Category: States
As we’ve said here many times, cutting trees is good. It’s good for forests – the whole seeing the forest, not just the trees thing – and it’s good for wildlife. And hunting. That’s just one example of sound – SOUND – management, and across the country the landscape is in dire need of it. […]
WTH? First, know that I (Jay) am a regular (every week) church-goer. So I get the reason (supposed) behind a Sunday ban. But as much as I enjoy our local church, I’m not going to feel at all bad if I get away for a couple Sundays – or better yet, long weekends – to […]
Ruffed grouse hunting is about as exciting as watching paint dry, grass grow or – maybe a little better – making donuts. Of course that’s not true, but apparently a lot of hunters think so, especially when compared to sitting up in a dang tree all day hoping for a deer to walk by. Now […]
The drought affecting several Midwest and Southeast states seems to be only bad news for an already hurting national quail population. We checked in with Dr. Tom Dailey, assistant director of the Northern Bobwhite Quail Initiative, to see how the quail are doing, and found out that it’s not all bad news. But first the […]
Those of us not experiencing the drought in the Midwest, Southwest and parts of the Southeast may not realize just how bad it is. Upland birds in affected regions have to be suffering to some extent. Just a quick update on Kansas, first with what we previously reported: > Western Kansas has one of the […]
Anyone seen chukars running around in North Dakota? According to a recent article in The Bismarck Tribune, these fun birds are there for the seeing…and hopefully one day hunting. Excerpts: > The other day my friend, Jean, and I were walking our dogs near her house by Sleepy Hollow when this silly little bird about […]
Take 5 Seconds to Send an Email Pheasants Forever is asking hunters to send a quick email to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to help conserve pheasant and duck habitat – and today is the last day you can do it. Brief FWS overview: The Service is proposing to establish the Dakota Grassland Conservation […]
But Bad Stuff Stirring in MA New England and ruffies (aka, wood or furry chickens) go together like deep-fried hotdogs and Mountain Dew. Okay, maybe not the right analogy but you get the drift. Here’s some info about the best New England grouse state – Maine! – as well as some not-so-good rumblings about an […]
Chad Love blogs most excellently for Field & Stream and Quail Forever, and recently “penned” a doozy titled How Much is Upland Hunting Worth to You? We’re sure we’re all in the same boat – the Mastercard “priceless” category. If that’s the case, would you pay an extra $15, $20, $25 to beef up upland […]
If you’ve been reading here for a bit you know we don’t put a lot of faith in counts or forecasts, unless maybe they’re drastically low…but we still read every one! The latest comes from Kansas, aka “the other South Dakota,” some excerpts from a state press release about its pheasant pops looking good…or maybe […]
Sounds like biologists fear the wet Montana spring hasn’t been good for upland birdies – but it might not be all bad for re-nesting pheasants. Then again, you can’t really know if it’s bad or good until you’re out there in the fall…and you’re hunting no matter what anyone says because your Serious, right? Anyhow, […]
Ah, the spruce grouse, our version of the dodo bird. Dumb as a fencepost, stoned on whatever’s in spruce needles, and tastes like a combination of a sweat sock and a bluefish (we know some of you will disagree!). Can’t hunt ’em in some places, we have no problem with that. First one we ever […]
Lyme Disease is bad, no doubt, and ticks are just one of a few dangerous critters bird hunters have to consider in the early season (timber rattlers, etc.). But a woman in Minnesota recently died from what sounds like a horrendous viral disease – and thus, unlike Lyme Disease, apparently untreatable by antibiotics – caused […]
The ruffed grouse is Pennsylvania’s state bird, PA has lots of ruffies and the state is home to Ruffed Grouse Society (RGS) HQ. And yet, as in many states, Pennsylvania bird hunters feel that ruffies haven’t gotten much attention in Pennsylvania. Is the state now out to change that? The state is seeking input on […]
We’ve been getting a flurry of emails the last couple of weeks about how the ruffie population looks like it’s gone up for this season. We’ll take a look at what’s being said, and then give you our opinion. Wisconsin Highlights from this article: > According to 2011 spring drumming counts from the state’s Department […]
Long known as a big annual event for big-game hunters, the Dallas Safari Club (DSC) convention and expo is expanding in 2012 to include attractions focused on quail and other upland birds. This is the result of a new partnership between DSC and Quail Coalition, a Texas-based organization focused on upland bird conservation in Texas. […]
At its June meeting, the Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission approved the OK Wildlife Department’s fiscal 2012 budget, which includes “approximately” $1 million for quail research. Wow! That $1 mil will be spent on “two important research initiatives intended to halt the long-term downward trends in quail populations across the state and the bird’s native range. […]
Virginia is one of several states that still has a ban on Sunday hunting, but the Virginia Board of Game and Inland Fisheries did its part to try and change that. At its June meeting, the board passed a resolution supporting Sunday hunting – which appears to be all they can do: The ban on […]
Plus: Grouse Permits Underway, Youth Bird Hunts The length of Utah’s upland season is now extended – though the UT DNR hasn’t yet posted what the extension is and says it’s only for “most of Utah’s upland game species.” The number of birds and bunnies you can have in your possession has also increased, though […]
We’re still amazed – literally – that the New England cottontail rabbit is a candidate for listing under the Endangered Species Act. The cottontail freakin’ rabbit! Okay, not the similar eastern cottontail, but still. And what’s the issue? Apparently people – including people we all know – think it’s “cruel” or “ugly” to cut trees. […]
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 […]
