Family-Outdoors

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia) Annual August pheasant brood counts in South Dakota indicate that the statewide pheasant population is up from last year, and that should equate to an excellent pheasant season this fall. Results of the survey show that pheasant numbers grew in many areas of the state, due in large part to a mild winter and ideal weather during the nesting and brood-rearing season. The pheasants-per-mile index for 2012 is 4.21, up 18 percent from the 3.57 index of 2011. "The mild winter of 2011-12 was the boost we needed for pheasant survival and reproductive potential," explained Jeff Vonk, secretary of the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks.  "It goes to show that, with the combination of good habitat and the right weather conditions, pheasants can be quite prolific.” Much of the improvement in the pheasant counts came from areas of the state that had a good habitat base. "Pheasant hunting will be good across most of ...

Fruits of the hunt! (Photo credit: Wikipedia) More hunting opportunities meant more pheasants taken during the 2011 season, as last fall’s pheasant harvest was 683,000, up from 552,000 in 2010. Aaron Robinson, upland bird biologist for the North Dakota Game and Fish Department, said the overall landscape probably didn’t have more birds, but Mother Nature allowed for an increase in harvest due to mild weather conditions and minimal snow cover in November, December and early January. “This is a prime example of how the harvest doesn’t necessarily reflect the overall population,” Robinson said. “We actually had lower production in 2011 than in 2010, but hunter effort made up the difference due to last winter’s exceptionally mild weather conditions.” Statistics actually revealed the number of hunters declined 10 percent to 82,700. The number of resident hunters was down 5 percent to 58,200, while nonresident pheasant hunter numbers decreased 20 percent to 24...

The Forest Floor In East-Central Missouri on March 13th, 2011 Just 24 hours ago, my wife and I took a walk through the woods near our house.  It was a bit chilly, but nothing too bad.  Laura wore a coat and I wore a quilt lined flannel shirt.  Though the chill was there, the evidence of Spring was all around. I had Spring break starting today, but Laura and our son were headed back to the regular schedule.  Laura had a tough and busy weekend without much rest.  The bright spot had been the trip home to visit from college by our oldest son.  Anyway, she went to bed on Sunday night tired and wishing she had another day of rest.  I went to bed wishing some miracle would occur so she'd get some of that rest. The Forest Floor in a Cedar Grove above our House March 14th, 2011 She woke me up this morning and said it had snowed a bunch and that the power had gone out for a few moments.  I got up and watched the television just on the off-chance...

Image via Wikipedia As I sit here on a cool, but not yet cold November evening, I am already contemplating our Winter camping trips. I enjoy them as much as I do any camping trips we take all year long. Of course Winter camping is not for everyone. If you simply detest cold weather , no matter how much preparation you make, and no matter how much gear you own, your trip will likely not be an enjoyable one. However, if the thought of camping in a snowy scene with a full moon and the stillness that snow on the ground brings does pique your interest, then read on. First, it is my opinion that unless you are in a warmer climate region, simply camping out with no attendant activities may not fulfill your wishes and/or needs. We find that we enjoy our Winter camping trips the most when we are engaging in some other activity such as hiking, hunting, or fishing. This is in juxtaposition to trips we take in Fall Summer, and Spring when just hanging out at camp and getting some R&R may b...

I had never really thought much about the saying "let's clear the air" until last night. Of course I think I was in my thirties before I thought much about the saying "you can't have your cake and eat it too." I am not sure what the heck prompts me to finally get a meaning on silly stuff like this, and for that matter, my meaning might be vastly different than yours. All day long I had been watching the weather because there were thunderstorms forecast and my son had a track meet scheduled for the afternoon. It didn't look good for getting it in. The weather here over the last few days has been that high overcast or murky "clear sky" that seems to be the norm in the midwest. Image via Wikipedia The sky in Western Colorado is so different...blue skies are brilliant. The skies there are the ones where you can lay on your back in a field and watch wispy clouds go by on a brilliant blue canvas and the contrast is remarkable. I get tired of wh...