Mid-November field report
The corn harvest is wrapping up, which means the hunting is only going to get better!
With the nice weather we’ve had in November, farmers across the Dakotas have been able to make large gains with the crop harvest. As of Nov. 12, the USDA is reporting that almost 90% of the corn has been harvested in South Dakota, while North Dakota is sitting at almost 80%. That’s not only good news for farmers, but it’s also great news for hunters.
As more and more corn is harvested, the hunting only gets better.
As many pheasant hunters know, it’s hard to get a pulse on bird populations until a majority of the corn is harvested. For starters, corn isn’t just a pheasant’s primary food source, but when mature corn is still standing in October and November, it’s also a primary source of loafing cover pheasants.
After leaving their roosting areas in the early morning to go feed — usually right around sunup — pheasants can end up spending their whole day in the cover of standing corn until they head to pick up grit and/or roost at the end of the day.
This makes them hard to hunt, and because so many birds seek sanctuary in standing corn, it can also skew bird numbers. Once the corn comes out, however, it becomes much easier to hunt pheasants and also gather a firm understanding of what bird numbers look like in a given area.
I took a little heat when I wrote this year’s pheasant forecast for Pheasants Forever. People just couldn’t believe this year’s numbers would be on par with last year after the winter the Dakotas experienced. The same could be said for the annual Pheasants Forever Prairie Grouse Primer as well.
However, now that we’re a month into the season, a majority of the reports I’m hearing are that bird numbers are strong in most areas, affirming what wildlife officials and PF’s own team of farm bill biologists told me back in August and September. It’s a good feeling to know the forecast was on target, but I shouldn’t be surprised, as the folks with whom I speak on a regular basis are connected to the land and I trust them to provide accurate, first-hand knowledge.
And with that, here’s a brief rundown of where things stand at a few key pheasant hotspots in South Dakota:
Aberdeen area: Bird numbers have been solid west of Aberdeen. It’s spotty, but with the corn harvest ongoing hunting is only going to get better.
Pierre: It sounds like west of Pierre has been pretty rough, while reports coming in from the Fort Pierre National Grassland are that there are plenty of birds around. As a bonus, some friends recently told me how many grouse they saw each day during a recent deer hunting trip. They were adamant that it was the most grouse they had seen in the past few years.
Huron: One landowner I talked to who is also heavily involved in a local Pheasants Forever chapter said bird numbers were above average south of Huron. He mentioned it really looked like the early hatches were good. The nice weather means birds are still spread out, but as the corn harvest wraps up and colder weather arrives next week around Thanksgiving, the hunting should get better. He also said with the rain this fall that mud is a problem, so bring muck boots if you know you’re hunting around wetlands. He said late season could be a blast if heavy snows hold off.
Mitchell: Reports from Mitchell indicate hunting is good in most places. It’s spotty, as Mitchell was a bit dryer than places further north. Many CREP and walk-in areas have been grazed or hayed due to emergency haying provisions, so keep that in mind if you’re heading that way.
Chamberlain: Bird numbers are spotty in the I-90 corridor from White Lake across the River to Reliance. Check precipitation maps to see which areas received timely rains and make your decisions based on that. The corn and milo harvest is nearly wrapped up, and with the nicer weather forecasted for the week of Nov. 12-19, farmers should be wrapped up in time for Thanksgiving.
The bottom line? Where there’s habitat, there’s birds. Plenty of CRP in CREP areas and in the state’s Walk-in Areas, primarily in the southern part of the state, so bear that in mind if you’re heading that way to hunt public land. If public land is your primary option, try to target areas where several tracts of public areas — CREP, Walk-in, Waterfowl Production Areas and state Game Production Areas — are in close proximity to one another. Give yourself options, find habitat and have some fun.