ShopPosts Tagged ‘Nebraska’
A Royal Flush …of the Rooster Kind
Monday, November 21st, 2011
I’ve enjoyed what I call a “Royal Flush” three times in my life, the most recent being with the Antelope Valley Pheasants Forever Chapter in western Nebraska last Friday.
I define a Royal Flush as bagging three wild, fair chase roosters without moving your feet. It doesn’t happen often, but when it does it is one of the biggest thrills in the pheasant hunting world.
My last Royal Flush happened on a piece of CRP habitat managed by the chapter near Oshkosh. It was sunny, 60-degrees and a decent wind was blowing in from our right – not ideal for the dogs. We were pushing the field and had flushed a single rooster about halfway. I didn’t shoot since the bird flew low near a dog.
Thanks to the hard work of these Antelope Valley PF Chapter members, from left Youth Coordinator Larry Schwartzkopf, Treasurer Terry McCord and Habitat Chair Dave Cook, we had a great hunt near Oshkosh, Nebraska.
As we continued, several dogs, including my springer, Hunter, were tacking toward the far right corner. It held thick, high grass next to a similarly dense shelterbelt of tall cedars – not something roosters like to fly into. I knew this looked good and was ready. I was not disappointed. Field ends often provide hot action, but usually not like this.
As we got within about 20 yards of the belt, the birds started to flush in rapid succession. About 10 birds broke, mostly roosters, literally at my feet, with some a few yards out. First, I dropped one to my left, then a bit right of center and then straight away behind me! One, two, three….a Nebraska limit in about 10 seconds. Wow, what a thrill.
My first Royal Flush happened about 12 years ago when my hunting buddies pushed a sorghum strip to me as I posted – perhaps not a true Royal, but close. The second Royal occurred when my late springer, Wolf, led me to a similar flock in another CRP field in 2002.
Have you ever scored a rooster Royal Flush? If so, when and where and how long did it take for your heart rate to slow? What are your other incredible rooster shooting memories?
The Nomad is written by Mark Herwig, Editor of the Pheasants Forever Journal and Quail Forever Journal. Email Mark at MHerwig@pheasantsforever.org.
I Love my Bird Dog and She Loves CRP-MAP (The Final Installment)
Tuesday, November 15th, 2011
This morning's CRP-MAP rooster in Nebraska.
After Andrew bagged a banded rooster this morning, I jumped into the Rooster Road Trip vehicle’s driver’s seat and promptly pointed the truck toward my favorite CRP-MAP field. This was a special field, the very same field that produced a limit of pointed roosters for me a year ago on the Rooster Road; including Trammell’s famous 500-yard retrieve.
Within moments, Tram was on the “birdy” trail with her tail vibrating left to right. A moment after Tram locked into a point, a big colorful rooster pheasant exploded from the little bluestem and cupped its wings. It was a shot I should have made. I knew he was there from her point. I just whiffed; plain and simple. Hey, it happens to everyone right?
Tram looked back at me as if to say, “What’s up with that boss?” I don’t know Tram, I don’t know. With my shooting confidence wavering, I pushed forward.
It only took a few hundred feet before Trammell found some fresh scent again. I readied the shotgun and picked up the pace. It was windy in Nebraska this morning, very windy. Trammell played the scent and wind like a seasoned pro and tried her best to pin the rooster into a point, but this ringneck wasn’t interested in the textbook on pointers. He busted toward the cloudless blue sky and flushed with the wind. The Browning Citori is natural in my hands and came up quickly. I found the bird and bead, and unleashed the Prairie Storm 4s. The rooster shuddered, but didn’t drop, gliding a hundred yards. Like a year ago, Tram was on the trail. In moments, Tram had locked up again into a solid point. As I approached, I gave her permission to “get him.” From the grassy clump emerged my first 2011 CRP-MAP rooster. I am a proud bird dog papa. Trammell thinks I’m okay too.
Open Fields and Waters Program
After reading my Nebraska preview blog, I received a very nice email from Caroline Hinkelman, Pheasants Forever’s Coordinating Wildlife Biologist in Lincoln, Nebraska this morning updating me on Nebraska’s public access programs. Hinkelman let me know Nebraska’s CRP-MAP program is being phased out and rolled into the Open Fields and Waters Program (OFW). OFW pays a higher rate and it includes woodlands, wetlands, mixed habitats, etc. This year, landowners have enrolled over 270,000 acres for hunting and fishing, with about 500 acres of open water and over 60 miles of river into OFW. Last year Nebraska received a grant from the USDA to fund the OFW program under the Voluntary Public Access and Habitat Incentive Program. This allows higher landowner payment rates to open up other habitat types besides CRP lands. – Thanks Caroline!
