Hello Everyone!

Im new to these forums and was looking for tips on hunting Pheasant.

Im a loyal deer hunter from Washington State and throughout last month I been hunting whitetail. On the 23rd I got my big chance and was sucessfull in getting my biggest buck so far. 5x5 Whitetail 205lb hanging weight skinned and all. Now that my deer hunting is completed im getting back into pheasant again.

This is my second year pheasant hunting, last year I wanted to pheasant hunt but I only got about 3 weeks of hunting in since i started late and out of those 3 weeks I only went out about 8 days total. I don't have a dog, well... that is worth taking hunting atleast he is a little house dog which I actually tryed to take out for the fun of it to let him run some brush to see if he would flush anything. Funny thing was he did pretty good the first 2 days but then everytime I tryed taking him out again he would always run back to the car? why I don't know. Sigh... oh well.

On top of that I don't really have anyone to hunt with so I have to hunt pheasant without a dog and alone. Its actually not that bad I guess, just takes a little more work. I became my own brush dog and it seemed to pay off. Last year I got 4 Roosters total which was pretty good for my first year and only hunting a short period of time.

Today was my first day this year to hunt pheasant and I got 2 of 4 roosters I shot at. I admit I was a little excited, I rememberd that im sapost to lead them a bit when shooting at them when they flush but I forgot that I don't need to lead them much or if any when they are at close range, needless to say, I shoulda got a 3rd and had my limit today. Im useing a 12 guage Pump with a Choke and #6 size shot. The area I hunt is a large valley running east and west. Its layout consists of patches of timber on the south side of the valley, a river at the bottom with a field of neck high grass around the river with a few patches of trees in it. To the north side is stubble and plowed wheat fields seperated by small draws with patches of stomich high brush and knee high grass and a few patches of these tall thistles in them which usually produce some birds hideing in them.

There are a few eyebrows of brush around the stubble fields and at the bottom of the draws seperateing the wheat fields is a large area of knee high thick brush with thistles in them as well. There are a few tall grassy draws on top of the south side of the valley leading down into the timber. and thats pretty much the layout.

Today I started to hunt a little after noon. weather was warm and cloudy. I did'nt see much untill i started walking along side the draws between the stubble fields. I jumped about 4 hens and some 5 huns which I happend to drop 1 of them. I moved on and about 2:30pm I went up another grassy draw this one was about 30 yards wide and 150 yards long with neck high grass. At first I didnt see anything so I did a sig zag pattern walking through the grass... still nothing then right when I got to the very end of the draw right before it turned into a plowed field I jumped my first rooster like 14 yards away and dropped him.

When I was done with that draw on my way back I went along some tall bushes like 20ft tall with a grassy field leading up to them. I walked right on the edge where the grass met the bushes and hurd something running around. I happend to jump it but it had run to far a head of me. It was a rooster but I had no shot. After that it was getting late but I read online that the first and last hours of the day are usually the best when hunting pheasant so I decided to walk up the grassy draw leading from the timber. After wadeing through the grass 100 yards up it, I jumped a rooster which was the one I lead to much at like 12 yards away and missed I kept going another 150 or so yards up it untill I reached the end of it, and happend to jump another one, I made the same mistake and that I did before and missed but on my second shot when he was about 50ish yards away aprox leading him worked and I dropped him. So all in all I got 2 with a hun so not a bad day.

I was wondering if anyone knew some tactics that might work better when hunting alone. Also im not the best shot so if anyone could tell me how far I should lead them at what range that would help. I find that most of the birds I get a shot at are in the small draws, and since there are only so many of them its kinda limiting. One of the draws that has a big patch of thistles that I have a picture above of that usually always has birds in it. Ill toss a rock or just make some noise and I can almost always get something to fly out of it. The good and also bad thing about this whole area is there is quite a few hunters that hunt it, its good cause it gets some birds moving around I can hunt a draw and see some birds then come back a few hours again to see more birds fly out of it but also sometimes ill walk them and see nothing. There is some CRP land in another area I can hunt but its miles and miles of grass and I dont think you would ever see a pheasant unless you had 5 people hunting it.

Anyway I look forward to some replys and any hunting storys you might have

Thanks,
Wolfy

Hello again,

I went out again today around 8:00am and I didnt see anything . I went back to my place around 12:00pm and decided to go back out around 2:30pm to see if the birds had moved around. I jumped a few hens but no roosters then I came up to this big brushy draw, I just started down into it and jumped a rooster and far range, I took one shot anyway and missed, right after the shot all heck broke lose, I hear branches breaking, grass ripping, twigs snaping and see a 4x4 legal buck comes screaming out of the draw... omfg you dont know how much it hurt being a deer hunter and having to watch a beautiful buck just run away broad side 50 yards away. After I came to my senses I continued up the draw to find nothing in it. I went back, got in my car, and started to drive home. It was about 45 min untill the day closed for hunting and I saw a rooster about 400 yards away out in this lental field just feeding. I thought I didnt have a chance in getting him but I stopped anyway opened the car door and right as I stood up he flew, I thought it was all over and was about to get back in my car when I saw he didnt just fly away, he went down hill into this very small draw with some grass in it. I shuved 2 shells in the gun and literly ran down to it. I got like 20 yards away from where he landed and hurd him flapping in the grass like he was about to flush. I got ready and walked about 3 steps and Bang he came busting out of the grass flying away from me and I got him on my first shot. I was pretty excited about it, just 10 min earlear I thought id never get him and now he was in the trunk of my car and I was on my way home... yay! I didnt come home empty handed

