Worth the Wait??

We took advantage of the nice weather Friday evening and caught a few bass from the pond at K&M.  We first stocked the pond in May of 2009, with 28, 6-10 inch largemouth bass and 100 hybrid bluegills.  The bass have done very well, and we finally decided to start taking some fish from the pond for consumption.  We took mainly fish in the 8-12 inch range, but the fishing was hampered a bit by the thunder and lightning that was approaching.  The rain really never came, but we did manage to keep nine fish.  We caught several others that were either too small, or too large.  Once again, Marlys caught the largest fish which was thrown back before we could snap a picture or two.  I'm guessing it was in the 18-inch range, and approximately 4-5 pounds.  

The bluegill have been more elusive, but some have reached a decent size.  Claire kissed this one goodbye before she threw him back in the water.  We have supplemented the pond with additional bluegill stockings in the past, but they seem to have trouble escaping the hungry bass.  This is isn't all bad since we really don't want a high, stunted population of bluegills.  We'll continue to tweak our put-and-take, and try to grow more and bigger bass and bluegills.  For the most part it provides a great opportunity for the kids (and the adults) to catch a lot of fish for some exciting action

Of course, the best part is eating what we caught.  It went over very well, as Kate, Claire, Kellen, and Jack all ate their share.  I'm sure we'll do it again, and if things go well maybe save a little for that Friday night feed before the opener.

Other than that, things have been pretty quiet.  Corn planting will most likely begin this week.  Some rain would be nice, but not much we can do about that.  As long as the avian and canine influenza's that have been hitting certain parts of the country stay at bay, we'll be happy.  With the dry, mild weather things are ahead of schedule, so all we need now is some timely precipitation.  I'm sure Mother Nature will provide and we'll all be singing her praises this fall... we can hope.

Spring has Sprung

The weather has definitely turned Spring-like and even more like Summer on a couple of occasions.  That has allowed me to get some early spring wheat planting done, and begin prepping for the upcoming planting season.  We could use some moisture now, but with no rain or snow in the forecast, we can only hope for those April showers.  In South Dakota that doesn't necessarily mean rain, but snow, and we'll take what we can get.  At the beginning of the month Brandon was able to participate in a coyote calling contest, and was able to call in and kill three coyotes over two days. The weather conditions were not the best, but he did manage to put a small dent in the population and secure second place in the contest.

Other than that, we've been watching a lot of wrestling.  Cordie and Marlys just returned from St. Louis after their inaugural trip to the NCAA Division I wrestling tournament.  It was a great experience, and they definitely plan on making a return trip at some point.  On the home front, Kellen managed to scrape out a third place finish at the Regional tournament in Pierre, which is good enough to earn him a spot in the State tournament in Brookings this weekend, March 28-29.  We were all very proud of his effort and performance in a tough bracket and tournament.

In Like a Lion?

March is here, but winter seems to be hanging on.  I spent a little time in the country this morning.  It was cold, nearly -10, but the sun was warming the earth quickly, and had the birds out and about enjoying the brightness.  Tomorrow, and the next several days look good, with 50-60 degrees forecasted.  We'll be looking forward to it and so will the birds I'm sure.  All in all, the winter has been fairly mild with a few minor stretches of frigid temps and blizzard like conditions, but we've had several January and February thaws.  It won't be long and these snow showers will turn into rain showers and the hens in this picture will be looking for a place to lay a few eggs.

Everything else has been nearly as quiet as the weather, at least in central South Dakota.  We've had some issues with our website lately, and have changed the domain name.  This has been quite a pain in the butt, since we had email addresses attached to it.  So, if you've sent me anything recently, I apologize if I did not respond or if you got a message that said undeliverable.  Our new domain is www.thesnakedenlodge.com.  We'll be making some minor changes, but things will be pretty much staying the same on the website.  If there's something additional that you would like to see, feel free to send me a note.  The old site is still up, so don't be surprised if you come across it.  The old one is just that- old and outdated.  Feel free to check out the new site and "like" us on Facebook if you haven't done so already.  Cordie can be reached by email at schlomer@kennebectelephone.com, and Casey at casey@thesnakedenlodge.com.

Other than that, we've been busy wrestling.  We attended the State High School tournament this past weekend and Kellen will wrestle at his District tournament this weekend.  The top eight will move on to the Region tournament next weekend, and then the top three will wrestle at the State tournament at the end of the month.  Jack has been wrestling also, but has decided to stick to practice for the time being.  He's got plenty of time considering he'll just turn five this month.  I'll do my best to keep you updated.  In addition, Stacie and Mark announced that they'll be adding another grandchild to the mix.  Stacie is due in September, so just in time to show him/her off during the hunting season.  

Steady in Jerks

This storm ended a pretty good run in the month of May.  The month had started out slow, with nearly six inches of rain the first two weeks.  Soon enough things began to dry out and it was time to go to work.  I finally started planting corn on the 20th of May.  Last year I was done planting corn on the 14th of May for comparison.  Although the two years have started off a little different, they are beginning to look very similar.  We went right from corn into milo, and after a few hiccups the milo planting was finished Thursday evening the 29th.  Last year, I didn't get an acre of milo planted until June 5th, so we are ahead of the game so to speak. After some spraying and an attempt to finish some discing to knock out some ruts from last year's harvest, the streak of dry weather ran out.  It rained Friday night, and then off and on for the rest of the weekend.  I dumped out 2.40" of rain from the gauge near the preserve.  We had another rain day on Tuesday and then caught a pretty good shower last night again.  I'm sure we're sitting somewhere near 3.5-4 inches of precipitation depending on the location since the weekend.  We've got food plots and sunflowers left to plant, the good news is, the cover looks great, and the hens have been busy nesting and should begin hatching chicks within the next week or so. 