Although I may not be posting a blog declaring my love for CRP-MAP in the future, the good news is that Nebraska continues to push the envelope with fantastic habitat and public access. If you’re a traveling bird hunter, Nebraska is a must visit . . . yearly!
Follow Pheasants Forever’s Rooster Road Trip 2011 at www.RoosterRoadTrip.org, on Facebook , YouTube, and Twitter (#rrt11).
The Pointer is written by Bob St.Pierre, Pheasants Forever’s Vice President of Marketing. Follow Bob on Twitter @BobStPierre.
Nebraska Preview – Day 2 of the Rooster Road Trip
Tuesday, November 15th, 2011
Nebraska's CRP-MAP acres provide excellent opportunities for the traveling bird hunter.
Tuesday, November 15th – NEBRASKA
We’ll be hunting in southwest Nebraska near the town of McCook on day 18 of Nebraska’s pheasant and quail hunting season.
Shooting Hours: 30 minutes before sunrise to sunset
Sunrise: 7:27AM
Sunset: 5:27PM
Daily Limits: 3 rooster pheasants per day / 12 in possession. 6 quail per day / 24 in possession.
Public Hunting Land
We’ll be focusing our day’s hunt on CRP-MAP land. CRP-MAP stands for Conservation Reserve Program – Managed Access Program. Through the program, the Nebraska Game & Parks Commission in partnership with Pheasants Forever pays private landowners to improve their CRP acres for wildlife and open those acres up for public hunting.
We’ll be hunting in the Republican River watershed, which happens to also be a relatively new special focus area for CRP in the state. In fact, Nebraska has a special Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) for this area, which has targeted 100,000 acres of land in the Republican and Platte River watersheds. The combination of CREP and CRP-MAP has these new acres featuring a very diverse mix of grasses, forbs and legumes maximizing wildlife benefits. That means good pheasant habitat!
Non-resident Licensing
Nebraska Game & Parks Commission offers a full season non-resident small game permit ($81) or a two-day small game permit ($56). Either of these licenses must be purchased in tandem with a state Habitat Stamp for an additional $20 to hunt pheasants and quail in the state. A hunter education certificate number is also required.
Pheasants Forever’s Impact in Nebraska
Pheasants Forever Chapters: 61
Pheasants Forever Members: That is today’s Pheasants Forever trivia question on Facebook
Quail Forever Members: 496
Habitat projects completed by Pheasants Forever in Nebraska: 94,143 projects
Total habitat acres improved by Pheasants Forever in Nebraska: 2,771,794 acres
My Nebraska Memories
I have been hunting Nebraska since 2004 and continue to believe it’s one of the most under-rated states for the traveling upland bird hunter. Boasting prairie chickens, sharp-tailed grouse, Hungarian partridge and bobwhite quail in addition to pheasants, Nebraska offers a mixed bag with diverse terrain and lots of public land opportunities. In fact, my favorite memory from last year’s Rooster Road Trip came in Nebraska on a spectacular retrieve from my pup. You can read that full story titled, “I Love my Bird Dog and She Loves CRP-MAP.”
Learn more at www.VisitNebraska.gov
One of my proudest bird dog moments came last year in Nebraska on a long distance retrieve.
Follow Pheasants Forever’s Rooster Road Trip 2011 at www.RoosterRoadTrip.org, on Facebook , YouTube, and Twitter (#rrt11).
The Pointer is written by Bob St.Pierre, Pheasants Forever’s Vice President of Marketing. Follow Bob on Twitter @BobStPierre.
Where will you be on the 2011 Pheasant Opener?
Tuesday, August 9th, 2011
Opening Day 2010 with (left to right) me, Billy Hildebrand, Erik Hildebrand & Chad Hildebrand. In addition to a limit of roosters, the Hildebrand boys bagged a few ducks early that morning.
Are you ready to go bird hunting? Personally, I’m ready to hang up the fishing pole and shrink-wrap the boat in exchange for my over/under. My shorthaired bird dog is wagging her tail in agreement as well.
Yes, I know it’s only August, but hunting season can’t get here quick enough as far as I’m concerned. And judging by the comments on PF’s Facebook page, I’m not alone in my enthusiasm for pheasant season’s arrival.
While I’ve already got two ruffed grouse hunts and a sharp-tailed grouse hunt on my September calendar, I am also happy to report that I know where I’ll be spending my first pheasant hunt of 2011. For the 4th consecutive season, I will be hunting in central Minnesota on Saturday, October 15th with my FAN Outdoors radio partner Billy Hildebrand and a small collection of friends, family and bird dogs.
Where & when will your 2011 pheasant hunting season begin?
