Weather conditions bode well for fans of game birds

Game bird production has been excellent, at least here in central Minnesota, from what I can tell from my late-spring and early summer forays afield.

The placid winter left birds in a healthy condition. That and the mostly normal temperatures during late May and early June (peak hatching time) are likely prime contributors to successful hatches.

We have had some tremendous storms with some areas receiving more than 10 inches of precipitation in a two-week period, but those rains fell mostly on game birds old enough to survive. Newly hatched birds are very susceptible to hypothermia when wet and cold weather prevail.

The numerous broods of wild turkeys have been notable. It seems I can't go anywhere without crossing paths with hen turkeys and their large broods in tow, sometimes eight or more. Female turkeys and their offspring often gather together this time of the year, and I have witnessed three or four hens together guiding more poults than I can count.

Turkey families have been especially visible in the early morning along the hayfield edges because they don't like to get their feathers wet in the dew. Even with a slight breeze, short vegetation dries faster.

Central Minnesota is not a notable duck production area, but broods of mallards, blue-winged teal and wood ducks appear to have fared well. There are large broods out there. The recent heavy rainfall has filled ponds and creeks, making for favorable brood-rearing habitat. Insect hatches are critical to the survival of young waterfowl, and the numbers of bloodsucking mosquitoes is, well, scary.

Canada geese appear to have flourished this spring, too. Almost any suitable wetland supports a brood or two of the big waterfowl. Goslings are less dependent on insects for food; they devour grasses and other vegetation and do well even when conditions are not ideal for other young birds.

I know Minnesotans have a love-hate relationship with Canada geese because of their messy droppings on lakeshore docks and, well, everywhere. That said, the great outdoors would not be the same without skeins of geese flying overhead, announcing to the world below that all is well. Their insistent calling is a near equivalent of coyotes howling or loons hollering — all audio delights.

What I haven't seen this summer is a brood of ruffed grouse despite the state Department of Natural Resources spring drumming counts that show an increase of 18 percent. Female grouse with young are secretive, so my lack of sightings is not all that unusual.

"I've heard reports from wildlife managers from the Park Rapids area to Cloquet who have been seeing large broods of ruffed grouse," said Ted Dick, DNR forest game bird coordinator.

"The critical period of ruffed grouse hatching (late May, early June) was relatively warm and dry," said Dick. "The rains came later after the broods should have matured enough to endure."

I can't comment on how the pheasant broods have fared because Brainerd is out of Minnesota's main pheasant belt. However, a friend and die-hard pheasant hunter recently spent some time in North Dakota and said he has never seen as many pheasant broods as he has encountered this summer.

The DNR will conduct roadside pheasant counts later this month.

Bill Marchel is an outdoors photographer and writer. He lives near Brainerd. Reach him at bill@billmarchel.com.