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February 4, 2012
Comes the Snow
Montana has the longest Hun season in the nation (September 1 to January 1), and other surrounding states and provinces have similar seasons. And during this time, the range in temperatures and degradation of cover are constantly changing. Slight variations of these two factors have little effect on a covey of Huns’ daily routine, but an abrupt change can drastically alter their normal activities and dramatically stimulate a bird’s alertness. If we think in terms of what happens during the coming and passing of the autumnal equinox, the weather in the prairie zone undergoes a number of changes, from blistering hot to frostbite cold, breathless skies to gale warnings, and bone dry to white blankets of snow. When the hunting seasons begin, the landscape is a lively carpet of green slowly transforming into a mosaic of bright, brilliant colors and finally turning to mellow, burnt-amber browns. The changes are never-ending, and gamebirds adjust to these conditions as the season moves forward. And for every day the season progresses, the Huns mature and develop the wariness to survive in their surroundings; it’s not by coincidence that birds behave in similar situations year after year. |
Western Wings
n the November/December issue of PDJ, I addressed the issue of weather and seasonal changes and how gamebirds shift to different food sources and habitat, but I didn’t discuss precisely why they respond differently on a particular day. 