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*Last edited by revdocdrew on Thu Aug 17, 2006 5:10 pm; edited 1 time in total*

Somewhat discouraging prediction:

http://www.kansas.com/mld/kansas/sports/15100903.htm

Member Joined: 17 Sep 2005 Posts: 134 Location: TEXAS

Howdy Doc,

Well, since this is my first try at upland birds, and I just sent in my deposit, I hope things turn out a little better than forecast.

Of course, I have hunted and fished a lot without getting anything, and still enjoyed the trip, but it does help to have at least a chance at some game.

I'll keep my fingers crossed.

HHH

HHH,

Admittedly I am an optimist but I am hearing that the North East part of the state where we're heading after the Montezuma hunt have gotten much better rains than the south and west areas of Kansas.

If anyone has an update on North Central Kansas please pass it along.

Thanks,
Brad

FYI- Twice Barrel sent me this two weeks ago from Kansas !

From: Twice Barrel
To: Brad6260
Posted: Tue Jul 18, 2006 6:41 pm
Subject: Re: Rains on the plains ?
Brad the weather in the North eastern half of the state has been much better for the birds. Not a lot of rain but it came at the right time. This past few days we are suffering a heat wave.

Hunting should be good along the northern tier of counties. That area is also increasing in Walk-In hunting areas. You could be in for a very good year.

Ah, heck; we just tell you "furiners" that stuff so you'll stay the he** out of our pheasant covers Very Happy

!

Fin

Another post by a KS Wildlife Biologist:

Post subject: Kansas Birds

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The birds here were much better last year. Even the last week of the season we were able to move over 100 birds per day on Walk In despite the dry conditions. We couldn't do that in the early season many of the years before. Something to remember, a bad year is western Kansas is still frequently better than some of the other state's better years. If you look at survey route indexes between states, Kansas' index in a bad year may be triple the index in a fringe pheasant range state. Be patient, call all around, and be prepared to modify your plans within the state. Every year I talk to individuals who consistently go to the same places. I tell them that the birds are better significantly 40-60 miles further away and they are satisfied to hunt familiar habitat over new habitat with birds in it. Remember, if you are hunting last years birds in the early season due to limited production, you may have to use tactics you would use later in the season to get close to these older birds. Many people don't understand just how important being quiet is to harvesting pheasant. I have actually been hunting a patch alone and had just taken a rooster and was working another that was getting close only to have another group show up slamming doors and hollering. The bird that I would have bet I would have gotten pointed within a minute all of the sudden accellerated away from the dogs to fly out low some 100 yards in front of the dogs. Their noise ruined my hunt although they were a quarter mile away. If we end up hunting a lot of year old birds, you will have to bring your A game to take home game.

Guest

Hey RevDocDrew:

Just got the newsletter from my friend/guide service in Kansas with the following in it:

BIRDS,BIRDS,BIRDS
Wheat harvest has concluded here and the farmers have seen a tremendous amount of young pheasants. It looks to be an awesome year for pheasant hunting. Reports have also come in that they have seen plenty of quail.

Wink

I am glad I have 2 weekends booked already! Cool

Great news-this is around Russell? Looks like N. central may be primo bird hunting this year. Very Happy

Talked to a friend who owns land in the Montezuma area. He has seen young birds on his property. He also has a good friend who is one of the area's larger farmers. His friend said he saw good numbers of birds while combining wheat although not as many as last year. He thinks it will be at least an average year. This is encouraging after reading some of the gloomy reports that have been going around.

Dennis

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) -- Ottawa farmer Steve Baccus plans to cut most of his dryland corn for silage -- trying to salvage what he can as triple-digit temperatures and drought decimate corn fields across the state.
Baccus, who also serves as Kansas Farm Bureau president, said his fields are among the last dryland fields in the county still standing. Most of his neighbors already have chopped theirs for silage.
His own no-till practices let his fields hang on to moisture a little longer than most -- until finally succumbing as well to the scorching temperatures.
Corn under irrigation systems in the county also has shown signs of "tipping," meaning the corn plant is drawing moisture out of its kernels to survive. Smaller kernels hurt yields.
"Even irrigation systems are not able to keep up in this situation, with these kinds of winds," Baccus said.

Bad news for farmers but uncertain if this will affect the birds. Much of N. central and eastern KS has had significant rain in July.

To paraphrase Dorothy: "there's no pheasants in Kansas...there's no pheasants in Kansas...there's no pheasants in Kansas..." Very Happy

Member Joined: 17 Jan 2005 Posts: 138 Location: Parma, OH

I know the discussion is about Kansas, but I found this about South Dakota. This is from NOAA. Apparently the drought in South Dakota is more severe than the great depression dust bowl years......So much for pheasants there as well.......

http://www.crh.noaa.gov/crnews/display_story.php?wfo=abr&storyid=3321&source=0

Mike Doerner

The Fall 2006 WIHA maps are now available online from KDWP and the printed version should be our soon:
http://www.kdwp.state.ks.us/news/content/view/full/2787/(alpha)/M
Click a county then scroll down and click 'Download PDF' to print a full size map.

Water in the streams and rivers again! Very Happy

See: http://kctv5.com/Global/story.asp?S=5329725
Fall forcast should be out next month.