Although there seems to be less hunters coming to the area seeking to bag the much-sought after ringneck pheasant, those who are here are bagging birds but working harder at it, according to local officials.
The much-publicized drought and the effects of the hot, dry weather have had an impact on the opening weekend of hunting season, from the lack of cover for the birds, to concentration of the birds near water sources.
Area business owners said they could tell the number of hunters in the area was down from last year and according to one hotel owner, on a weekend that they normally turn people away, there were rooms available.
Connie Frailing, who with her husband Tim, operate Bridge City Bait in Mobridge, said the birds were "pretty wild" according to the hunters that gathered at the store, but most seemed to do fairly well."They (the hunters) are saying that the birds seem a little smarter this year," she laughed.
"Those with dogs did better than the others. They said there were a lot of birds out there, but they were having a hard time flushing them."
I went hunting yesterday at Dakota Black Goose by Arlington and the hunting wasn't too bad. It was six of us with three dogs, so we had quite an advantage. But overall it wasn't too hard to kick up birds. It was the shooting that needed improvement, not our flushing skills. Time to dig out my pheasant recipes and decide what to do with them.
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