16 Mar Season Wrap UpStaff of MAHA,
Thank you so much for another great year of hunting. Given the continuing (and even worsening) drought in Kansas last fall, I know it was a challenging year to maintain the land quality in the western part of our hunting range that we members have grown accustomed to. I’m predominantly an upland hunter so it was disappointing to see several properties with severely stunted CRP growth this year that in the past have been solid bird producers. Although the moisture we’ve gotten in the form of freezing rain these past several weeks may take a toll on the immediate bird population, maybe it also signals the end of the drought. That bodes well for our farmer-partners, the habitat and game conservation in the long run.
It was also a challenging year for our hunting party of three. TJ of Plum Creek, our six year old Wirehaired Pointing Griffon, had to tolerate the arrival of a pesty Griffon puppy in July. Actually Berkano of Hundgaard (aka Berk) arrived at our home accompanied by three of her whiskered sisters. As a member of a Griffon breeding club I was transporting the three extra Griffs for the first leg of their journey to new homes further west. So these four yowling and nipping puppies descended on TJ that day and immediately set about chasing her around HER yard, chewing on HER belongings and (heaven forbid) even pooping in HER yard. Within an hour, she had gathered all HER toys and bones into a pile in the far corner of the back yard where she guarded them aggressively (to say the least). As those of us who have younger siblings know full well: getting dethroned sucks.
I tried to make it through one more hunting season on a wobbly knee, a decision which resulted in me literally crawling my way through the end of the early prairie chicken season and (with surgeons’ schedules being what they are), ended up going under the knife on opening day of Kansas pheasant season. What a revolting development for an obsessed rooster hunter.
To top it all off, Berk came up lame in early October and after a month of tests and pain killers was finally diagnosed with bi-lateral osteochondrosis dessicans in her shoulders. She had arthroscopy surgery during the second week of pheasant season to remove excessive cartilage in those joints and had to be crate restricted for 6 weeks. Another revolting development.
Well, we (literally) limped through the early part of the regular season but came on strong down the stretch. TJ seems to have accepted (albeit begrudgingly) Berk’s annoying existence. Berk got vet approval to hunt the final three weeks of January and did a beautiful job on some late season roosters (see included pictures of a snowy hunt). And I healed up enough to attempt to keep up with my dogs…a feat that gets more challenging with each passing year.
One of the things I like best about this club is its mission to provide hunting lands for the single on-foot hunter. That structure puts most of us members in our vehicles alone cruising the properties. While I enjoy my own company immensely and my dogs seem to tolerate me pretty well for the most part, it is sometimes a treat to see and visit with other hunters. The staff of MAHA has done a great job in recruiting some really delightful characters. While out hunting this year we renewed old acquaintances and made some new ones. We had a chance to visit, joke and hunt ducks with long time MAHA-members Ben and Robin from Florida. These two are masters of the practical joke. This year we also met their wives and learned “the rest of the story.” Since Ben and Robin don’t get out much for upland birds, I offered “the wives” a few pheasants one day when Ben and Robin were off doing their thing. I learned later that the women had convinced Ben and Robin that they had taken their husbands’ prize firearms, gone hunting and collected the roosters on their own. Putting one over on Ben and Robin would be difficult, but oh so satisfying and heartwarming. My best to them all and especially to Ben who is struggling with some health problems.
We also met a new member (Terry) on one of our pheasant hunts. He is the first upland hunter I’ve heard of who hunts pheasants by choice with a beagle. Terry is one of those lanky, long-legged men who literally glides across the terrain; heck, he has to be to keep up with a beagle on running roosters. He is also a man with world-wide hunting experiences and a knack for telling stories about those hunts.
I also had occasion to meet one of the club’s long time landowners. We had a nice visit about farm machinery, ethanol and the price of corn as well as some of the conservation practices he uses on his land. It was truly delightful to hear about life on his side of the fence.
So again, thank you all for all you do so well. The Hunting Pack looks forward to another season with this great club.
Charles, TJ and Berk
For the rest of us Charles and crew has had a long string of seasonal success and great pictures that we all have enjoyed. Have a read of more of his accounts. Thanks Charles we look forward to your seasonal letters and great pictures, good look on all counts.
14 Mar CRPThere are indicators of change to come. A quote from the Beatrice Daily Sun newspaper, state news from AP, "High corn price tempers interest in conservation acreage", By Roxana Hegeman, March 13, 2007 (Web link went down to the newspaper's removal of the article from their website)
"Kansas farmers had 1.6 million acres whose contracts were due to run out between now and 2010, and re-enrolled about 1.4 million of them, said Rod Winkler, FSA program specialist. But those newly released figures reflect decisions farmers made last year before commodity prices soared, Winkler said. Interest in withdrawing some CRP acres early has been growing as corn prices have nearly doubled."
While the quote above paints a dim future there is more to the CRP issue that appears to leave in place much standing CRP acreage provided the USDA does not change regulations and restrictions on withdrawal from current participation.
Last HuntJon, This picture is from January 30th, my first and only pheasant hunt of the season. A great way to end the year and a special contentment watching my dog go in one day from pushing the pheasants too hard to slowly stalking before the point. Jason
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