Pre-Season Hunting Report

The upland opener is just around the corner and with that comes my least favorite time of the year, fielding questions about how things are looking for the upcoming season. All of our guides are year round hunting/fishing guides and so this is when most of us are wrapping up our fishing season and rushing to get our hunting gear sorted out and putting the finishing touches on hunting camp. In other words we are extremely busy.

Headlines grab a lot of attention, this year is no exception. The reality is there is no such thing as a perfect year. In 2018 we had a lot of grass but no birds in 2019 we had a lot of spring moisture but no grasshoppers in 2020 we had great conditions but bad weather for a large portion of our season. 2021 has the most birds we’ve seen since 2016 but little cover. In other words, that’s hunting. With every obstacle there is a silver lining. Great cover makes it harder to locate birds but they tend to hold better, lots of grasshoppers eat all the cover but lead to strong hatches. What really impacts your hunt more than anything is the day to day weather. Sharptail/Huns don’t hold well in rough weather, while Pheasants do the opposite.

We can have a perfect outlook and then get three days of 40 mile per hour winds and rain which would make for a poor hunt. We could also have a poor outlook and perfect weather which makes for a fantastic hunt. I have learned over the years that we can’t control the weather or how the birds behave but we can control the quality of our hunt and the experience that we provide. Therefore I do not spend my time worrying about the forecast or trying to speculate at pre-season bird counts. Instead we are training dogs, working with landowners, and finding ways to make our camp nicer each year.

As a hunter you can also focus on the things that you can control. Shooting some extra rounds at the sporting clays course, breaking in those new boots, and taking the dog for an extra run or two. Those are some surefire ways to improve your hunt no matter the conditions.

If you really want an up to date honest report on what to expect during your hunt, ask us at dinner the first night in camp. That’s when we will have a real idea on bird numbers and how the upcoming weather will impact your hunt. Until then we will be doing everything we can to make sure that your hunt is the very best that it can be!

Best, Anthony.