Family-Outdoors

The Central Oklahoma 89er Chapter of Quail Forever will celebrate its 11th anniversary fundraising banquet Aug. 13 in Norman. The local chapter is one of the first chapters of Quail Forever in the nation formed to address declining quail populations in Oklahoma and throughout the bird's native range. The event will feature games, raffles and auction, with the Luther FFA Shooting Team helping with the event.     "Having people who care about quail and quail habitat is critical to rebuilding populations," said Laura McIver, QF regional representative for Oklahoma and Texas.  "This is why Quail Forever is a stand-alone leader for upland wildlife habitat conservation."     Since 2005, Quail Forever has established more than 155 chapters in 28 states, and has impacted 500,000-plus acres to benefit quail and other wildlife with more than 7,000 completed wildlife habitat projects.     The Oklahoma 89er Chapter of Quail Forever is included in this conserv...

Pheasant Recipes Iowa pheasants have enjoyed a good two-year run of milder winters leading to the highest bird numbers since 2008, but that run of good luck can’t last forever. Weather and habitat are keys to bird survival and over the last eight years Iowa has lost 500,000 acres of CRP statewide. “We’re trying to keep as many CRP acres as we can,” said Todd Bogenschutz, upland game bird biologist with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.  Land in CRP is often cyclical - removed when crop prices are high and enrolled when prices are low. With corn prices in the mid-$3 range, Bogenschutz expects to see more interest in the program. A general CRP signup is expected in December will have around 24 million acres available nationally, down from 32 million acres from previous signups, meaning landowners will likely need to higher environmental benefits scores and have better cover types to get their offers accepted. While the general CRP signup is a few months away, exi...

Pheasant Recipes MADISON - Pheasant broods and production both saw an increase this year, and the Oct. 17 pheasant hunting opener signals another exciting year in the field for upland bird hunters. Several other seasons open Oct. 17, including bobwhite quail, ruffed grouse in Zone B and Hungarian partridge. The bobwhite quail and Hungarian partridge seasons open at noon, while the ruffed grouse season will open with the start of legal shooting hours. "This fall should provide some excellent opportunities for Wisconsin's pheasant hunters," said Krista McGinley, acting upland wildlife ecologist for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. "The number of pheasant broods seen during this year's 10-week brood survey was up 67 percent compared to last year, and pheasant production was up in both the primary and secondary pheasant range." Hunters are encouraged to review the  Wisconsin Small Game Hunting Regulations [PDF]  booklet for rules and sea...

North Dakota’s spring pheasant population index is up 10 percent from last year, according to the State Game and Fish Department’s 2015 spring crowing count survey. Stan Kohn, upland game management supervisor, said the number of roosters heard crowing this spring was up statewide, with increases ranging from about 2 to 12 percent in the primary regions holding pheasants. “A much improved production year for pheasants in spring 2014, coupled with the mild winter, produced a healthy breeding population this spring,” Kohn said. While the spring number is a positive indicator, Kohn said it does not predict what the fall population will look like. Brood surveys, which begin in mid-July and are completed by September, provide a much better estimate of summer pheasant production and what hunters might expect for a fall pheasant population. Kohn mentioned a higher breeding population is good for production if the weather cooperates and nesting habitat is available. “This spri...

We celebrated the life and work of conservation workhorse and former Midwest Regional Director Jim Gritman this weekend, out among the lands and waters that he fought to protect. Saturday September 20, 2014 was a day of remembrance, as family and friends came from across the country to honor a head-strong conservationist. Current Regional Director Tom Melius joined Fergus Falls Wetland Management District Project Leader Larry Martin and staff as we unveiled the Jim Gritman Waterfowl Production Area near Wendell, Minnesota. As the sun burned off morning clouds and the dew glistened, we had the prefect backdrop of prairie and blue sky to mark the occasion.  “Thinking outside of the box and coloring outside of the lines is what fueled Jim’s strategy for bringing back habitat for our trust resources here in the Midwest,” said Melius. Gritman said it best, “If we could start restoring wetlands rather than draining them, then I could say we were making headway." Making headway...