Although I've been busy running from tractor to tractor and swapping out the planter for the sprayer, I have had a chance to snap a few pics while being out and about.  I found this badger one morning as I headed to the planter.  I think she may have a couple young ones in this den because she's kept it pretty cleaned out, and been there for several days.  I've caught her out and about a couple times going to and from the field, but she seems fairly undisturbed unless you get too close.  A few growls and hissing was enough to send me back to my pickup after peeking into the hole.

 I happened to come across this nest as I jumped out of the tractor to check on my sprayer.  I noticed a hen sneaking away only a few feet from me, and then found the nest tucked into the laid over vegetation.  There are 13 pheasant eggs and a duck egg.  Once it dries out enough and I can get back down to where I found this I will see how she's doing.  The hen didn't go far and as soon as I moved my equipment she made her way back to the nest.  Speaking of ducks, I happened to come across two nests of theirs while planting and spraying also.  There are plenty in the country and the weather that we've had the past couple of weeks has been excellent for nesting, producing cover, and raising lots of bugs for those chicks to eat once they hatch.  We should begin to see chicks soon, but will have a better idea of how things are shaping as we near the end of June.

Cordie has finished pouring "spring" bins and is moving onto other projects.  Things will remain busy the next month or so, and then we should be able to find a little down time in July before we gear up again and begin preparing for the fall.  Hope everything is going well for all of you.  Take care.

Spring Happenings

We're finally getting our first shot of spring moisture in the form of a good soaking rain.  It started Sunday evening, and has continued throughout the day today.  Locally, I've heard of reports from 1.5 to 2.5 inches so far.  It sounds like it should continue tomorrow, and a few more chances are forecasted throughout the week.  The moisture was needed, and hopefully some warm temperatures will follow to get the crops and grass growing for some excellent pheasant habitat.

The birds are in full swing in their nesting season, but plenty of time remains for them to get after it and for young chicks to hatch.  The month of May is a critical time for the birds and June will  soon follow as chicks begin to show up, as long as Mother Nature cooperates.  Things look good so far.

We've been getting a few other outdoor activities in, as we tested out the fish ponds last weekend.  The bass seemed to be in pretty good shape, and Marlys showed us all up by catching the largest fish of the day-a good healthy 16.5 inch bass.

The perch pond was not as active, but the signs of life were there with numerous egg masses spotted hanging from submerged vegetation.  We'll continue to test the waters and keep you updated.

In other happenings around Presho, there was a fire in one of the large grain bins at the elevator near the lodge.  One of the bins, holding nearly 190,000 bushel of milo began smoldering last weekend.  As smoke billowed out the top, the fire department was called and a plan was made.  The elevator has been continuously drying grain since harvest this past fall, with grain constantly being hauled in and out.  They soon began spilling the grain out the side of the grain bin to find the smoldering grain.  This continued for several hours as the County helped by pushing grain into a pile as it poured out and the firefighters sprayed it down to eliminate any hotspots.  Approximately 70,000 bushel was dumped on the ground before they figured they had removed all of the burning grain.  The milo will most likely be sold at a reduced price for cattle feed.    

They're Alive!!

It's been a somewhat long and drawn-out winter, but the pheasants seem to be holding up just fine.  We've come out of another polar vortex and as the temperatures climbed above zero this morning, I ventured out to see how our feathered friends were getting along.  Finding birds has been real hit or miss in the last couple of months.  Cordie and I have ventured out in the past and had trouble finding any sign of the birds.  We really haven't received a ton of snow, but enough to keep the ground white.  The temperatures have been the rough part, with many days below zero, and long stretches of cold, windy weather.  We've been hoping the birds are hanging in there.  Our theory has been that with the amount of food and cover that was available this year, that the birds should have entered the winter in the best shape that we could hope for.

It is March and we're not out of the woods yet, but things should begin to turn around here.  It was good to see as I pulled into one of the properties this morning that I could see the birds scrambling about in and amongst the trees.  Many birds of prey had the birds utilizing some dense brushy cover as they waited for any number of them to make a mistake and leave their protection.  The birds weren't in any hurry to bound into the open, but eventually began frantically scurrying and flying about.  Lots of hens and just enough roosters to hopefully provide for a successful hatch this spring.

Many birds stayed tucked in as I began to drive between the rows.  Some even held underneath the cedars and russian olives until I drove past.  The rooster below had no intentions of leaving his hidey-hole.

Like I said, we've got  a ways to go yet, but things look good so far.  It won't be long now, and March will be going out like a lamb, and April rain showers will cleanse the ground of any sign of winter.  As things begin to green-up, those hens will be dispersing and picking their nesting spots.  Soon enough we'll be whining about how hot it is, and looking for chicks and wishing it was October again.  Soon enough.

End of Year Wrap-up!!

