End of Year Waterfowl Report 2019
End of Year Review – 2019 Prairie Smoke Ranch, Central North Dakota
2019 will go down as
our most challenging year in recent memory. Weather, weather and
weather – rain, snow, blizzard and cold; we had it all. I was
recently asked over Thanksgiving how the year went and in summary I
said the guys who could hunt did well but the guys who could not get
out due to weather had a terrible year. That about sums it up. We
canceled several hunts because the weather, the first time that has
ever happened in 18 years. In general it was a cold, wet, muddy fall
on the prairie.
The prospects for a
good season were there: wetland #’s were up, upland #’s were up,
brood counts were solid, but it always boils down to the weather.
Bright Spots
We had lots of ducks in because of the mixed up weather. And this was one of our best upland years ever – unprecedented #’s of huns, lots of sharptails, lots of pheasants. Getting at them was a challenge at times, but the birds were there.
Opening Day for
pheasants actually occurred on the Saturday of the blizzard, so there
was very little early season pressure on the birds.
Our new (truly)
self-guided approach worked pretty well; returning clients familiar
with the property knew where to go and new clients figured it out
pretty quick with a little direction. Unlike the previous two
years, scaup were the most plentiful birds and 3-bird daily limits
were not uncommon.
We harvested the
first mule deer on the property.
All hunters returned
safely despite the challenging conditions.
The late season rain
and snow filled many of our potholes before they all froze, ensuring
lots of water for spring waterfowl next year. We saw a resurgence in
muskrats this year – combined with high water next year they may
reach harvestable numbers once again.
Tough Patches
2019 will go down as the year of the porcupine – we had 9 encounters during the season; 7 off the property and 2 on the property. Most involving Drahthaars. The rest of the dogs – labs, setters, Boykins, chessies, spaniels came through relatively unscathed.
Very few geese
around this year. Fewer swans too, compared to 2018. And fewer
mallards and puddlers in general. Pintails were extremely scarce, at
least over water, cans and redheads were also thin. For some reason
lots of spoonbills however, and some of them colored up.
The mid-October
blizzard dumped about 10” of snow and left 8-10’ snowdrifts all
across the prairie. This made hunting impossible during the storm
and access very tough afterward. As usual however, the birds
responding and we were covered with new birds for about a week. We
also got a few inches of snow on October 3 but that all melted. Some
of the drifts from the blizzard will be with us until May. A couple
groups busted ice and had good to very good shoots.
An early freeze –
with several nights of single digit temps – in late October also
put a crimp in hunting plans. Once our big lake freezes hunting is
extremely tough in our area as we are about the last water to freeze
and ducks leave without open water. Geese hung around for another
week or so, feeding in open fields and roosting miles away. We had a
lot of snows in but in most cases they were hard to pattern.
Crane hunting was
very sketchy this year. Only a few came thru early and then most
overflew us after the blizzard.
To Hunt or Not To
Hunt
Along with waterfowl
hunters scattered throughout the South these tough conditions forced
us to become amateur weather forecasters. While we frequently get
snow during the season, this was only the second year in 18 where
we’ve been smacked with a blizzard during the season. The deep
snow and wind which accompanies a blizzard always makes things
dangerous for a couple days but we have learned the hunting can be
excellent afterward.
As the blizzard
approached we learned this: traveling during whiteout conditions is
never safe and never recommended. Whenever possible hunters
traveling from the south should plan to hole up for a day or two
along the way to avoid these conditions. No string of birds is worth
rolling your vehicle or freezing to death. Most blizzards also only
last a day or two.
Snow always stirs up
the birds, and you can expect good action for a day or two but it’s
the cold and freezing temps which really get the migration going. It
is impossible to predict if a storm front will “push all the birds
thru” – a better indicator is open water in your local area; as
long as you have open water the birds will stick around. We have
found once your local water freezes it signals the beginning of the
end – at least in your area. Go east or west (east this year) 50
miles and you may find open water and birds.
If you are field
hunting exclusively you have more options in late season as the birds
may fly 30-50 miles to open water from the fields they are feeding
in. But you may have a hard time finding them in your area.
Combined corn fields
are best for these late season hunts although this year we still have
many soybean and corn fields still standing, along with sunflowers,
as these are the last to be harvested.
This all translates
into “Yes you should go” when eyeing up your long-planned trip to
the prairie but be prepared to stand by a day or two to let a
blizzard or snow event pass if necessary. Four-wheeled drive rigs
are standard equipment for this late season stuff; ATVs may be your
best friend.
Late Season Hunting
As noted earlier we harvested our first mule deer ever from our property this year, along with a nice little white-tailed buck which fell to the Missus’ well-directed shot. We hosted a couple pheasant hunters during this period but they had a hard time finding birds. And they jumped more hen pheasants than roosters, indicating some of these prime cattail thickets had been hunted already. Snow and mud also hampered their travels during this period. The sharptails were still around but were beginning to bunch up in large flocks as they do once the landscape turns white.
Trespass Issues
Those familiar with our ND Guides Facebook page know the state legislature very nearly passed new trespass rules last spring which would close all land in North Dakota to hunting unless posted “Open”. Every year around deer hunting time we are reminded why this is an issue as “road shooters” ply our local roads for deer in the comfort of their heated pick-up cabs. History tells us such road shooting inevitably leads to trespass issues and blatant poaching as deer are commonly shot on posted land from the road. Another form involves driving around on posted fields in search of deer, leaving ruts and a mess in the aftermath. The common response of “I didn’t see the sign” will no longer be a problem if the Legislature and landowners close down the state, and we are certainly heading in that direction.
We’d personally
like to thank all those who approach their hunts – for big game or
small – with integrity and respect and a measure of effort
commensurate to the harvesting of wild animals by fair chase.
What’s Up for
2020?
The ND Legislature
does not meet next year, so we shouldn’t see any new laws regarding
outdoor activities until 2021.
We will have a lot
of water going into 2020 – so add grass and look for good waterfowl
production next spring.
How the deer and
upland birds will fare has yet to be determined. Standing crops in
the field however should provide a ready feed source provided they
are not covered up by deep snow.
We expect to
continue to offer “self-guided” hunts next year at Prairie Smoke
Ranch although we plan to construct more blinds on our more popular
sloughs for client use.
We wish our clients and all like-minded sportsmen and women a safe and productive Holiday Season and New Year.
Dan & Jeanie
Prairie Smoke Ranch
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