(Photo credit: Wikipedia) Iowa has 50,000 acres available under a new Conservation Reserve Program called Iowa Pheasant Recovery SAFE.  This new CP38 practice requires top quality winter habitat and food for pheasants.  That top quality winter habitat and food is in demand after last Friday’s blizzard devastated pheasant habitat across central and north central Iowa.  About half of Iowa received 3 to 10 inches of wet heavy snow that collapsed most grassy cover. Falling temperatures then turned the wet snow into a white layer of ice.  The cover that did not collapse was drifted full of snow from the high winds.  “This was a bad storm for upland game birds,” said Todd Bogenschutz, state upland game biologist for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.  “It’s very likely we saw some bird mortality with this blizzard, birds likely trapped under the frozen wet snow.”  For much of northern Iowa most waste grains are now frozen below the snow a...

 Approximately 500 people will gather in Huron this Friday, Dec. 6, for Gov. Dennis Daugaard’s Pheasant Habitat Summit. The Governor’s Pheasant Habitat Summit will run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Huron Crossroads and Convention Center and the Huron Arena. Those attending the event will check in at the Huron Arena where a morning session of guest lecturers will be held. The afternoon session in the Crossroads Convention Center will feature breakout groups of those attending to gather ideas on specific topics related to pheasant habitat in South Dakota. The groups will be asked to consider the question, “What can be done to maintain and enhance existing pheasant habitat as well as increasing pheasant habitat in South Dakota?” with perspectives from federal, state, local and individual ideas. Registration for the summit has closed, but individuals who do not attend the event will be able to watch a live presentation on the Internet. South Dakota Public Broadcasting will ...

Land-use in the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) of the northern Great Plains has been shifting at an extraordinary rate, including changes in agriculture practices, the recent boom in petroleum production, and rising tourism, according to a new U.S. Geological Survey report. The report examines how economic variables and rural development are linked to land use in the region and suggests that while agriculture remains an important economic, social and cultural driver, the long-term economic health of the PPR is dependent on a strong off-farm economy as well. Click to view entire photo gallery. “This report shows that policymakers and land managers may want to think holistically about land-use change and understand the linkages between their decisions and aspects of community well-being,” said William Gascoigne, the USGS scientist who led the study. “We set out to produce the most comprehensive report regarding land conditions, economic influence, and rural community well-being in...

North Dakota’s roadside pheasant survey conducted in late July and August indicates total birds, number of broods and average brood size are all down statewide from 2012. Stan Kohn, upland game management supervisor for the North Dakota Game and Fish Department, said the survey shows total pheasants are down 30 percent from last year. In addition, brood observations were down 29 percent, and the average brood size was down 10 percent. The final summary is based on 253 survey runs made along 101 brood routes across North Dakota. “Poor production this spring resulted in fewer young birds added to the population and a lower fall population in all areas of the state,” Kohn said. Noteworthy factors cited for the decrease in brood numbers, according to Kohn, were continued land use changes in the prime pheasant range, including removal of Conservation Reserve Program acres, grasslands converted to croplands and small grain fields converted to row crops; ...

Fruits of the hunt! (Photo credit: Wikipedia) Fall pheasant hunters will take a step back in time, as the season opens. Following August roadside surveys, the average number of birds seen on over 200 30-mile route was 6.5; virtually identical to the 6.6 posted in 2011.   That  count was the lowest in 60 years of summer surveys and preceded the lowest harvest in Iowa’s rich pheasant hunting history. “Spring 2013 was terrible for ground nesting birds,” reviews DNR upland game research biologist Todd Bogenschutz. “Rainfall was the highest in 141 years of record keeping in Iowa. Over 15 inches fell in April and May; more than twice our normal rainfall.”  With the fifth coolest temperatures on record, survival of pheasant chicks plummeted. As a result, hunters should expect to harvest 100,000 to 150,000 pheasants during the October 28-January 10 season. On the upside, good habitat will still yield results. “Hunters will find birds in those good core areas; wi...

In a July 22, 2013 press release, the North Dakota Game and Fish Department reported the following: "Last year, nearly 86,000 hunters harvested 616,000 roosters. In 2007, more than 107,000 hunters took nearly 908,000 roosters." Why such a precipitous reduction in pheasant hunters and harvest?  A major portion of the answer seems to lie in the decline in Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acreage. In that same press release, ND officials stated "Wildlife populations were flourishing in 2006-07 when Conservation Reserve Program acres peaked at more than 3.25 million in North Dakota. Since then, as CRP acres have steadily declined, so has the overall harvest of game species." In fact, according to ND officials, not only are there fewer hunters (relative to 2007...the number of pheasant hunters increased modestly from 2011 to 2012) and fewer birds being harvested, the number of birds harvested per hunter has declined as evidenced by this: "...while ...