Yes, I know it's been a while, but I've been busy (for the most part).  I'll try to continue to update everyone on a few things as they happen, but I thought I would do a little recap on how the year went.  With the introduction of our deer hunts, I thought I would start there.  We had a successful year, with five clients with buck tags, and all of them filled.  Below are a few of those pictures along with those of us at the Lodge that filled our tags.  Abby killed her first deer, which was a nice 4 x 4.  Cordie was able to fill his tag with Kellen in the blind next to him, and both Brandon and I took nice deer off of some ground that we pheasant hunt from.  The two racks that you see on the tailgate are what were left of the deer from two of our clients after they had taken them to the taxidermist to be caped.  Very respectable deer, with most in the 130-150 inch class.  We'll continue to work towards improvement on this end of the business, and expect the deer numbers to hold steady or increase due to mild weather conditions and habitat improvement in our area.

We did have a very good year, even though it started out a little rough.  It did finally quit raining and harvest was eventually completed and it led to some pretty decent hunting.  The pheasants should be in good shape entering the spring, but we have plenty of time for a disastrous storm.  We'll keep our fingers crossed and hope for the best for a good spring hatch.

I hope everyone is staying sane and healthy with the wacky winter weather that has bombarded parts of the country that are not used to it.  We're wishing you well and hope to see everyone for a happy return in the fall of 2014.  I'll do my best to keep everyone updated on the happenings at the Snake Den.

Down but Not Out

Maybe you've heard that the SD Game, Fish & Parks annual brood survey showed a 64% decrease in bird numbers compared to last year, and a 76% decrease from the 10-year average.  I know that sounds horrible, but I believe there are several bright spots to this years upcoming hunting season.  You can read the full report here.  Within this report the State lost nearly 50% of the hens they had collared between last years brood survey, which is conducted in August, and November.  If you recall the extreme drought that we experienced last year, we felt as though we were in decent shape according to last years numbers and what we were seeing early on.  As the drought continued it had detrimental affects, not only on chicks, but apparently also on adult birds.  

This year has been a completely different story.  After a fairly mild winter, we began to receive significant snow fall in April when birds normally begin to nest.  The moisture was welcome, but set back the birds nearly a month in their nesting activity.  After the April snow, conditions remained fairly cool, and dry.  Significant moisture did not return until sometime in mid-May, and then again June, July and even August.  The cover that the birds depend on to nest in and later raise their chicks in had been severely hampered by last years drought, and did not recover until sometime near the end of May or even June.  We received nearly 5 inches of rain in both July and August, when the average is near 2.5 inches per month.  Some of our property received nearly 12 inches of rain from July 15-August 15.  This has been great for the food plots, row crop, and CRP cover.  The cool temperatures that we experienced in July did hamper some row crop development, but things have returned to normal, if there is such a thing, since the 90-100 degree temps we have experienced in the past couple of weeks.

Soooo..... what am I getting at?  What are the bright spots??  I think we will see the opposite results of last years brood route surveys.  We've seen more birds appearing in the past couple of weeks then we have all summer long.  With nesting so far behind and the cover in such good shape, there just weren't many birds near the roads or visible for the annual counts.  Nearly 90% of the winter wheat crop was removed and planted to row crop this year, which makes for a lot of milo, corn, and sunflowers for the birds to hide in.  There is water everywhere, so the birds are not congregated around limited water sources.  This by no means is going to be a run-away year, but I do believe it will be as good as last year, if not slightly better.  There is going to be a lot of crop in when we start beating the bush, so birds may be hard to find to begin with, but things should improve as the season progresses.

A few other things also.  We've added some great property to our arsenal, which are a few of the pictures that you see posted here.  It's going to be some interesting hunting, as we figure out how things work on this new property, but it has a lot of good CRP and undisturbed habitat, and a steady water source.  It's got  a ton of potential and will only get better as we figure out it's secrets and continue to develop it as we have everything else.  We look forward to another year, and can't wait to get into the field with all of you.

Snake Den family loses a good one

John Jund Jr. (October 10, 1945 - July 5, 2013) John Jund, 67 of Pierre, died Friday, July 5 at Avera McKennen  Hospital in Sioux Falls. Visitation will be 5-7pm, Monday, July 8  at Ss. Peter & Paul Catholic Church in Pierre with a Prayer Service  at 7:00pm, Monday at the Church. Services will be 10:00am, Tuesday, July 9 at Ss. Peter & Paul Catholic Church with burial  at Calvary Cemetery in Pierre    John was born October 10, 1945 to John and Rose (Salwei) Jund  in Zeeland, ND. He moved with his family to Mobridge in 1960  graduating from Mobridge High School in 1963. In April of 1964 he started working for the State of South Dakota  where he worked until his retirement in January of 2003.  On January 29, 1966 John was united in marriage to Carla Schlomer,  to this union two children were born: John Wayne and Lori. He was a member of the South Dakota National Guards retiring in 1985. Since his retirement he spent his time doing the things he loved the most: hunting, gardening and spending time with his grandkids. He always planted a garden large enough to feed a small community. John spent many hours weeding and watering and he took great pride in hand delivering his goods to anyone who would enjoy  them.    Hunting has always been a very important part of his life and something he spent a great deal of his time doing. He also greatly enjoyed his years of guiding at the Snake Den Lodge. It allowed him to make lasting friendships while spending time doing what he loved most. He loved time with his grandkids  whether it was mowing, playing dominoes or just watching them  in the back yard. He is survived by his wife Carla, Pierre; children: John Wayne, and special friend, Shelly Wanner, Pierre and Lori (Brad)Klemann, Pierre; five grandchildren: Dalton Grassel, Brevin Klemann, Braya Klemann, Kindra Jund and Carter John Klemann;  siblings: Francis (Carol) Jund, Mobridge, Joe (Eleanor) Jund,  Aberdeen, Mike (Sharon) Jund, Davenport, IA, Mary (James) Holzer, Stevens Point, WI, Eva (Darrold) Fischer,  Rapid City, Caroline (Mike) Jackson, Broomfield, CO and Sally (Daryl) Isburg, Ft. Pierre;  sister-in-law Maureen Jund, Rapid City, uncle Joe Salwei, Bismarck, ND and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins. He was preceded in death by his parents, John and Rose Jund and one brother, Gerald Jund. Back

