Tag Archives: Hunting

Saving the tundra by controlling snow geese

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Some of you may have seen today’s article about snow goose populations in North America in The Daily Republic. While light goose overpopulation certainly isn’t a new problem as a conservation has been in place since 1999 it is one that continues to destroy huge sections of the tundra in Northern Canada.

I want to hear from you on how you did hunting this year. I was out of town the prime week to hunt these devils, but what I heard from friends is hunting was very difficult this year. Because of the lack of snow line birds weren’t sticking in one place long enough to pattern. A friend of fine set out 2000 full bodies, complete with vortex machines and kites….they didn’t get one goose that day.

I am hoping some of your may have had better luck.

Hit up the comments sections below to tell me how you did hunting the sky carp this year.

Firearms deer season in full swing

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As most of you know, rifle season for eastern South Dakota deer opened up last weekend. My father, brother and I did some hunting around Iroquois and found some good success. My dad took a warrior of a buck that was missing one eye from fighting.  Strange thing is he shot it out of a layout blind ussally used to waterfowl hunt. Because of good scouting, and the use to trail cameras he knew where and when his best chance to harvest a buck would be and put his layout blind near that area. The blind concealed his position and scent perfectly.  The buck came within 30 yards of the blind. He popped out and shot it. Going through trail cam pictures we found the buck he shot, in a photo from two weeks earlier.  It still have both eyes at that point.

My brother also took a nice buck with heavy mass throughout his rack. The two kickers on the left side make it a 5 by 7.  Carefully glassing through binos, he found his buck bedded down on a fence line and throughout the course of a half hour was able to sneak close to get in position for a shot.

 

My brother’s nice whitetail

I on the other hand didn’t see to much. And wow was it cold, raging wind and sleet the first morning, and temperatures that hit negative 16 when I got out to hunt the second morning.  Could have shot a couple does, heck could have about tackled one while laying in a field Sunday. But so goes hunting, I will try to put some meat in the freezer again this weekend.

I want to see if you had success from the weekend. Submit your photos to Northland Outdoors Trophy Room (http://www.northlandoutdoors.com/pages/submit_photo) and send me an email (chuber@mitchellrepublic.com ) with your story on how you harvested your deer. You may see you photo in the print edition of The Daily Republic or on this blog.

Mountain lion quota increased

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Mountain Lion quotas for the 2012 season have been increased to 70 lions or 50 females after GF&P commissioners voted on the issue last week. Wildlife division recommendations for the season were 60-40.

Last years quotas were 45 total and 30 females. With an extra 10 lions being able to be killed in Custer State Park.

For 2012 lions killed in Custer state park will go towards the quota.

One of the main factors for increasing the quota was the increased mt. lions population and it’s effect on Black Hills deer and elk herds in recent years. Last year biologists conducted a study that radio collared 30 elk calves in Custer State Park.  Fourteen of the 30 are known to have been killed by lions and another died from an undetermined predator. 

Population models by GFP in 2010 estimate there are 223 lions in the Black Hills.  A figure that is down 10 percent from the year before.  A GFP commissioner said 98 lions were known to have died either through hunting or other causes this year.

GFP officials want mountain lion population to be between 150-200 lions in the hills.

I want your thoughts on the increased quotas.  If GFP population models are correct the new quotas will call to eliminate over 30 percent of the population. Is that too much or too little? Let me know by commenting on the blog.

 

Duck Season Opens

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Hopefuly I see this guy this weekend (Chris Huber/Republic)

One of my favorite times of the year begin tomorrow morning (Sept. 24). Duck season will open up for much of Eastern South Dakota.  Daily limit is six ducks and can be comprised of no more of following.

  • 5 Mallards, which may include no more than 2 hens
  • 3 Wood Ducks
  • 2 Scaup
  • 2 Redheads
  • 2 Pintail
  • 1 Canvasback

Mergansers: 5 (including no more than 2 hooded merganser)

Coots: 15

Shooting time is one half hour before sunrise to sunset. Good luck and have fun.  Send your photos from the weekend to chuber@mitchellrepublic.com to be published on the blog and possible publication in The Daily Republic.

 

Mourning Dove season

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For those hunters wanting a new challenge – try out Mourning Doves.  The season opens tomorrow (September 1st) for this fast acrobatic birds.

