Season's Over

    Trygve, the latest and best incarnation of wonder dog, took me hunting for a couple of days last week. The weather was glorious, sunny and about 30 degrees.  SD's pheasant season ended today Jan. 4, 2015,   We hunted fifteen days during the season and I may not have gone afield for that many had it not been for Trygve.  In his prime at age five I wanted him to get the time in the field.
    Discharged from the Marines in the summer of '62 I remember my shock at the lack of pheasants that fall,  There were more birds afield this year than either '62 or last year but I bagged very few, Part of the issue this year was the weather...it was too nice!  Let me explain.
   Pheasant hunting season in SD is long.  Traditionally it opens the 3rd Saturday in October and ends the 1st Sunday in January.  Typically it has three phases.  The first few weeks crops are not harvested and birds are widely disbursed. Newly hatched roosters are easier to approach and bag.  The 2nd phase is usually the most difficult time to hunt.  Surviving birds are now extremely wary and cover remains abundant even though crops are being harvested.  The 3rd phase is usually my favorite. Crops are harvested and snow has filled the lighter cover.  Pheasants head for the cattails and the snow filling the escape routes often means flushes within gun range.  It's tough walking, plowing through the snow and busting cattails in frigid temperatures.  Fair weather hunters are long gone and I have the fields to myself.
   But this year the snow didn't come.  So phase 2 conditions lasted until the end of the season. Therefore, though I saw more birds than last year I bagged many less.  Trygve and I had wonderful walks that didn't bring home a meal.
   The good news is that there are more birds this year.  The brood count found 50% more than last year...and I'd agree with that based on my observation...but still 67% less than the 10 year average. The weather is also more good news.  So far the winter has been ideal for the birds with abundant food and little danger of winter kill.  Hard winter weather stresses out the hens.  They then enter the nesting season, think May, weakened and nesting is physically challenging.  It is also good news that I saw many hens...the ideal ratio of hens to roosters at breeding time is about 1 rooster to 8 to 12 hens.  Hunting benefits this ratio because only roosters are shot.
   So it was a good year even with far fewer birds. How fortunate I felt walking with my trusty dog seeing birds in the distance and occasionally bringing one home.  Prospects for next year look better and it is satisfying to see the birds recovering.