snowy owls

you know I was just thinking the same thing,

Here in central SD also. Mouse / lemming population down ? Haven't had any around for the last 4 years but have 6 of them hanging around a 4 mile stretch. Lot of no till and a lot of mice . Coyote heaven too.

marksman Said:
You aren't suppose to shoot them     I don't think they would be good eating anyway.

Yes.  They are protected under the Federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act..   However, Alaska residents can take them if they are going to use them for food or clothing.
 I saw one when I was muzzleloader hunting a couple weeks ago.

http://www.defenders.org/wildlife_and_habitat/wildlife/snowy_owl.php

I would like a pair of owl mittens.

Owl mittens... Love it!

svnmag Said:
I would like a pair of owl mittens.

That would be neat.  I will spot them and you shoot them.  Deal?

make a fine strifry.  Especially if mixed with eagle!

Seems when I lived if Grand Forks I remember reading an article on snowy owls trying to explain the hit or miss of seeing them in a region during a given year.  If I recall correctly, their migration is very dependent on the well being of the local rodent population.  Their normal southerly extent takes them into MN but when that area is lower on field mice they have a tendency to go farther west in greater numbers.

I have noticed two so far in my travels around the Bismarck area, and we have a Great Horned Owl setting up shop in our backyard.  Heard him early this morning.  Hope he gets a good meal of the field mice around here!

Allen Said:
Seems when I lived if Grand Forks I remember reading an article on snowy owls trying to explain the hit or miss of seeing them in a region during a given year.  If I recall correctly, their migration is very dependent on the well being of the local rodent population.  Their normal southerly extent takes them into MN but when that area is lower on field mice they have a tendency to go farther west in greater numbers.

I have noticed two so far in my travels around the Bismarck area, and we have a Great Horned Owl setting up shop in our backyard.  Heard him early this morning.  Hope he gets a good meal of the field mice around here!

I hope you like that horned owl better than Hungarian Partridge.

Owl skin halter top--the new uniform for "HOOTERS"!!

Captain Ahab Said:
I hope you like that horned owl better than Hungarian Partridge.

Not really, the Huns in our neighborhood seem to take a shellacking each winter despite nobody hunting them.  I suspect the owl gets his fair share as this isn't the first winter we've had one out back.

 Few lemmings up north this year, so a lot more headed south for food.  They've even been seen as far south of Texas.
Biologists call this an "irruption!" 

http://us.vocuspr.com/Newsroom/Query.aspx?SiteName=fws&Entity=PRAsset&SF_PRAsset_PRAssetID_EQ=129198&XSL=PressRelease&Cache=True

From US Fish and Wildlife website posted a few days ago....

Allen Said:

Captain Ahab Said:
I hope you like that horned owl better than Hungarian Partridge.

Not really, the Huns in our neighborhood seem to take a shellacking each winter despite nobody hunting them.  I suspect the owl gets his fair share as this isn't the first winter we've had one out back.

The Huns have been surviving our east-central winters, I would think they could pull through your balmy Bismarck climate!

I still disagree with the notion about Huns suffereing from bad winters and all that.  When we go up to visit relatives in central Saskatchewan in the winter, we see flock after flock of sometimes dozens of Huns on the roads, in fields, all over the place up there.  Their habitat  looks pretty close to ours around here, but their winters are if anything, colder and snowier.  And of course they have many more snowy owls every winter up there, which undoubtedly chow down their fair share, too.  And they were imported from Hungary and Northern and Eastern Europe, so their genetics must be pretty tough!
So I don't buy that it is our climate.  Must be something else at work here that is holding them back.. 

I have heard from biologists that they suspect the application of granular fertilizer on agg fields could be impacting huns.  Not sure of any research done on this though.  Sounds like a good grad project for someone.

Allen Said:

Captain Ahab Said:
I hope you like that horned owl better than Hungarian Partridge.

Not really, the Huns in our neighborhood seem to take a shellacking each winter despite nobody hunting them.  I suspect the owl gets his fair share as this isn't the first winter we've had one out back.

Yes, because owls are hell on hun coveys.  All I am saying is if your horned owl has an "accident" you will have more huns for viewing and eating pleasure.