Once was... is not.

"Copper" waits patiently at the end of a food plot in a CRP field.

The scene pictured above, will take on a drastically different look in the fall of 2013.  No... it's not that "Copper" will be older and fatter.  Although that may be the case, as with most of us, the CRP field where this picture was taken has fallen to the plow and will be farmed this spring along with 9.7 million acres that have been released from the CRP program since 2007.  With the increase in grain prices and land prices, CRP has failed to keep up with support and demanding values.  Although we are currently playing both sides of the fence, where we will see it affect us the most is definitely in our hunting.  The Snake Den will lose approximately 960 acres of CRP ground in 2013.  Luckily we have teamed up with another landowner, who is very pro-active in enrolling his ground in the program, and should combat the loss with the addition of another couple thousand acres.  In the scheme of things though, it's a drop in the bucket.   South Dakota lost nearly 168,000 acres of CRP in the last year, Lyman County nearly 20,000.  CRP provides vital nesting and brood-rearing ground needed for hen and chick survival.    

Attached is a snippet of the newsletter that I receive from Pheasants Forever.  There are a ton of stats contained within the article, but the bottom line is this: as CRP acres decline, so do pheasant numbers.  You can also see the correlation provided here by SD Game, Fish and Parks.  We can only hope that congress and landowners alike can see the value in CRP, along with pheasants and other wildlife.

USDA Secretary Delivers Welcome CRP News to Pheasants, Quail and Hunters
CRP General Sign-up announced along with opening continuous CRP
Minneapolis, Minn. - February 16 -
Pheasants Forever (PF) and Quail Forever (QF) were pleased to be joined today by U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack during its sold out 30th anniversary banquet in Minneapolis. During his keynote address at the event, Secretary Vilsack announced much needed conservation tools to the attendees. The audience for the announcement included U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar, U.S. Senator Al Franken, U.S. Representative Collin Peterson, and more than 1,000 Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever members.
The Secretary outlined three major USDA conservation measures for Ameri-ca’s farmers and ranchers. First, a new 4-week Conservation Reserve Pro-gram (CRP) General Sign-up is scheduled to start May 20th and will provide landowners with a competitive opportunity to enroll their toughest-to-farm, environmentally sensitive acres in CRP for the benefit of wildlife, water qual-ity and soils. The last general signup occurred during the spring of 2012, in which nearly 4.5 million acres were offered and 3.9 million of those acres were enrolled in the program.
Second, Secretary Vilsack announced there will be a review of soil rental rates in an effort to keep CRP competitive with current near-record commodity-driven land prices. And third, Secretary Vilsack announced plans to reopen enrollment for Continuous CRP acreage made possible by the extension of the 2008 Farm Bill through 2013. The reopening of Con-tinuous CRP makes available 1 million acres reallocated in 2012 to some of CRP’s most targeted and effective practic-es, like CP38 SAFE and CP33 Buffers.
“Under President Obama’s leadership, USDA has worked with a record number of farmers, ranchers and landowners – more than 500,000 across the nation – to achieve record benefits in soil and water conservation,” said Secretary Vilsack. “By ensuring that CRP remains strong, vibrant and an economically viable option for producers, we can ensure impactful conservation efforts in the years to come – including healthy wildlife habitat in every corner of our nation.”
“We absolutely needed these tools to be delivered now. Considering the massive habitat losses experienced as a result of last summer’s drought and the fact producers are planning their spring plantings right now, this was a critical announcement for farmers, hunters and conservationists,” says Dave Nomsen, Pheasants Forever’s vice-president of governmental affairs. “Of particular importance today was mention of the soil rental rates review. Improving CRP’s financial viability is critical to making this program successful for our farmer friends.”
The Conservation Reserve Program is a voluntary program designed to help farmers, ranchers and other agricultural producers protect their environmentally sensitive land. Through CRP, eligible landowners receive annual rental payments and cost-share assistance to establish long-term, resource conserving covers on eligible farmland. Land can be enrolled on a continuous basis for a period of 10 years. Land currently not enrolled in CRP may be offered in this sign-up provided all eligibility requirements are met.
Landowners interested in learning more about the upcoming general signup, review of soil rental rates or the continuous CRP acres available, are asked to contact a Pheasants Forever Farm Bill wildlife biologist. For additional inquiries, please contact Dave Nomsen, Pheasants Forever vice-president of governmental affairs at (320) 834-3076 or email Dave.
Pheasants Forever, including its quail conservation division, Quail Forever, is the nation's largest nonprofit organization dedicated to upland habitat conservation. Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever have more than 135,000 members and 720 local chapters across the United States and Canada. Chapters are empowered to determine how 100 percent of their locally raised conservation funds are spent, the only national conservation organization that operates through this truly grassroots structure.

