this is about. We ran across a blog post on the Discovery-owned treehugger.com titled “Why Does Congress Hate Pheasants?” and a related one, “Do Tea Party, Heritage Foundation Oppose Hunting?” Interesting stuff, written by the same gent, […]
Quail, the most beleaguered of our beloved gamebirds, is getting a helping hand in Kansas. Or rather, a bigger helping hand. The state just announced that it’s “launching a new quail restoration initiative aimed at making a difference in declining bobwhite quail populations at a landscape level.” Here’s more: > Includes the designation of two […]
Worms and Birds: What Else Don’t We Know?
Believe we’ve talked about this at least once, but a recent Wall Street Journal article on the plight of Texas quail got us thinking about it again. Here’s the applicable stuff: …Rolling Hills Quail Research Ranch, a 4,700-acre spread an hour west of Abilene. Last month, researchers there found that the levels of parasitic worms […]
Top 10 Reasons To Go to Phez Fest
Pheasants/Quail Forever’s Pheasant Fest/Quail Classic is coming up soon at KC, MO (see info in right column), and just in case you’re thinking it’s too far or whatever, here are the Top 10 – really just 10 of many – reasons to go. We’re doing it Letterman-style, 10 to 1. 10. What else are you […]
Lone Star Outdoor news recently carried an article on a speech given by Dr. Dale Rollins of the Rolling Plains Quail Research Ranch near Rotan, Texas. Seems that a major threat to quail, at least in the Lone Star state, may be an eyeball worm. News to us! Highlights: > Especially mysterious were the continued […]
