# Advisory board meetings in VC



## KEN W (Feb 22, 2002)

I attended the GNF Advisory meeting last night in VC.The commissioner said....."The way it looks,the pheasants may have been in a train wreck."They won't know for sure how bad until they start taking spring crowing counts and later in the summer.....brood counts.

But it doesn't look good.I asked if they might be looking at reduced bag limits.And the commissioner said that could happen.The last time it was this bad was in 1997,The fall season bag limit was reduced to 2 per day and 6 in possession until Dec. 1.....then 3 and 12 the rest of the season.The following year it was 2 per day for the first 2 weeks.Then 3 per day.Done not for biological reason but to spread out the harvest amongst the hunters.

He also said there was a 15% drop in NR upland hunters as compared to 2007.2 reasons.....$4.00 a gal for gas and almost all the states around us had good pheasant hunting and people may have decided to hunt closer to home.


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## g/o (Jul 13, 2004)

This is no where near as bad as 97, if we have a half decent hatch things will be good.


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## nodak4life (Feb 19, 2007)

As Burgess Meredith once said,

"You can wish in one hand and @#!# in the other and see which one fills up first."

This winter took a toll on them and the 30% drop in crowing counts surveyed last year will be even lower this spring.


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## Rick Acker (Sep 26, 2002)

g/o said:


> This is no where near as bad as 97, if we have a half decent hatch things will be good.


 I agree!


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## Ron Gilmore (Jan 7, 2003)

One very different things from 97 to 08-09! Corn standing ! In regards to pheasants, there are areas that have had huge losses and areas where reasonable survival occurred. In my home area it is very evident that some areas are going to have birds and areas that had birds for a number of years now are going to see very few.
Plus the population levels and distribution is much broader today than in 97. However there is simply not the nesting habitat on the ground today that we had in 97!

Myself any survival of pheasants through the winter is a win period. The G&F made it clear that they are expecting a significant drop in population levels. Because of the drop, if limits are lowered it is not because of the idea of stock piling birds for a recovery. It is to share the opportunity for all.


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## KEN W (Feb 22, 2002)

Good point Ron.....he said because of the loss of CRP acres the recovery will not be as quick as it was in 97.


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## g/o (Jul 13, 2004)

> In my home area it is very evident that some areas are going to have birds and areas that had birds for a number of years now are going to see very few.
> Plus the population levels and distribution is much broader today than in 97. However there is simply not the nesting habitat on the ground today that we had in 97!


Ron, Yes to no ones surprise birds didn't make it in the expanded pheasant area. No one (except maybe you) ever really thought they would. However in the counties that the game and fish targeted originally for PLOTS the birds will be fine. Down a little but not that severe as 97. What you and your brothers at the game and fish fail to take into account on nesting habitat is the amount of no-till farming compared to 97. Yes we have lost some CRP yet we still have plenty to go around. The not till farming however has really taken off since 97. I'm sure you disagree Ron because that's not how it's done at Jud


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## KEN W (Feb 22, 2002)

Just stating what the GNF said at the meeting.Of course you probably know better than they do. :eyeroll: They said they THINK the pheasants took a big hit.But will not know until crow counts and brood surveys are taken.

No one said it was as bad as 97.Their biologists are the ones who said there is less habitat so recovery MAY not come as fast as 97.I guess they don't know as much as you do.


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## Ron Gilmore (Jan 7, 2003)

Not till farming was suppose to be the boom for waterfowl as well. The result of no till being a benefit is really when the fields are planted and when the birds nest. With the spring shaping up to be late, any advantage of no till is most likely going to be lost.

You continue to kick at the G&F because you do not like their position on baiting and commercial hunting.

The fact remains G/O population levels in all areas of the state are going to be down and in some areas significantly down for pheasants and as documented already for deer as well.

The fact that areas will lose all birds most likely is a loss of opportunity for the people in that area. Couple the winter kill with the loss of nesting cover due to CRP being turned into soybean and corn fields and the recovery or success of the birds that survived will be greatly diminished.


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## jhegg (May 29, 2004)

Ken,

g/o knows all - just ask him. btw Dan, I still like you.

Jim


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## g/o (Jul 13, 2004)

> You continue to kick at the G&F because you do not like their position on baiting and commercial hunting.


Again Ron you continue to show your ignorance, I disagree with the game and fish on baiting and so did many other people. I also disagree with them on the way they manage land. But Ron I have no ill feelings toward them actually we get along very well.

Let's see Jhegg lives in Fargo, Ron lives in Fargo, Kenn lives in Mapleton. Huh? I live in rural ND in the pheasant belt and drive the roads everyday. Your right you guy's see a lot more than I do.


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## Ron Gilmore (Jan 7, 2003)

G/O when was the last time you took a drive outside of your area other than the highways that lead to Bismarck?

See I have, I also am basing the concern for losses based on my contacts with farmers from Linton to Hankinson along 13 and from Steele to Fargo on both sides of 94!

I have driven much of my hunting area for waterfowl more than just a few times this winter.

My neighbor back home has the same point of view as you do. Since he drives the same roads every day into town for coffee, he assumes that since he sees deer every day along that route that none died. His tunnel vision or warped view of the overall conditions of the wildlife is skewed by his view of his own little world!!!!!


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## Ron Gilmore (Jan 7, 2003)

One other thing G/O I do believe as far as total number of birds that died this winter will surpass that of 97! I say this simply because we started the winter with a much higher population than we did back then. Hence since you are seeing more birds now than 97 might be simply because we had more to begin with!

But I would not know that being I am not living in the rural area currently.


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