This is the 2024 pheasant hunting recap covering the entire season. It includes the usual statistics, highlights and a video.
Factors Affecting the Season
This was definitely one of the toughest seasons we have had. Almost across the board this season ranked second worst season out of the last 5, for which I have statistics.
There were several factors that made things tough. Anyone of them could account for most of the challenges but when everything was factored in it is easy to see why this year was a struggle.
It is imprtant to note that even with the challenges, we were still able to get out, we saw birds and we harvested some birds. We were fortunate to be able to get out at all.
Bird Population
The 2023-2024 winter was extremely mild. As a result a higher percentage of adult birds survived. This was good because we had a wet spring. Nesting success was considered poor.
The late summer roadside surveys showed numbers well below last year but not as bad as it has been. However, the surveys for areas that we hunt were significantly lower than previous years. What we saw in the field aligned with the surveys. (Minnesota Survey, Iowa Survey)
Health
For me personally, this was a very difficult year. In 2023, I had a very good season on my newly replaced right hip. My left hip made it through the end of the 2023 season but was failing. So in January, 2024 I had my left hip replaced. This was done by a different surgeon, with a slightly different procedure on my weak side.
The recovery on my right hip had gone really well and I was playing pickle ball in 7 weeks. The recovery for my left hip was much harder. It took 9 months to get back to 75-80% function, which was the start of the season.
To make it worse, my left knee, which was already bad, got much worse during the recovery. Between my left hip and left knee I physically struggled the entire 2024 season. For comparison purposes, I walked 166 miles in the 2023 season and only 100 in 2024. (Note: I replaced my left knee one week after the season ended.)
Bill was also struggling with back and neck issues that impacted how often he could get out and for how long. Kevin, being a marathoner, was healthy all season.
Weather
The weather was by far the biggest challenges. As noted above, the spring rains impacted nesting. The rain did help the cover, which was the best I have seen in several years.
Starting in late summer we had drought conditions again. The majority of the farmers in Minnesota and Iowa took advantage of the dry weather and got their harvests done well before the season opened. The downside for us is that the early harvest concentrates the birds. When the season opens the harvest is high. That is good for the people that only hunt the first couple of weekends but hurts those of us who hunt all season.
In addition to the dry conditions it was also too warm. I will not risk my dogs in 60 degree temps. They dehydrate too quickly, regardless of how much water I provide. So we were only hunting on days when it was cool enough and then for shorter time periods. Eventually it cooled off and we had a couple weeks of good temperatures before it turned really cold.
Over the holidays we had extreme cold, strong winds and precipitation. For the first time in over 5 years I did not even go out for a week.
Miles Walked and Trip Counts
My miles walked ended up being the second worst out of the last 5 years. The worst year was 2022 when my right hip was failing.
The trip counts reflect the weather impact. We start out slow, around mid season we start to catch up to previous years and then drop off as the season ends. This correlates with the weather.
Birds Seen and Harvested
Early season we saw a lot of birds, usually at a distance. For some reason, the birds were acting like late season birds and flushing early. As the season progressed we were not seeing many birds.
Seeing and shooting are two different things. Early season we saw a lot of birds but had few shooting opportunities. Late season, we saw a lot fewer birds but the birds we did see were close enough to get a shot. On the last day of the season we had a phenomenal day when we had a two man limit in three hours.
Video
This is the final video for the 2024 season. I tried to include most of the harvested birds, some significant misses plus a clip of hen that was especially interesting. It is a longer video without any voice overs but all action.
Lessons Learned
After every trip, we talk about any lessons we may have learned. I record these in my trip reports. Here are some of the most significant:
- Double check the GoPro view to make sure it is capturing the right view.
- When taking a dog out of their crate put GPS collar on immediately. I did not do this with Willow and she decided we were taking too long to get ready and started hunting without us.
- Waterproof boots and pants before the season starts.
- Carry a spare battery for the GPS collar handheld.
- Carry enough batteries and a spare SD card for the GoPro.
- If there are adjacent crop fields, watch for birds flying back into cover late in the day.
- Do not hunt an area that someone else just hunted.
- Birds are really jumpy when the winds are really strong.
- Late season birds were in shorter standing grass, using it as thermal cover.
- Use GoPro “Capture” commands.
- Never give up.
Summary
This has been the 2024 pheasant hunting recap. While it was a tough year in terms of bird counts and my physical abilities, we still enjoyed the time. Stella in particular was not happy that the season ended.
I am looking forward to the 2025 season. Assuming I work hard rehabbing my knee it should be a good year.
