In Kevin Vang wrote:
I think I'll hold off before I pencil anything on the calendar
this year though. We have had several very good years for
pheasant, but this winter has been so cold and snowy that
I am afraid for the populations. Hopefully when the
biologists start the spring census, the news won't be as
bad as I fear it will be.

Judging from the number of splattered birds in the ditch
from the lake south, and the number of live birds seen picking
grit in the same area, it *looks* like they made it through
the winter OK. What will be worse, from a reproductive
standpoint, would be a long, cold, wet spring that would
take a lot of the young of the year out.

*We* got a lot of snow, but there was rather less from
the lake south, so perhaps not a *huge* impact to the population.
The hunting in the fall may be better than the fishing if the
lake continues to fall like it has. :-(

Todd (remove hook to reply)