Partridge in the yard

[Jiffy]

The majestic gut pile eaters are definitely around A LOT more than back in the day.

 

[Tymurrey]

I let some chukars go in the yard this year and dwindled down from 8 to 2 now. They are dumber than a box of rocks so it doesn't surprise me though. Don't know what is getting them, haven't seen tracks for coyotes or other predators and haven't seen any birds of prey. Had an owl earlier in the year and i'm pretty sure thats what got a few of my chickens. Left the guineas and ducks alone but would lose a chicken every other day or so it seemed.

 

[snow2]

I have same problem feed lots of everything and damn owls in late fall move in with hawks and fox move in to wish I could get rid of few of ones we can't like giving them free meal. Had over 20 plus roosters this morning feeding damn cold out I even put up small haybale fort for them to get out of weather or inside they not smartest.

Interesting about owls and hawks together on your place as they are enemies like yotes/wolves.

Good on you helping the critters our during these fridged times.

I get together with a few farm hands amlnd farmers that like to hunt,every year we get together late season to thin the rooster population as im told when food gets scarce mid winter rooster's kill off hen's i have never seen evidence of this just here say.

Makes for a fun hunt tho gettin together, heaven forbid missing a easy shot,you'll never live it down.

 

[NodakBob]

I dropped a goose a couple yards away a week ago…i was halfway to it when a bald eagle got em before me

 

[NodakBob]

I dropped a goose a couple yards away a week ago…i was halfway to it when a bald eagle got em before me

Couple hundred yards away…

 

[Davey Crockett]

I have same problem feed lots of everything and damn owls in late fall move in with hawks and fox move in to wish I could get rid of few of ones we can't like giving them free meal. Had over 20 plus roosters this morning feeding damn cold out I even put up small haybale fort for them to get out of weather or inside they not smartest.

The old timers used to say the reason there were so many pheasants when they were growing up is because of straw piles from threshing machines. The straw piles provided shelter and a winters supply of food.

 

[Tymurrey]

Interesting about owls and hawks together on your place as they are enemies like yotes/wolves.

Good on you helping the critters our during these fridged times.

I get together with a few farm hands amlnd farmers that like to hunt,every year we get together late season to thin the rooster population as im told when food gets scarce mid winter rooster's kill off hen's i have never seen evidence of this just here say.

Makes for a fun hunt tho gettin together, heaven forbid missing a easy shot,you'll never live it down.

I've never seen roosters kill a hen but have watched them run the hens off the food a lot and the hens look a lot thinner than the roosters in hard winters. I like to thin the roosters off the feed piles if the winter gets tough just to give the hens a break. Reminds me of how old does and bucks sometimes will chase fawns off of bait piles.

 

[Kurtr]

I've never seen roosters kill a hen but have watched them run the hens off the food a lot and the hens look a lot thinner than the roosters in hard winters. I like to thin the roosters off the feed piles if the winter gets tough just to give the hens a break. Reminds me of how old does and bucks sometimes will chase fawns off of bait piles.

They are just trying to keep the fawns from catching the cwd at the bait pile.

 

[guywhofishes]

They are just trying to keep the fawns from catching the cwd at the bait pile.

Aaaww.. animals are such good parents.

 

[wslayer]

The old timers used to say the reason there were so many pheasants when they were growing up is because of straw piles from threshing machines. The straw piles provided shelter and a winters supply of food.

Probably a lot of truth in that.

 

[1lessdog]

I remember the years of Soil bank and having lots of Pheasant in S.E. N.D. Then the spring if 1966 and that really thinned them down and Soil bank went back into production. The Pheasant never really came back till CRP showed up. Then the winter of 1996 and 1997 thinned them down again. We had nice winters till 2010. But after that they came back again till about 2015 and 2016 when we lost all the CRP to production. The Pheasant population will never come back unless CRP or Soil Bank shows back up

The old timers used to say the reason there were so many pheasants when they were growing up is because of straw piles from threshing machines. The straw piles provided shelter and a winters supply of food.

 

[bravo]

In the early 00-10s you could walk out a pretty easy limit of roosters without a dog within a 45 min drive from Fargo. That’ll probably never happen again.

As far as ruffies go, my old man and uncle still get them every year in the river drainages up there. They pretty much only exist where there’s young aspens and thick cover. They also stick to their favorite fallen logs until they rot away. The forest aging probably has more to do with them leaving than turkeys.

 

[bucksnbears]

Last 2 years, I've seen more huns around this area then the past 20 combined.
Huns take a shit kicking on those winters when snowy owls decend around here.