Most hunting strategies include waiting at a small stock dam at sunrise or dusk and pass shoot as the birds come to drink or back to field to eat.  If you have access to a sunflower field these birds love to cluster here.

If you are really serious get yourself of dove decoys (http://www.cabelas.com/product/Mojo-Outdoors-4-Pack-Dove/709178.uts?Ntk=AllProducts&searchPath=%2Fcatalog%2Fsearch.cmd%3Fform_state%3DsearchForm%26N%3D0%26fsch%3Dtrue%26Ntk%3DAllProducts%26Ntt%3Ddove%2Bdecoys%26WTz_l%3DHeader%253BSearch-All%2BProducts&Ntt=dove+decoys&WTz_l=Header%3BSearch-All+Products)  to clip on a fence or small branch and wait. 

Hunt these birds while you can because as soon as there is frost on the ground they will be gone.

Season Dates: Sept. 1, 2011 – Nov. 9, 2011
Open Area: Statewide
Daily Limit: 15
Possession Limit: 30

August Goose Management Take

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Here is a link to my story about the August Goose Management Take. http://www.mitchellrepublic.com/event/article/id/55843/

There are a few points I really want to drive home about the season.

  • First off, when talked with the GF&P I found it astonishing that there are 227,000 resident Canada geese in South Dakota but they feel that number should be only 80 or 90k . With those numbers hunters could kill half the geese in South Dakota and we would still be over populated. South Dakota creates a near perfect habitat for geese with abundant water and food sources the population could grow to become even larger.  Kudos to SD GFP for taking this progressive and visionary approach lets hope it pays off.
  • If you aren’t going to eat all the geese you shoot please donate them. Luke and I did this after Saturday’s hunt and the whole process took 3 minutes.  At Mitchell Locker you drop them in a backroom, go upfront and fill out a one side piece of paper. We were the first ones to try the donation system at that locker but hopfully not the last.
  • If you have time and like to hunt get out there and help control the population. Access on farmers land is generally pretty easy to get during goose season because most farmers see them as an animal who eats their crops.

Did you go out goose hunting this weekend?  If so let me know how you did by commenting on the blog.

 

Mt. Lion travels 1,600 miles

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Most of you have more than likely seen the article (http://www.mitchellrepublic.com/event/apArticle/id/D9ONK6S80/ ) about the Mt. Lion with South Dakota origins making it to Conn. before being run over by a vehicle.

It seems to me these large felines are beginning to range farther east.

Whether it be cat killed near Colman, SD last year or the one killed near Marty a few months ago the prevalence of these large cat’s making their way to Eastern South Dakota and beyond is seemingly becoming more likely. (Who knows maybe they are tired of getting shot at over there in the hills.)

I want to know your experience with large cats?  Have you ever seen one in the wild? Tell me your experience and where you saw it.

I grew up in the Black Hills and spent an large amount of time hiking forests and hunting out there but I never saw one of these cats in the wild.  I have seen tons fresh tracks, kills, and scat to let me know they are very present however.

Second batch of trail cam photos

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I headed out to my local tree strip last weekend to switch cards on my trail cam and found some good photos. I captured around 20 different deer this time using the “whitetail highway” where our cam was sitting. This included what looks to be  two nice bucks traveling together.  Here are some of my favorites.

As always send your outdoors photos( trail cam and otherwise) to chuber@mitchellrepublic.com to be featured on the blog.

First trail camera photos of the season

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After about a week of having the trail camera up on a tree strip my family plans to archery hunt this year I went out this weekend and checked what we got.  The answer, not much yet.  One doe and a few raccoons.  We know there are deer using this strip, in fact buck was bumped out when we were putting in the cam it is just a matter of time before we get them on camera.

How about you? do you have your camera up? If so send me some of your best pics from this season (chuber@mitchellrepublic.com) and I will post some on the blog

S.D. elk tag draw

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Everyone check your emails.  Game Fish and Parks sent out email this morning with the results of the Black Hills Elk and the Custer State Park Elk license draw. 

I unfortunately did not draw this year but let me know by commenting on this blog if you did.  What unit did you get? Is this your first time drawing a South Dakota elk tag?  If you did not get one do you plan on applying on a second draw for a cow tag?

My back up plan hopefully includes a second draw try at a cow tag and black hills deer.