Secretary Vilsack Announced Welcome CRP News
Is Anyone Paying Attention? We’ve Lost 9.7
Million Acres of CRP Land in Five Years.
The amount of land enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), at 27.1 million acres, is down by 26 percent, or 9.7 million acres in the past five years, to a 25 year low. During this same time period, corn acreage has increased by 13 million acres. Farmers are once again planting crops on marginal lands “fencerow to fencerow” to cash in on today’s high commodity prices. CRP payments haven’t risen to compete with crop returns, and the program itself is being whittled away by Congress.
The Conservation Reserve Program exists to provide land owners with some financial incentive to idle their land, which in turn benefits the environment while providing commodity price sup-port by reducing surplus production. But now, ethanol policy makes that curb of surplus production unnecessary. The original CRP legislation, the Food Security Act of 1985, set a goal of enrolling over 40 million acres into the program by 1990 but that has never been reached and is now falling sharply. The laws regulating the program have been tweaked many times since begun in 1985, being tugged and pulled by various special interests. Prior to the CRP, we had “set aside acres” in the 1970′s and “soil bank” acres in the 1960′s.
If you visit one of the USDA’s websites promoting the benefits of the Conservation Reserve Program, you will see a long list including the following:
• Reduces soil erosion by an estimated 450 million tons per year, compared with pre-CRP erosion rates.
• Protects surface waters from sediment and nutrient enrichment with enrollment of 1.8 million acres of streamside grass and forested buffers.
• In prime pheasant habitat, a 4 percent increase in CRP grassland acres was associated with a 22 percent increase in pheasant counts.
By K. McDonald on March 7th, 2013
• Sequesters 50 million metric tons of carbon dioxide annually in soils and vegetation on enrolled lands.
• Includes 8.3 million acres enrolled in the Prairie Pothole region providing habitat important for migratory waterfowl, grassland birds, and dependent species.
There’s nothing not to like in that list. CRP policy is an environmentally friendly one which helps protect this nation’s privately owned natural resources of soil and water. It adds to biodiversity and wildlife habitat. The program is especially appreciated by older farmers. On the down side, nearly half of CRP funds go to the top ten percent of recipients, according to the Environmental Working Group. And, some politicians argue that we shouldn’t pay farmers not to farm where they shouldn’t be farming in the first place.
Today, the economic incentive to grow corn, even on marginal lands, far exceeds the average amount of $57 paid per acre by the CRP program. Keep in mind that most of the acres enrolled in CRP have always been the marginal lands, those which are less productive, and are more vulnerable to erosion. In addition, budgetary pressures in writing a new farm bill make this program an easy target. At this year’s current enrollment the CRP costs the taxpayer around $1.6 billion, down from 2 billion a few years ago.
The map below shows us that 2.5 Million Acres of Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) land was lost in just one year in the con-tracts held in 2011 versus 2012. Much of the area exiting the program this past year was in the Plains states to grow more corn on marginal land. The two states converting the most CRP land to crops this year are North Dakota and Montana, in part due to in-roads of corn and soybean acres into this traditionally wheat growing region. After these two states, Minnesota, Missouri, and Kansas top the list of recent CRP lands lost for crop conversion.
Agribusinesses are reaping fat financial rewards from the price incentive to plant a record 97 million acres in corn, including on what was formerly CRP land. Further land use changes are also resulting from the ripple effect that high corn prices have on all of the commodities, not only in the U.S. but around the globe. High prices are appreciated by producers, but current Ag policy of intensive, industrial, all out agricultural production isn’t free and it isn’t sustainable. Unfortunately, environmental interests can’t compete politically with policies that promote the increased use of fertilizers, pesticides, seeds, commodity exchange, and equip-ment sales.
This next graph shows us the loss of CRP land since 2007 in the top four corn producing states.
Farmers, who are always at the mercy of policy which determines their economic survival, are being told today that they are being patriotic and helping with national security and energy independence by growing corn for ethanol. A truly patriotic policy would instead be the preservation of our nation’s soil and water for future generations.
This story wouldn’t be complete without pointing out the sharp contrast in priorities of land conservation between the top agricultural leaders of the E.U. and the U.S.
The European Union’s agricultural commissioner, Dacian Cioloş, saw the destruction that all out production did to the soils in his home country of Romania under the former communist regime, so he wants to see 7 percent of E.U. farmland turned into environ-mental priority areas which are off-limits to the use of chemicals and high-tech farming methods. He also knows that 90 percent of Europeans want to see policies which promote the public good in return for their taxpayer money spent on agriculture. He was trained as a horticultural engineer and spent thirteen months over a number of years doing organic farm internships in Brittany France. He was selected to lead the E.U. in agriculture because of his horticultural experience and education, and for his “modern vision” for agriculture. He wants an E.U. agricultural policy that discourages monocultures, encourages rotational farming methods, and decreases fertilizer use.
In contrast, our U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack, is a lawyer and a politician, a former governor of Iowa.
If allowed a say on the issue, Americans, too, might strongly support CRP initiatives over today’s other farm programs which are far more expensive: direct payments, tax payer subsidized crop insurance, and biofuels incentives.
But, CRP support in Congress is fading. In the 2008 farm bill, it took a hit of 7 million fewer acres, and in the 2012 farm bill the plan is to cut another 7 million acres and to cap the program at a total of 25 million acres by 2017. That’s a far cry from the original 40 million acres planned in the 1985 legislation. A total of $6 billion in conservation cuts is expected in the next farm bill. In the congressional fiasco that occurred at 2012′s year-end, the old farm bill was extended through September 2013, when a new bill cover-ing the next five years should have been passed and would now be in place.
The story and statistics that I’ve presented above aren’t widely-known. Americans need to contact their policy-makers to let them know what is important to them. The Conservation Reserve Program and agricultural conservation support is in trouble and needs our help.

