Hello from western SD

[qball]

Hello all. I live in drought stricken western South Dakota. I fly an intermewed GP tiercel...mostly at grouse and ducks when they are around. Hoping to be retired in a few years and keep the grouse busier than I have been able to do.

[qball]

Oops.
My name is John Lindstrom

[FredFogg]

to NAFEX John!

[xjturnerx]

About to move down the road from.

[Tanner]

Welcome John. I've spent some quality time up your way during merlin season. Do you hawk sage grouse in your location, sharptails for sure I'd guess?

[JRedig]

Hey...I know this guy...welcome John!! Let me know if you need help with anything around here.

You should throw up a few pics of your grouse feeding station just to make people drool a little...or have any of your old comics from the newsletter days floating around?

[Lowachi]

Oz? Is that you?? welcome to the get together!!

[Ross]

Welcome John, we've crossed paths at some MFA meets. I haven't hawked out west for a couple years, I'd like to see grouse pics to remind me what it's like out there.

[sharptail]

Welcome John!

[qball]

About to move down the road from.

Where abouts?

[qball]

Welcome John!

Hey Jeff...it's been a while. Hope you had a good season.

[qball]

Welcome John, we've crossed paths at some MFA meets. I haven't hawked out west for a couple years, I'd like to see grouse pics to remind me what it's like out there.

Hi Ross. Still trying to figure out how to do that.

[qball]

[QUOTE=Tanner;280097]Welcome John. I've spent some quality time up your way during merlin season. Do you hawk sage grouse in your location, sharptails for sure I'd guess?[/QUOTE

Hi Tanner. It's all sharptails here. Sage grouse are a few hours west.

[qball]

Oz? Is that you?? welcome to the get together!!

Howdy Rich...it's me.

[qball]

Hey...I know this guy...welcome John!! Let me know if you need help with anything around here.

You should throw up a few pics of your grouse feeding station just to make people drool a little...or have any of your old comics from the newsletter days floating around?

I'll try to do that. Still trying to figure out how to upload images and stuff. Looks like you've been tearing things up with your gos.

[JRedig]

I'll try to do that. Still trying to figure out how to upload images and stuff. Looks like you've been tearing things up with your gos.

We've been having fun for sure! PM incoming.

[Lowachi]

I'll try to do that. Still trying to figure out how to upload images and stuff. Looks like you've been tearing things up with your gos.

How to post photos here ya go Oz. just click on here.

[qball]

How to post photos here ya go Oz. just click on here.

Thanks Rich...it's past my bed time.

[qball]

[/IMG]

Ok Jeff...I really didn't go to bed yet. We'll see if my grouse feeder came through.
John

[calebstroh]

Very great hawking country up there. You're a lucky fella. Hope u treat us with pics this season and stories and birds, dogs, and quarry.

[qball]

[sharptail]

Hey Jeff...it's been a while. Hope you had a good season.

Thanks for the kind words. The season is still going on for me. This one has been short on water, grass and even shorter on grouse. The things that have been on the high side are Eagle numbers, mostly Balds and unusually high numbers of Cattle grazing in fields not usually used in winter. It seems that the Cattle market is very good again this year and the ranchers are 'gettin, while the gettin is good'. With a 3 year drought, it makes for some skinny Sharptail hawking.

[qball]

Thanks for the kind words. The season is still going on for me. This one has been short on water, grass and even shorter on grouse. The things that have been on the high side are Eagle numbers, mostly Balds and unusually high numbers of Cattle grazing in fields not usually used in winter. It seems that the Cattle market is very good again this year and the ranchers are 'gettin, while the gettin is good'. With a 3 year drought, it makes for some skinny Sharptail hawking.

Hi Jeff. Same conditions here...most areas look like a billiard table. Tons of eagles (mostly Balds) too. Good numbers of grouse but they have moved to ag areas where I've been unable to get permission. I didn't see a single grouse all year in one of my most consistent spots. Duck hawking was slim last fall and I've had some family issues that put hawking on the back burner so we never really got going this year. Tried to get started again after New Year but the stars didn't line up so I gave up. Bird is up for the molt and safe. Hoping for some big spring snows.

