No, but there needs to be better education and incentive. Farming is damaging water quality as well. Needs to have more buffer strips. Basically, mandate for and buffer strips if farmers get federal aid.
Anyone get any birds today?
- Thread starter DooBi
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Saw some rednecks at a local mechanic shop. They were bragging about hunting on land that they didn’t have permission to hunt.
“Those fence lines can be confusing, ha ha ha!.”
“Besides, we’re the ones with the guns, what are they gonna say?”
“Those fence lines can be confusing, ha ha ha!.”
“Besides, we’re the ones with the guns, what are they gonna say?”
I'm with you. When I was a kid the fence rows always had a bunch of cover. But I also understand that farming has advanced and they can get close now. They don't let cattle out in the fields anymore, so fences aren't needed much anymore. We have thousands of acres of set-a-side, windmills and Pheasants Forever land everywhere. It's no longer around fences, it's in different places now and away from everyday eyes. The birds have plenty of places, it's just in places that aren't what we grew up with.
Most are decent and respectful, but I’ve had to confront people on my Parents’ land. It’s not fun.
No bro….we are losing crp at high rates. My father is 4th generation farmer, guilty as sin of farming road to road. It’s disgusting. Then bitch about prices. Iowa is for farming, if you want scenery and hunting move west.
I'll take things that never happened for 500 Alex. Lol
This is what I have heard too. It’s better than a decade ago. I see them here and there, even on the edges of town.
I about hit a turkey on my way to work last week last week. It flew out of the brush onto the road and quickly bounced back into the ditch. There is a large group of turkeys that hang around that area in town and have for years.
The best I have had have been lightly breaded and fried.
I was thinking maybe turkeys, but there are lots of birds still hanging out around here.
I used to walk RR right off ways back in my day. 1 mile down and back usually picked up 2-3
Think I remember hearing on mountain man they are not recommended to eat if you’re serious
Pressure cook cut up pheasant with cream of mushroom/chicken soup.
Serve with mashed potatoes.
I make my own cream soup. I put it over rice. It's basically pheasant Ala king.
I asking because I didn't realize that crp is going away. Are farmers filling it and getting paid? They've been farming the ditches since I was a teenager in the 80's. Supply and demand I get it. But the government also reduced the amount of ethanol use also. Less fuel is being used so less mixture is needed.
Just got back from our yearly panhandle duck trip.
4 dudes, 3 days, 68 birds.
4 dudes, 3 days, 68 birds.
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I would love to do that. I saw a Meateater episode last week where they shot a bunch of different ducks. Looked like they had a blast and the food looked amazing.Just got back from our yearly panhandle duck trip.
4 dudes, 3 days, 68 birds.
It's an amazing trip but it's hard ass work. I'll post some more photos here in a bit.
My buddy shot this with a decent camera so the original is much better, but, he is going to enter it into the state fair titled "as they lay"
This is a bad photo of an amazing event. It got down to 11 Friday morning with a high in the 20s for the day but the lakes were still warm so they would steam and the steam would immediately flash freeze. It was like walking through frozen fog. Then the water was like a slushee. So we were walking through bellybutton high slushee in frozen fog.
Again, not a great photo, but I have never seen as many swans or Sandhills cranes.
This is my first/only Canvasback, a decent Bull.
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That will make a lib’s head explode!It's an amazing trip but it's hard ass work. I'll post some more photos here in a bit.
My buddy shot this with a decent camera so the original is much better, but, he is going to enter it into the state fair titled "as they lay"
This is a bad photo of an amazing event. It got down to 11 Friday morning with a high in the 20s for the day but the lakes were still warm so they would steam and the steam would immediately flash freeze. It was like walking through frozen fog. Then the water was like a slushee. So we were walking through bellybutton high slushee in frozen fog.
Decline started when John Deere converted to a rotor combine. Not near the harvest loss. 😉 Walk behind a combine these days and not much grain left behind, use a Draper head and there is even less.
Biggest change back in the 90’s was Roundup Ready crops, just nowhere near the foxtail on field edges. Foxtail and giant ragweed were big food sources.
I work with PF quite a bit and they promote a lot of CRP but I think it takes more than native grasses for good pheasant habitat. I like to see a variety, if I have crop next to CRP, cover crop does wonders to draw in pheasants, much more open, always see birds in the less dense cover crop. If you wants quail, fence line habitat is a must. They can’t fight through the native tall grasses. Those that that have habitat, have birds.
Biggest change back in the 90’s was Roundup Ready crops, just nowhere near the foxtail on field edges. Foxtail and giant ragweed were big food sources.
I work with PF quite a bit and they promote a lot of CRP but I think it takes more than native grasses for good pheasant habitat. I like to see a variety, if I have crop next to CRP, cover crop does wonders to draw in pheasants, much more open, always see birds in the less dense cover crop. If you wants quail, fence line habitat is a must. They can’t fight through the native tall grasses. Those that that have habitat, have birds.
You make some good points. Do you have any insight on coated seeds (neonics) and/or the lack of insects these days relative to say 20+ years ago? Just curious.
About 90 minutes "work" yesterday in a part of the state the DNR has the population deemed as "poor." Crazy amount of road hunters out...guess you have to give the shut-ins credit for at least leaving the basement!
https://app.gemoo.com/share/image-a...codeId=DGVxqdWLBabWo&origin=imageurlgenerator
https://app.gemoo.com/share/image-a...codeId=DGVxqdWLBabWo&origin=imageurlgenerator
Huge investment of time and energy but yes they make things much easier.
If you don't have a dog, and love to wingshoot, I would strongly encourage you to look into dove hunting. Public land on opening day is killer so you don't need private land, no dog needed, no special gear needed. Shotgun, bucket, shells, maybe a decoy. One spinning wing decoy will attract more birds than 12 fixed. Just find public land that they planted sunflowers on and be ready to shoot at dawn.
And they are an incredible challenge and make the best poppers.
The only problem with public land/ dove hunting is its pretty well only good for opening day.
But yeah dude they become part of you and your best buddy in the process. I spent the first day of nebraska just running my dog for the blind, never fired a shot, and had the most fun that day. Watching those idiots hit or miss and watching the dog work like a mad man in those thick ass cattails.
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Pretty pointless to put the effort in without having a dog. You'll walk past more birds than you know, and your find rate will drive you crazy unless they are stone dead before they hit the ground. Even in heavy cover like cattails or switchgrass, a dogless find is tough on a dead bird, and they only need about 5 seconds of life left to bury themselves forever.
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