North Dakota’s 2013 pheasant crowing count survey indicates that rooster numbers were down about 11 percent statewide compared to last year, heading into the spring breeding season. All four pheasant districts had lower counts than last year. The number of crows heard in the northeast declined by 18 percent, southeast and southwest by 11 percent, and the northwest by nearly 2 percent. Stan Kohn, upland game management supervisor for the State Game and Fish Department, said only the southwest was initially spared a harsh winter, but a spring snowstorm in April buried much of the area in more than 12 inches of snow. “Had it not been for the long winter in most of the state and the April storm, I would have expected a higher crow count statewide this spring,” Kohn said. “But I think we did lose some birds during late spring, which reduced our 2013 spring breeding population slightly from 2012.” The late spring snowstorms and cooler than normal April delayed breeding and nesting...

Iowa’s pheasant recovery plan takes a second step this year with a new 50,000 acre continuous CRP practice.   The new Iowa Pheasant Recovery project is Iowa’s fourth special project under USDA’s CP38 program “State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement” CRP practice to address local wildlife habitat conservation needs. The Iowa Pheasant Recovery project was designed for the year-round needs of pheasants – provide severe winter cover, nesting habitat, and food – and be located in counties with the best chance for pheasant recovery. “Combining specific conservation practices with counties where we have the opportunity to get the highest bird production should put us on the path of growing our pheasant population again once the plan is installed and has a few growing years under its belt,” said Todd Bogenschutz, upland biologist for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. The requirements of the Iowa Pheasant Recovery project are designed to create favorable winter and ne...

June is here Iowa’s pheasant hatch is at its peak. So what can Iowa’s hunters expect this coming season?    “This year, unfortunately, we are predicting a decline in bird numbers,” says Todd Bogenschutz, a DNR upland wildlife biologist. “Our pheasant population typically shows increases following mild winters and dry, warm springs.  This past winter, while starting mild, ended with a vengeance.”  Many bird enthusiasts were hoping a warm, dry spring would offset the snowy winter.  Unfortunately this year’s nesting season (April/May) has been record-setting for cold temperatures and rainfall.  Statewide, nesting season rainfall was 15.4 inches, and temperatures were 4.1 degrees cooler than normal. Iowa’s pheasant population has never seen a spring this wet since they were established in the state back in the 1920s. Based on this weather data, Bogenschutz predicts Iowa's statewide pheasant population will be lower than in 2012.  However, Bo...

Winter food plots of corn, sorghum, or other grains are used by all kinds of wildlife to help them survive.  This past winter had a couple of heavy wet snows that flattened grass habitats.  Well- designed shelterbelts provide important cover and food plots an additional food source to help pheasant, quail, and other wildlife survive periods of heavy snow. A new special pheasant continuous CRP practice accepting 50,000 acres will be available shortly from USDA that will provide both of these practices (new pheasant SAFE). The new Iowa Pheasant Recovery project is Iowa’s fourth special project under USDA’s CP38 program to address local wildlife habitat conservation needs. The Iowa Pheasant Recovery project was designed for the year-round needs of pheasants – provide severe winter cover, nesting habitat and food – and located in counties with the best chance for pheasant recovery. “There have been few documented cases of pheasants actually starving to death in Iowa,” said Tod...

Department of Natural Resources Logo (Photo credit: Wikipedia) Landowners from 14 additional counties now can enroll land in the Walk-In Access program, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) said. Walk-in lands provide public access to private land. Landowners, in turn, are paid for the access. The program now includes 35 counties in the western half of the state. “We’ve had many requests to expand the area of our Walk-In pilot program,” said Marybeth Block, DNR walk-in access coordinator. “As we enter our third year for the program, the time seems right to add some additional counties.” New walk-in counties include Becker, Blue Earth, Clay, Douglas, Faribault, Grant, Le Sueur, McLeod, Meeker, Nicollet, Otter Tail, Sibley, Traverse and Wilkin.  Walk-in targets privately owned parcels of 40 acres or more, which are enrolled in a conservation program such as Conservation Reserve Program or Reinvest In Minnesota. River bottoms, wetlands and other hi...