By Harold Brutlag
I didn’t hear and reports of frost Monday morning, but the Buffalo area had some readings of 32 degrees so it may happen soon, but Mpls. says not for the next 10 days in the metro area. I’m not in any hurry and I’d like to see Indian Summer first. That would help dry out the leaves in my backyard so I could start composting them.
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The pheasant opener was Saturday and Dale Decker said their group of five hunter, Kip and Bill Blizil, Todd Malachek, and a buddy of Dale’s from Big Lake, who hunted the western side of the state near Morris and harvested limits of birds by 2:00 p.m. the first day and were one short on Sunday when they decided to hang it up. Bill Blizil had his two birds by 9:30 a.m. (it opened at 9 a.m.).
Dale said he was surprised there weren’t more hunters out, but felt the wet weather may have made cut some of the opening day enthusiasm. He commented some of the public land they normally hunted had been grazed and didn’t hold birds. They found areas along drainage ditches good and not too wet. He hunted in regular hunting boots most of the time and said most of the birds were adults and showed lots of color. He also said there seemed to be lots of hen which he felt is a good sign. The cool weather was great for the dogs as well as the hunters, he commented. His two brothers were hunting in separate parties with excellent results.
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I watched a program on TV Saturday which featured two South Dakota hunters who worked for that states conservation department. They were hunting only public land in the Heron area with two dogs and a camera man. Having hunted that area I was impressed with the number of birds they put up and I suspect they had good dogs which they showed them retrieving very well.