Another step forward??

Many of you have asked for it, and on occasion, we hear " I thought I paid with my credit card last year", or "I forgot a check blank".  From now on we won't run into that problem, since we recently installed a credit card machine.  We've been putting it off for a long time, but knew it was inevitable, that some day we would have to give away a small percentage of our earnings for the good of the business.  So starting immediately we can take deposits over the phone or charge for hunt balances when everyone makes the annual trip in the fall.  We think it's a good thing and hopefully you do too.   

Changes Abound

Here is a quick look at some of the changes we have just announced.  This is a copy of the letter that Cordie sent out to our group leaders this week.  We are looking forward to the challenges and excitement that 2013 will bring.

Like one old guy said to the other, "looks like we are going to make  green grass".   With that in mind we better start doing some of this, or it will be time to go to work and we will not have it done. 

      As most of you already  know,  the business of agriculture has been changing  faster in recent past, than ever before.    Land prices in Lyman Co.  have doubled in the last five years and tripled in the last twenty.   Cash rent has went from $30 per acre to $75 and every day we hear about a new high.    So what does this have to do with us, and why am I telling you about it.   The hunting business has to compete  with these prices in order to continue to have good hunting.    What I am trying to tell you is the price of hunting is going up.    I would like to think we have been very competitive in our prices for what we offered,  so hopefully we have a little room to move.    The new rates are posted on our web page but  when it is all said and done it will cost you another fifty bucks a day to hunt here.   We are changing the deposit from $75 per gun per day to $100, so you need to inform your group that the deposit for a three day hunt will now be $300 per gun and the total cost will go from $900 to $1050.

     So what else is new,  it is all good.     Everybody here seems to be in good health, knock on wood.   I am sure every one of you knows someone with an illness that has run up a million dollars worth of Doctor bills.  Our winter has been good, no really bad storms.   We are a couple of inches ahead of last year in the moisture department, hopefully that trend will continue through  the year.    I took out my first load of corn last Thurs.  They were  forecasting   a snow storm for the weekend and  we wanted the birds to have a little cushion.

      With Jimmy Stockton's story in mind about grandchildren, I will tell you briefly;   Kellen has been kicking butt in wrestling.     He seems to be extremely competitive and hates to lose.  I have no idea where he gets that from, I keep telling him it doesn't matter who wins,  "just have fun".  The other three seem to be out of the same mold and I can't wait to see them all "just have fun"

   One other happening  that will affect all of you.  We have leased another hunting operation:  2500 acres, two houses,  some farming equipment, and a lot of really good deer hunting.  The only way you might notice is hunting that property at some point or going to the preserve that we are going to have on that property.  Last year we had more interest in"two a days" and preserve hunts than we could handle on a dry year.    They killed more wild birds on this property last year per acre than we did on ours.   A lot of it is on the creek and they had water on most of it.    Your hunting will be better!!

      Casey is getting geared up to become a farmer,  he is going to farm all of our ground, lease a couple hundred acre's , and plant all of our food plots.  You have all heard the story about not being able to get the smile off the guys face, that is  Casey.   I  am not sure if it is because he gets to be a farmer or that he no longer has to pour concrete with his father-in-law.   Now we have another reason for it to rain.

A little catch-up

I know it's been a long time, and there is plenty to talk about, but before we get back in to the swing of things I'd like to reflect on the past year with a little help from some of our hunters.  I've included an email and a link to another blog to provide some insight from someone else who has hunted here many years, and one that has been only a few.  I hope you enjoy, and at some point we'll get caught up on what's been going on at the Snake Den, along with the things that may affect us and our industry in the future with all this talk about gun control and another large issue-conservation and the farm bill.

Below is an email that I received from Alan Harn, who has been coming to the Snake Den for years.  I've been guiding Harn and his partner, Stuart Struever for about five years, and they've been coming to South Dakota to hunt pheasants at the Snake Den "before I was born".  That's what they would say if you ask them, although they have been here since its inception in the early 1990's, and have been hunting together since the 1960's.  They're a great couple of guys to hunt with, and enjoy hunting until dark, even if I show them that I know what I'm doing and they shoot their limit of pheasants (Phasianus colchicus) before mid-afternoon.  There is always time for sharp-tailed grouse (Tympanuchus phasianellus) and greater prairie chickens (Tympanuchus phasianellus).

Dear Colleagues

I just received word from Jeff Lampe, former outdoor writer for the Peoria Journal Star who now publishes his own magazine, Heartland Outdoors.  Lampe went with us to South Dakota last week to conduct research for a series of articles on techniques involved in the collection of Phasianus colchicus and other wildlife specimens.

