2010 South Dakota Pheasant Hunting Season Outlook Forecast Report-Fall
August 23, 2010 by Chris Hitzeman
Well this is ahead of the South Dakota Brood Reports but you can form your own opinions from their data. Last week I was out at the farm and took this video from a 6 mile drive between farms in Charles mix County South Dakota. This is UGUIDE's first (and maybe last) informal roadside survey. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TppsITzN0oE
All our camps are encouraged by the brood numbers they are seeing. We are also aware that a large number of acres went unplanted in South Dakota resulting in fallow acres and birds have been using this to nest. This will result in increased bird numbers and increased hunting acres. Not as much crop is planted and in some areas as little as 30% of corn crop was planted due to wet spring fields.
Unlike the last 2 years, the crops are all WELL ahead of the 5 year average according to the USDA. Ideal growing conditions have been experienced and the heat or growing degree days is way up from the last 2 years. This is key to broods because they need the heat too for their early days out of the nest. Insect production has been high due to moisture and this is key to brood success. If this weather pattern continues we could see an early harvest of beans and corn. When crops get out early, the bird per hunter average goes up regardless of what the bird counts show.
Many have speculated that the bird counts would be down from last year, considering the winter SD had, but don't count out the resiliency of the birds and the vastly different summer weather patterns we have experienced in the state. I believe we will see bird counts across the state come in at or above last years counts.
Conditions look ripe for a perfect South Dakota Pheasant Storm in 2010.