Wolfy

sounds like your having a blast here in ohio we dont have many wild birds yet but they keep releasing birds every year so maybe some day they will be as thick as the turkys i hope to get a dog in the spring i hunt quail there yummy good luck gettin bird help most of the bird hunters are out huntin

You in the same boat as I am in but by no means do I have the wild bird population that you have. I joined a club. What we do have in common is that I end up hunting alone most of the time and do not have a dog. Well, not just yet....

What i meant to post is that it sounds like you are making the best of it and having fun. Thats what I am in it for. I work a piece of cover like you do, zig zag and hope to push them to the end of the cover and get them to fly at the end. Its that or walk faster than they run.

If you ever want someone to hunt with you can always e-mail. My husband and I have a dog and normaly go to the Cook Canyon Hunt club, in Ellensberg

[email protected]

Wolfy, If you like this game you should look into buying a dog, it will change your life. I used to beat the brush too. I went out with a friend and hunted over his brittany. I was changed for ever. I own 2 GSP's and am going to look at a new girl on Friday. If she lives up to the billing she is mine. I can't live without the bond I have with my dogs. Ladybird will tell you the same thing I am sure. But now to your real question, all the hunting mags have part of the information you want. These are opinions from good hunters and offer some good tips. But a biology book on upland birds teaches you real needs of the bird. These needs change through out the season, if you understand the needs you will learn where to look for birds in certain situations. It was the best thing I did for myself. I can go to Kansas or ND and find birds. The cover is different and there fore the birds are in different places but the needs are same, so you have an idea of where to start.
Gselkhunter

Hey All,

Yes jaysweet I am trying to make the best of it, doing what I can with what I got hehe. Its not all that bad just limiting sometimes. The little draws between the fields are the best causes it forces the birds to flush when I walk up on them, everything else I guess either nothing is there or they run away. There was a few times I flushed some birds but some of the bushes where to tall I could never see what they were cause they came out the other side, but getting 3 roosters last weekand wasnt bad.

LadyByrd, Id love to hunt with you but... I live way over on the east side by Palouse and Garfield well, thats atleast where I been hunting, I live up in Spokane. I wish I knew some more areas that I could hunt. A lot of the land around here is posted and I cant go and ask because I donno who owns what around here. Maybe you know of some areas close by to hunt? [:-]

Gselkhunter, I would like to get a dog for hunting but I can't. Can't have them at my apartments unless I wanna pay an extra $100 a month, and I aint made of money. [:@]

Sadly, one of the Roosters I got last weekand was shot up pretty bad, the breast looked like hamburger... though we managed to salvage what was good so the bird did'nt go to waste.

[] Also I found out that this coming weekand... I MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO HUNT! The boss at my work wants to get caught up on some work and depending on how much we get done he would like me to come in and help out. He is a nice guy and I wouldnt mind coming in that much but... I only have a select few days to pheasant hunt and I hate to waste them, plus im already excited about going back out and I donno if I can wait a whole nother week. I need to get back out in the field and get back in touch with nature and the thrill of the hunt.


**Edit**

Was searching the net and found some interesting pictures I wanted to share
Don't these pics wanna make you go hunting? (And no there not me or anyone I know)





heh, they better be carful when shooting at the one in that last pic hehe.

Lata,
Wolfy

Wolfy, Sorry to hear that, been there. Nice pictures! Looks like some of the places I hunt in Kansas. My son Keaton and I are leaving for there in about an hour, opens tomorrow. Rare chance to be out with half a day to poke around before opener. Tip, I am looking for cover next to food plots. This could be grass, weeds or thick tree lines, with thick being the big word. Cold temps have moved in and this will kill a lot of the bug life[protein], so the birds will change over to seeds and leaves that are still green. Morning thick cover, afternoon thinner cover to lounge and sun in, late afternoon feed hard and go to cover for the night. If the birds can find places with rolling hills instead of flat they tend to sit on the side of the hill so they can see and hear and run away. Got to run and take care of dogs and pack a truck. Have a great season!
Gselkhunter

here in Ohio we dont have many wild pheasant yet i do see a few wild birds mostly they have the releese at a few public huning areas we have plenty of quail and grouse