I checked the dnr site today and the stocking list is out. Looks like they're back up to 75 thousand birds again this year up from 50 last year. They've added 10 more properties also. Still no day old chick program.
Two months until the opener.
Upland/Small Game
Pheasant 2021
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FYI, it is a 3 rooster per day limit in South Dakota as well as Iowa and North Dakota. I hunt Iowa twice a year and either South Dakota or North Dakota 1 time per season. I don't like South Dakota for the simple reason of not being able to hunt until 10am. Some years it's too hot for the dogs in October to hunt afternoons. Also, virtually every single hunt club in South Dakota releases birds as well as the DNR on low number years. I live in Eau Claire, you can walk and walk and walk without seeing many birds. I have very good dogs and walked roughly 4 miles of public ground last Wednesday that was supposedly planted. We flushed a hen, a rooster and a woodcock. I'm sorry to say, but there isn't a huntable wild bird population around Eau Claire. There are nooks and cranny's here and there that have a few birds living in them, but it's a far cry from South Dakota or North Dakota where we had 7 man limits before noon last Friday, Saturday and Sunday from public land. I've been hunting Pheasants in Wisconsin for 35 years and have never seen 100 birds in a season let alone 100 on multiple walks in one day like we do in the above mentioned states. Also, I understand that there is a lot of public land in Wisconsin but that is what it is. Just land. very little habitat restoration or crops planted. My point from the earlier text was that we can do a lot more with the Pheasant in Wisconsin. You tell me where I am going to take a group of guys and be able to Pheasant hunt for a day let alone 3 or 4 days in Wisconsin. I will be in Iowa for the opener this up coming weekend with 14 guys and 11 dogs hunting primarily public land. We will shoot a bunch and not even have to move vehicles hardly in a day. It's just plain and simple better and the state does a ton to keep it that way.
Hunter and Hound.
I just had this conversation with a hunting buddy in Mercer. He hunts pheasant in the areas you mentioned with good success. Wild birds. He was invited to hunt in SD and said he’d probably not go due to cost and the two rooster limit. There are wild pheasants in MN, Iowa and WI. And there is public land. Maybe not as much as SD but it’s there if you willing to do the work.
Wright6 - Go over to western WI...near Eau Claire. There's a sustainable population of wild pheasants there. But, be warned, it's very difficult hunting. However, it has the feel of SD. There is no stocking over there. Lots of public land.
You'll never see good pheasant hunting down in SE WI. Sorry...it just isn't going to happen. It'll be strictly put and take with way too many guys for the available land.
I'm glad you guys are finding a few birds. I just think it's sad that with the money the DNR takes in for small game licenses and pheasant stamps that they can't do a little bit more in this state for pheasant hunting. Pheasants Forever is great, but if the land isn't available for improving or nesting, what's the point? I personally know of hundreds of acres that used to be in the Set Aside Program and now isn't due to it being not beneficial to land owners. They feel they get more out of it by breaking even with planting crops than what the state is giving them. Our winters in Wisconsin now days are not more severe than Iowa, South Dakota or North Dakota. In fact, the other states have can probably argue that their winters have been worse the last few. The only difference is public managed ground. Wisconsin is ridiculously behind other states in the way that public ground is managed. Guys on here talk about how birds get chased away during training. Why would birds stay in the first place? Most public grounds in Wisconsin are swamp with no crops. Birds move very quickly on their own because they need a food source and once they find the food source there is generally just as good of cover and water near by so there is no reason to go back to the public ground. The fact of the matter is that there just isn't enough nesting ground. Anyway, my point is that the State of Wisconsin which has been one of the biggest hunting/fishing does very little for the sportsman in general compared to the other midwestern states. Does anyone know of any groups other than Pheasants Forever trying to work on anything? I would definitely like to help. I just don't have the time or resources to run anything like this. One thing that I'm certain of is that it's going to have to take funding towards private land owners to create nesting ground for birds to reproduce along with annual stocking. sorry for the rant, long post but I just think there is a lot more that us Pheasant hunters can do than just waiting for birds to get dumped from the pen. I guarantee 8 of 10 guys that hunt opening day of Pheasant season don't put in a dime or minute of their time other than the $10 stamp.
There is no way they released as many birds as they said they were going to. Other than our party I maybe heard 5-6 shots opening day and the place near Chippewa Falls was packed with hunters and dogs. We had 4 very good and experienced dogs and had maybe 10 flushes over a ton of ground that we walked. I think it's a load of crap that the DNR charges us $10.00 for a stamp when 80% of the birds get released in a certain part of the state, AKA Madison. I am and have been for a long time a huge supporter and consistent donator to Pheasants Forever, but they haven't done much for me in my area for quite some time. There was a time in my area that we had quite a few pheasants around, unfortunately crops have eaten in to good nesting grounds and the DNR won't fund or don't have the funding for farmers to join the CRP programs if they even exist in Wisconsin anymore. As far as I'm concerned WI DNR is behind in every facet including fish management. As a matter of fact, the WI DNR is selling more land that they are buying/developing. I go to Iowa multiple times a season and if you were to look at the public land down there, guys who have never been wouldn't believe it's public. 100's of thousands of acres of nesting, water, crops all on public land! And they only charge $125.00 for an out of state Small Game License that allows a hunter 3 birds per day. As for the dog training stuff. Most state land where birds are released is open for dog training other than April 15 to July 31 for nesting purposes. Besides that, other game bird seasons such as grouse and woodcock are open for hunting mid September.
What a beautiful opening weekend. It was crowded but that was to be expected. First field we went to there were a lot of hunters, a lot of birds, and a lot of bad shooting. The dnr did a great job. Went to a second field about 30 minutes away from the first field and it was a ghost town. Very few hunters. Went out and watched a guy whiff on two roosters on the path. Took my pup into the field and 10 minutes later, a solid point and I picked up someone else’s cripple. So I got to save my ammo which is good because of the ammo shortage. Paid it forward to someone when leaving who had brought the wrong size shells to the field. Glad I had both 12 and 20 in the truck. So important lesson to us all, always check your gear before hitting the field.
Sunday was sparse but still saw some action.
Have a great season everyone and be safe, be considerate, and most importantly have some fun.
If guys are “working” their dogs In pheasant stocked fields once they are stocked and the season has not opened yet are violating dnr regs. For state land it’s not as easy as federal lands because all federal lands dogs have to be leashed while walking that are not engaged in hunting during that hunting season. State needs to get on board with that program. However the guys that are “ working” their dogs are actually molesting wildlife. Saw a gentleman doing such one year and spoke with the dnr in regards.Purchase a DTA license for $30 /3 years buy birds for $10 a bird from someone who raises them, research DTA lands in your area and “work” the dog that way. Pheasant hunt clubs were too much $$ for my blood and at $10 a bird my dogs first 2 years I released probably 60 birds. Got my first bird Saturday in 7 minutes and my bird Sunday in 10 minutes.
They can raise 200K birds if they want and opener is still going to be quiet. The birds get pretty much run out of the hunting areas on Friday by guys working their dogs. I guess it's a free country and more power to them. We managed to get our birds Saturday and Sunday but we put on some miles and had to go into some pretty heavy cover. Beautiful weather for hunting. Good luck.
from what I've heard the DNR weren't able to hit their goal of 75,000 birds and were much closer to last years total. add in the 10 new stocking locations and the additional locations for the holiday hunt stocking and most areas will get less birds than last year. i also heard there is a bill going through legislature to raise it to 200k birds.
lots of people out this weekend and very few shots heard.
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