2011 Pheasant Hunting Opening Days
(These dates are tentative, please be sure to check your state’s regulations)
Colorado Still TBD
Iowa Saturday, October 29
Kansas Saturday, November 12
Montana Saturday, October 8
Minnesota Saturday, October 15
Nebraska Sunday, October 30
North Dakota Saturday, October 8
Ohio Friday, November 4
South Dakota Saturday, October 15
Wisconsin Saturday, October 15
The Pointer is written by Bob St.Pierre, Pheasants Forever’s Vice President of Marketing. Follow Bob on Twitter @BobStPierre.
October 2011
Wednesday, April 20th, 2011
Are you counting the days till October too?
As the snow falls out the window behind me again today, I can’t help but think about pheasant hunting season. Apparently, I’m not alone. According to our website’s analytics, the most commonly searched term driving pheasant hunters to our website the last few weeks is “October 2011.”
My hunch is that folks are already planning their 2011 fall pheasant hunting calendar. While not all states have announced their 2011 pheasant seasons yet, I’ve been able to find opening day dates online for most of the top pheasant hunting destinations. So here you go!
2011 Pheasant Hunting Opening Days
(These dates are tentative, please be sure to check your state’s regulations)
Colorado Not announced till July
Iowa Saturday, October 29
Kansas Saturday, November 12
Montana Saturday, October 8
Minnesota Saturday, October 15
Nebraska Saturday, October 29
North Dakota Saturday, October 8
Ohio Not announced till July
South Dakota Saturday, October 15
Wisconsin Saturday, October 15
The Pointer is written by Bob St.Pierre, Pheasants Forever’s Vice President of Marketing.
Can you Name that Classic Shotgun?
Friday, March 18th, 2011
Can you identify Roy Watson's shotgun from this 1946 photo?
PF member Jim Watson of Omaha, Nebraska, shared this photo of his father Roy Watson after a hunt in 1946 near Albion, Nebraska. In the photo, Roy had just returned home from serving in the Marines during WWII. Roy, now 86 and living in Omaha, patched up airplanes in Hawaii as they came in shot up from the war in the Pacific. What shotgun is he packing?
Answer: The shotgun, as Mr. Wickstrom noted, is an LC Smith SXS with hammers and 32-inch, full choke barrels. The car, for the record, is a 1936 Ford coupe. “When I was a teenager,” Jim wrote, “I used this shotgun to hunt pheasants. It was so heavy you couldn’t be very quick with it, but after everyone else had shot, I could still knock them out of the air.”
What to Expect at Pheasant Fest
Wednesday, January 26th, 2011
Check out this short video for an idea of what you can expect this weekend at Pheasants Forever’s 2011 National Pheasant Fest at the Qwest Center in Omaha, NE. Hope to see you there!
Where Would You Go Pheasant Hunting in January?
Thursday, December 16th, 2010
Pictures like this get me thinking about a late season trip to chase roosters in January.
The other night, I received a phone call from my dad in Michigan. He requested I contact one of his buddies to provide guidance on where to hunt pheasants in January. While bird hunters in Kansas, Texas, Oklahoma and Nebraska aren’t even ready to call it mid-season, my personal 2010 pheasant hunting opportunities are quickly disappearing under two feet of a white Christmas here in Minnesota . . . not to mention mounting Pheasant Fest 2011 obligations. Consequently, day dreaming of a January bird hunting excursion was a fun exercise for me. In shorthand, here’s what I recommended to my dad’s buddy.
1. Nebraska: Our visit to the “Cornhusker State” was my highlight of Rooster Road Trip 2010. Basing our hunting out of the McCook area gave us easy access to thousands of acres of public lands with new CREP plots enrolled in the state’s CRP-MAP providing the best hunting of our week-long adventure.
Season Ends: January 31, 2011
2. Kansas: A very close second was the “Jayhawk State.” In no other state can you bag 4 roosters and 8 quail legally in a day’s hunt. In my opinion, Kansas rules the upland hunter’s roost in terms of total birds harvested annually. On the Rooster Road Trip, we hunted out of Norton and I wouldn’t think twice about heading in that very same direction this January.
Season Ends: January 31, 2011
3. South Dakota: While Minnesota was getting pounded by snow last weekend, I was chasing roosters from Hitchcock, South Dakota’s Gun Shot Acres. Although the 40 mile-per-hour winds created white-out conditions on Saturday morning, only two or three inches of snow hit the ground. If you’re headed to SoDak, you should still find it to be the “Pheasant Capital of the World.” Focus on the cattails and the roosters will be there.
Season Ends: January 2, 2011 (a great place to celebrate New Year’s!)
4. Colorado: I can’t claim to have ever pheasant hunted in CO; however, I continue to hear that the eastern third of the state is the best kept secret in pheasant country. If I had a wild hair to explore new ground, I’d look hard at Phillips, Yuma, Kit and Carson Counties.
Season Ends: January 31, 2011
Remember to mark your calendars for Pheasants Forever’s National Pheasant Fest 2011 in Omaha, Nebraska on January 28, 29 & 30 . . . YES, you can still hunt Nebraska while you’re down there for Pheasant Fest . . . hmmmmm, interesting isn’t it!
