Small pheasants--is this common?

outdoorslover · 10-26-2006, 09:32 PM

I shot my first pheasant of the year and was suprised at how small it was. It must've been a late hatch, because it's body was rather small, it's tail feathers were only like 5 inches, and it didn't have a whole lot of color yet. It WAS a rooster, butI thought it was a hen until I got close enough to see it well. Is this common? Do you shoot a lot of small ones like this?

Pokey · 10-27-2006, 07:54 AM

Early season young bird they get bigger and smarter as the season rolls on.

moosehunter21 · 10-27-2006, 11:51 AM

Lots of grouse are like that around here.

DEADEYE DAN · 10-27-2006, 04:12 PM

I DON'T KNOW WERE YOU ARE FROM BUT HERE IN SOUTH DAKOTA WE HAD TWO HATCHES THIS YEAR IN SOME PLACES. THIS WILL USUALLY GIVE YOU BIRDS LIKE YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT.

outdoorslover · 10-27-2006, 08:11 PM

It must've been a second hatch. I went today and all of the roosters I saw were huge. Thanks for the help.

Pokey · 10-29-2006, 07:15 AM

Deadeye Dan what does it look like around Ocoma and West this year I missed opener this year for the first time in 11 years. I will be hunting around Ocoma Nov 6 thru the 9th. and west on the grasslands.