Examples of Phasianus spp. were relatively sparse due to the drought but, while decimating the alfalfa and similar crops, the drought probably increased the grasslands twenty fold.  This in turn provided optimum habitat for Tympanuchus cupido  and Tympanuchus phasianellus (previously: Tetrao phasianellus), and they were present in greater numbers than even the oldest "old timers" can remember.  In a normal year we might observe 0-10 of these two species; this year we recorded hundreds.  We did manage to collect a sizable number of Phasianus and obtained 11 Tympanuchus c. and Tympanuchus p. specimens as well. Daniel hadn't been involved in any type of programmed collecting for some eleven years, but he hasn't lost his touch.  He didn't miss many catching opportunities and caught many more than I did, even though he only took his great uncle's 1940s 16 gauge Browning collecting mechanism along.

The pursuit of true science is often complex and sometimes laced with hours of abject tedium, but the attached image of researchers examining the wealth of collected data succinctly demonstrates the satisfaction we ultimately attain at the culmination of the program through our steadfast dedication and commitment to the pursuit of scientific inquiry. Among the research team, you will find my middle son Daniel flanked on either side by aging data collectors Struever and Harn.

In addition to Harn's account of their trip, outdoor writer, Jeff Lampe puts another spin on it, along with some great photos, in a couple posts on his blog, Scattershooting.  I appreciate the nice comments that Jeff had about me and the Snake Den, and I enjoyed hunting with him and his dog, Hawk.  Harn and Struever are the mainstays, along with TG (on the left in the above picture).  Beyond that you never know who they will bring, but with six shooters this past year, that's probably as many as we will ever see with them.  It's a great group to spend some time with, and it allows me a change of pace after a busy first week in the regular pheasant season.  Enjoy. 

Shooting Shirts Finally Available

 

 

The above shooting shirts will be available for the 2012 Hunting season.  If you would like one please email me (casey@snakedenlodge.com) or cordie (schlomer@kennebectelephone.com) the size, color, and quantity of shirts that you would like.  They are available in Brown, Khaki, or Olive.  They are made by Tri-Mountain, and are a lightweight, vented shirt.  They are $60.00.  Thanks.  We will be placing an order early next week for arrival by the Season Opener.

Green may be an overstatement

Everybody needs a little motivation now and then, and yesterday I received a reminder that I had most likely made a promise to put some pictures up of the landscape and fields around here when they were nice and green.  Well, I missed the boat this year by about two months, but here's a few snippets of some sunflowers as they leave their prime and head toward drying out and soon, harvest.  Precipitation has been nearly non-existent since the middle of June, but things have survived fairly well considering the conditions.

Temperatures throughout the spring and summer have been above normal, and precipitation has been severely below normal.  With many days in the 100s and the majority of the remainder in the 90s, it's been a scorcher to say the least.  I think the pheasants survived fairly well, since they seemed to be ahead of schedule with the hatch.  The birds were in good shape with the mild winter, and favorable spring conditions through the nesting season.  The brood counts will be released sometime in the next couple of weeks.  Those counts are the basis for nearly every prediction made on how the season will be.  I have a feeling though that the counts will not accurately reflect the actual numbers this year.  We have noticed that it has been hard to get a consistent count on birds on any given morning, and conditions for a good road count have been hard to come by.  Only time will tell and in a couple weeks we'll be stomping through the cover on the Preserve and should have a better handle on how the season will shape up.

Several other factors will shape the season, as more CRP (Conservation Reserve Program-grass) acres are hayed, and an early harvest will remove any standing row crop well before the regular season opener.  The fall crops are also marginal at best, and some may not even see the combine, but will be plowed back into the ground.  Food may be scarce come winter, along with good heavy cover.  It should make for an interesting season, but we look forward to it and hope you all do as well.

Our own March Madness



Kellen places third at Regions to advance to State.



It's been a crazy month as we attempt to cram as much fun and family activities into the time we have remaining before things get busy again.  The weather is telling us that it is time to go back to work again, but we're trying to hold out for just a bit longer.  With temperatures near 90 degrees though, things are starting to dry up and green up, and not just from St. Patrick's Day. 

Kellen managed to place third at his regional tournament a couple of weeks ago, so we will travel to Aberdeen this weekend to wrestle in the State tournament.  We're proud of what he has accomplished this year, and look forward to many more years of him and hopefully his cousins wrestling.  This weekend will be good experience, if nothing else, for him and his mom and dad.

Jamie and I just returned from Atlanta, after catching "The Boss" on his opening night of his "Wrecking Ball" Tour.  It was a great trip and we made the best of an extended weekend.  Cordie and Marlys are preparing a golf outing to Mississippi to battle his brother, Delvin for the family cup.  It should be a great end of the month and prepare us for the work ahead.

We're waiting ever so patiently for things to dry up just a little more before we drop that plow in the ground and begin to disc food plots.  It looks as though we will be able to get that done before we head out to start our concrete work for the summer.  There's plenty of that lined up also, so things should move along quite quickly as we progress to another fall.  I can't wait already.

Here we go again...