John

[Tanner]

It seems that the Cattle market is very good again this year and the ranchers are 'gettin, while the gettin is good'.

Same story here - very high cattle numbers despite a heavy drought. I guess it could be called 'gettin, while the gettin is good'....I call it the unstoppable rape of public land, but maybe Im just bitter.

[qball]

Same story here - very high cattle numbers despite a heavy drought. I guess it could be called 'gettin, while the gettin is good'....I call it the unstoppable rape of public land, but maybe Im just bitter.

Hi Tanner,

The grass will come back...it always does. Most of my rancher neighbors who let me hawk on their land have had to sell off over half their herds. This is how it was when we moved to SD 10 years ago...I thought it was normal for the grass to be that short in the winter. Now I've seen the good years...so I know it will be back. The grouse in my area haven't seemed to suffer by it so far but thankfully it has been very mild. The bunch I feed have the same numbers as we had in the fall so I assume low mortality. They are my seed stock for next year.

John

[Tanner]

Up there in that lovely prairie country, I'm sure that the grass comes back! Here it does not. When the native grasses are grazed to the nub and the rain does not come, what is left behind is sand. What follows is creosote bush (invasive). In fact, it is impossible to remove creosote and mesquite and re-grow native grasses here after the fact. That's why there are no large tracts of yucca grasslands left in NM (except on White Sands missle range) and in turn, that is why there are no aplomados here anymore (despite intense reintroduction efforts).

Rant over!

[Dakota]

Hey John, the forum will love your expertise, I still use the trooper with the rainbow fuzz tail you reccomended. I am about three hours east of you.

[qball]

Hey John, the forum will love your expertise, I still use the trooper with the rainbow fuzz tail you reccomended. I am about three hours east of you.

Hi Forrest. Ill have to check out the kite threads. I'm guessing you have similar conditions out your way with the drought. Chickens handling it OK?
Hope you had a good season...mine never really got going...not for lack of trying.

[qball]

Hey John, the forum will love your expertise, I still use the trooper with the rainbow fuzz tail you reccomended. I am about three hours east of you.

How has your parachute rig been working?
John

[Dakota]

I lost my Jerkin in Oct. so my season turned to sh*t. I have come to the conclusion that the kite, at least in South Dakota, needs to be a secondary training tool. You miss way to many days of conditions being just not right. From now on I will make the falcon to the kite but pigion training will be my main course of action, with the kite only when conditions are right. I like the exercise it gives the falcon and can be a great way to get a high serve. My parachute works well, I lost one from not getting to it fast enough. I buy 18" chutes, tye dye to find easily.

[Dakota]

Also, yes the drought has made a change, my main lek is far away from water and so was pretty much abandoned. I now have a mixed flock of chickens and Sharptails feeding in a wheat stubble near a natural spring.

[qball]

I lost my Jerkin in Oct. so my season turned to sh*t. I have come to the conclusion that the kite, at least in South Dakota, needs to be a secondary training tool. You miss way to many days of conditions being just not right. From now on I will make the falcon to the kite but pigion training will be my main course of action, with the kite only when conditions are right. I like the exercise it gives the falcon and can be a great way to get a high serve. My parachute works well, I lost one from not getting to it fast enough. I buy 18" chutes, tye dye to find easily.

Forrest,
Sorry to hear about your jerkin. Hope you have another prospect in line for next season.
I have he same problem with fall kiting...often little or no wind in the morning, or if there is any, it only goes up to about 300'. Last season I started flying in the afternoons if the temp was below 80 degrees. Even with very light wind on the surface, there was usually enough to get the kite up as the upper winds were usually steady and stronger. I use a Clipper for those conditions.I have a balloon but don't use it any more but it is a nice option for those calm cool mornings. Luckily Sterling will usually be up to 1000' in 4-5 sessions after the molt so it's not a long term problem.