So, if you were going to plan an end of the season pheasant hunt, what would be your destination?
The Pointer is written by Bob St.Pierre, Pheasants Forever’s Vice President of Marketing.
Are Possession Limits Additive Over State Lines?
Sunday, November 7th, 2010
Anthony, Andrew & I pose for a picture in my front yard before launching our Rooster Road Trip.
As we embark on the Rooster Road Trip, it’s obviously important for us to follow the letter of the law in each state we visit to pheasant hunt. Most issues are pretty clear (non-toxic vs. lead shot, shooting hours differences, private lands access programs, etc.).
However, there is one issue we began to get concerned with addressing: possession limits in hunting five different states consecutively. Are possession limits additive based on the number of different state licenses you have to hunt pheasants in your possession?
For instance, how should we identify birds bagged in North Dakota, Minnesota, South Dakota, and Nebraska to make sure a conservation officer in Kansas doesn’t issue us a citation for having more than the possession limit for pheasants in Kansas on their opening day?
Likewise, is it legal for us to bag our South Dakota 3-bird individual limit by noon and cross over into Minnesota with those SoDak birds in the truck to chase Minnesota roosters till sundown?
To obtain the answers, I emailed the wildlife department of each state’s natural resources agency. Turns out, these questions aren’t asked very often. Easy to see why! And, yes, I’m probably over-estimating our expected success. However, I live by the “better safe, than sorry,” mantra. Anyway, here’s what I’ve found.
Pheasant possession limits are additive by the state licenses in your possession . . . mostly. The best guidance offered was to bag each bird individually with the hunter’s name, license number, the state harvested, and date. They also all reminded me that it’s important that each bird has the proper body parts left on for identification (wing, head and/or leg).
Although the burden of proving wrong-doing falls upon the state conservation officer, it’s pretty guilty looking for three guys to be in possession of a couple dozen birds in a cooler on Kansas’ opening day. Our Road Trip would certainly present trouble for a conservation officer that encounters our ugly mugs.
The solution may be to simply fire up the Smokey Joe each day and cook our harvest as we go. At least that will give us a few built-in recipe blog entries along the way.
The other recommendation given was for us to gift birds to folks in the state we’re hunting. For instance, in Minnesota the law requires the donor to write his/her name and address, along with the recipient’s name and address on the bag. The law also requires the donor to date the gift, including a description of the gift (number of birds and species), and the license number the animals were taken under.
The Pointer is written by Bob St.Pierre, Pheasants Forever’s Vice President of Marketing.
Rooster Road Trip – Nebraska Preview
Thursday, November 4th, 2010
Nebraska's CRP-MAP initiative opens private land to public hunting.
There’s little doubt that Nebraska is over-looked in the world of traveling bird hunters. Year in and year out, it makes the top five lists of pheasant and quail states. Throw prairie chickens into the mix and the “Cornhusker State” has more going for it than a resurgent college football program about to enter the Big Ten.
Chief among the state’s progressive habitat programs and partnerships is the CRP-MAP lands initiative. The Conservation Reserve Program – Managed Access Program opens private land enrolled in CRP and managed for wildlife to public hunting. During our visit to Nebraska, we’ll focus on these public CRP acres with the hopes of adding a few bobwhite quail covey flushes to our adventure.
I have fond memories of my only hunting visit to Nebraska in 2004. I bagged my first bobwhite on that trip and missed my first prairie chicken later that day. I also connected on one of my best shots ever during that visit as a rooster tried to escape at 80 yards. He tasted especially good next to a side of mashed potatoes. When the Rooster Road Trip visits Nebraska next Friday, it will be Anthony and Andrew’s first time afield in the state.
Nebraska Nuggets
- A non-resident small game license costs $81.00 plus a $20 Habitat Stamp equals a $101 total. The license is good through the end of the calendar year.
- The daily bag limit is 3 roosters and 6 bobwhites.
- Hunting opens daily 30 minutes prior to sunrise and closes at sunset all season.
- Nebraska has a little more than 1 million acres enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). More than 450,000 of those acres’ contracts are set to expire in the next three years.
- Pheasants Forever’s National Pheasant Fest 2011, the nation’s largest event for upland hunters, comes to the Qwest Center in Omaha, Nebraska on January 28-30, 2011.
Road Trip Recommendation
Boyt Gun Case: How many soft sided gun cases have you ripped with your barrel bead? I rip at least one every other year. I won’t guarantee that your bead won’t rip this case, but it’s about the perfect solution I’ve found merging quality and price.
The Pointer is written by Bob St.Pierre, Pheasants Forever’s Vice President of Marketing.
PF Bloggers
PF Press Releases- QF Press Releases