On somewhat of a whim I provided myself with another project for the winter and upcoming year.  I gave my wife short notice when I told her that I had talked with a breeder and had a chance to pick up a male chocolate lab pup.  I told her I had not made up my mind yet, but I think she knew different, and felt that her thoughts would have no bearing on the pup I was about to obtain in the matter of a few short days. 

I had talked to Thad Lambert of Round Lake Kennels on Friday and told him I was interested in getting a pup, but was not completely sure of all the details.  Thad made me a deal on the only remaining male left in the litter and told me I had the weekend to think it over.  Sunday came and I decided to go for it, and on Wednesday met Thad in Sioux Falls to pick up "Tug".  Kellen came up with the name, and Jamie and I hadn't come up with anything, so "Tug" it would be, or as Claire likes to say "Rugga-Tug" .  The paperwork will most likely read "Snake Den's Rugged Tug", which Claire shortened.

So far Tug has made it to Show-n-Tell and the Daycare, but it his time afield has been limited.  Not because of the horrible weather though.  The winter has been pretty non-existent for the most part, and I'm sure the birds are enjoying the heck out of it, as have we.  Although it has cut our mountain lion hunt to none, and less coyote calling than was planned, but we have been getting a few remodel projects done.  We should have the larger one of the two completed next week.

There is still plenty of time for winter, and getting Tug to the field.  We've also been spending most of our nights and weekends enjoying some wrestling.  Kellen has been doing well, and the high school season is nearing its end with the State tournament at the end of the month.  I may try to get some pictures of Kellen up soon if it works out.

Great endings to a great year

So maybe the family hunt wasn't as spectacular as it has been in the past, but we still managed to have plenty of opportunity and have a great time.  Over the course of three days we averaged 16 guns and nearly killed a limit each day with Friday being the best.  We claimed our limit that day with a few birds left in the end of the food plot for next year.  A good time was had by all with some great shots, some great misses, and plenty of "razzing" for everybody.

After a great pheasant hunt on  Friday a few of us slipped out to try calling coyotes.  John Wayne got  a new call for Christmas (thanks Santa), and couldn't wait to try it out.  We had time for two calls, and after coming up empty on the first call, we connected on a double as the sun set.  Dalton caught a glimpse of the pair as they disappeared about 200 hundred yards out.  We had time to resituate just before they reappeared at one hundred yards.  We decided to try for both, so on the count of three we squeezed.  I may have anticipated a little too much, but we both scored as you can see in the picture above.  That conclued another great day at the Snake Den.  One big male accompanied by a female, with several 'yotes howling in the background. 

The New Years party was a little quieter than normal, but with more kids and the rest of us getting older that should be expected.  It was a great way to end the year, and we're left with plenty to look forward to in 2012. 

A New Tradition??

We don't get in on many waterfowl hunts, and most of them are usually field goose hunts, so when we had the opportunity to get in a pit and shoot ducks over decoys in a flooded cornfield, we jumped at it.  We were invited by Brandon and his dad, Brad through a connection from the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe.  The Tribe had been working on their setup for a couple years, and when the pit came open Thanksgiving morning we hopped in.

We had a blast, and got plenty of shooting, without freezing our butts off.  That was part of the problem that it was too nice, but we managed to shoot 27 total ducks in a couple hours.  Mostly greenheads, with a few redheads, and green-winged teal mixed in.

Brandon made quick work of his share of the birds, along with his wife's and dad's.  The jerky didn't last long when he brought it to the lodge, and I'm thinking he can work his magic on mine and Cordie's also.  I've been contemplating what to do with them, but the jerky was pretty good, so hopefully I can convince him to make another batch.

Heck of a year for the whitetail deer

The boys at the Snake Den had a great year for deer.  Brandon, Cordie, John Wayne, and myself all did well filling our tags for the 2011 West River deer season.  We had been seeing a lot of good deer around, but an EHD die-off had us a little worried that some of them weren't going to make it to the season.  Our worries were put to rest and there are still plenty of good bucks around for next years crop.

Brandon scored first on opening morning, within an hour of legal shooting time.  With a little "insider trading"  he managed to secure an unknown hot-spot and made good use of it.  A well planned stalk on a bedded deer, and one well-placed shot at 80 yards, bagged him a nice, heavy 4x4.

Cordie filled his tag just a couple days later after watching several deer since the opening day.  His heavy, symmetrical 5x5 will be a nice addition to the lodge walls.  Cordie said there were bigger deer in the area, but he couldn't pass the opportunity up that this buck presented.  We'll look forward to seeing the ones he left out there next year, hopefully.

I filled my tag on Sunday of the second weekend.  After nearly giving up on the buck because I didn't get to a spot in time to cut him off, the buck headed right back to me after a brief encounter with another buck.  He obviously had something else on his mind since he made a fatal error of standing in an opening only 100 yards away.  He's no monster, and he won't win any beauty contests, but he's a mature buck with a big body.

John Wayne filled his tag last while hunting out west with his dad before Thanksgiving.  Both of them killed deer in the same draw within an hour of one another.  John's deer is very unique and his heavy-horned head will make a great addition to the lodge decor.

All the bucks were one-shot kills ranging from 80 to 380 yards, and all coming from land owned or leased by the Snake Den, with the exception of John's.  It was a great deer season, and we look forward to putting a little more meat in the freezer when we fill some leftover anterless tags.  There's plenty of deer left, so barring any unforeseen disasters, 2012 should have great potential.