Category: States
It’s not every state or every species yet, but some info is trickling out. Here’s the skinny on three big bird states.
We’re monitoring all things Minnesota these days in anticipation of our trip to that state – aka “the aspen homeland” – in mid-October. A stat on just one state forest: 80+% aspens! Anyhow, we ran across a somewhat sobering piece in the Duluth News Tribune, which states that: Minnesota grouse hunters harvested just 358,000 birds […]
Lots of people, even if they’re not conscious of it, would like more quail. They’d like to hear them, see them if they’re lucky, just know they’re there. The steps to do that include less development (not happening) and more habitat management (not happening enough – yet – but some good folks are working on […]
Here’s part 2 of a post on a bird we bet most upland hunters have never heard of, the Himalayan snowcock – several of which are running around high-altitude Nevada right now! We begin with another electrifying quote from an account of Himalayan snowcock hunting that appeared in Sports Illustrated in November 1992, believe it […]
Part 1 First of all, be reassured that Himalayan snowcock is not something one gets…you know, privately…when spending time at super-high altitudes. Or rather, it is, but only if you’re lucky and a great shot. In an effort to track down whether any Japanese yamadori have been stocked in the U.S. (or North America), we […]
Today we saw that the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) is now a member of the Georgia Bobwhite Technical Team, marking the first time the NWTF “has officially signed on to benefit bobwhite quail in Georgia.” That’s all well and good, potentially, but the key part of the release is this language (our emphasis in […]
Don’t know why the Associated Press is covering ruffed grouse, but a few news outlets picked up an AP article about North Dakota ruffed grouse populations looking good. But there are a few buts: > This is based on drumming counts, which don’t exactly correlate to fall hunting. > The increase isn’t that stellar, and… […]
This fact recently in: “Quaking aspen is the most widely distributed tree species in North America, ranging throughout Canada and most of the United States (including Alaska), and extending into Mexico. However, since the late 19th to early 20th centuries, it is estimated that the aspen component of the landscape in eastern Idaho has declined […]
Since you’re Serious, even if you don’t hunt for ruffed grouse you no doubt know that these birds have a roughly 10-year population cycle (insight about that is in our book!).
In response to declining numbers of wild pheasants, Iowa has a new rule that allows some folks to to release on their own land pheasants from hatcheries approved by the Iowa DNR.
And Why Wasn’t the SCOTUS Decision 9-0? We’re not sure if anyone cases their guns between hunting spots (we don’t!), but in one county in Wisconsin, you can now do that legally – and even go to the skeet or clays course with your gun that way. After the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision re: […]
Last year Iowa hunters were estimated to have shot 271,126 pheasants – which sounds like a big number until you realize that it’s the lowest annual harvest number on record, and is 100,000 fewer than were shot in 2008. And this season isn’t expected to be much better (which, if you’re Serious, is no reason […]
We came across this final paragraph in a short missive from Sam Cook of the Duluth News Tribune: “I think [ruffed grouse hunting will] be similar to last year. There were plenty of birds out there, but the leaves held on for a long time, and when leaves left the trees and the weather turned […]
A June 8 report in the Lewiston Tribune says that “recent rainy weather has likely been deadly for baby pheasants, gray and chukar partridge and quail. The young birds are susceptible to hypothermia when rains combined with cool temperatures occur at the same time or soon after the hatch. “‘It’s not looking good right now,’ […]
There’s an old saying that whatever happens in California is coming to the rest of the country next. It should probably be more like “Whatever [insert favorite belittling adjective here] stuff happens in CA will leak into the rest of the country eventually.” Anyhow, the CA legislature is looking at banning lead shot in upland […]
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 […]
