Bob Peters
Well-known member
11/28
I left the twin cities with the idea of getting in some hunting before reaching Rochester for Thanksgiving with family. Stopped at the first WMA and hunted but snow had knocked most grass down. A guy parked on the road 300 yards down from me after I had just entered the field and proceeded to get out and hunt for a short while. Not something I'd ever do, but I was in a laid back mood. No birds flushed. I went to a second wma closer to Rochester, and it had much thicker grass on it. Walked in and the grass was so tall I couldn't see my dog or anything else. I moved to a different part of the same piece, crp abutting a picked field. As I crested a rise, I spied a lone rooster running in the open towards thick grassy cover on the public land. A perfect setup, I approached the grass and the dog ran in. Nothing. I paused to wait him out and so did doggy. He blasted out of the grass and flew right over my head. I missed with both barrels. He flew into thick timber. I had never been to either area before and might not ever be back(life is short).
11/29
I left to hunt south central MN. Driving to another spot I had never hunted before I saw two roosters on the side of the road near an open slough. Maybe someday I'll ask for permission. Just past this I saw a cock with two hens in the corner of a picked field near a tree line. Maybe there's more birds around than we thought. I arrived at the public land, figured out where to park, and made ready very quietly due to habit. Poochie ran in front of me and we heard two distinct crows 15 yards from the truck. We both froze, and the crows rang out again loud and clear a 2nd, then 3rd, and 4th time. They were coming from the other side of a thick grove of trees. We made our way through and it reminded me of grouse hunting. With a loud cacophony two roosters shot up on the other side of the trees. One crossed the road to posted land, the other landed in public crp, we waked his way. It didn't take long and we flushed him a 2nd time and I missed twice. We circled this entire piece and never saw another bird. As I was daydreaming on the way back to the truck it turns out that we flushed this bird a third time. Slow on the draw, I only took one shot, and he flew across the road to the same private ground his buddy went to. I can say that to my knowledge it's the first time I've flushed the same bird 3 times. I then went to a relatives farm to hunt. Roughly 80 acres of CRP/slough/foodplot. Right where he should have been, a rooster flies out of a small corn plot at the same time a rabbit runs out. I didn't get a shot off although he was definitely in range. Another rooster flushes 150 yards away later in the hunt. I chat with the landowner and then head to another piece of private 15 miles away. I head out for the last 30 mins of hunting, and almost immediately flush a cackling rooster and his hen out of range. As I walk the slough edge I see many tracks, but don't kick up any more birds. My dog goes face to face with a possum and they both snarl at each other but thankfully they separate with no contact. The snow made hunting difficult but not impossible. I forgot the gaiters I bought which made for a long day. Although I'm not a great pheasant hunter I love it. Wish I would have had someone take me earlier in life.
I left the twin cities with the idea of getting in some hunting before reaching Rochester for Thanksgiving with family. Stopped at the first WMA and hunted but snow had knocked most grass down. A guy parked on the road 300 yards down from me after I had just entered the field and proceeded to get out and hunt for a short while. Not something I'd ever do, but I was in a laid back mood. No birds flushed. I went to a second wma closer to Rochester, and it had much thicker grass on it. Walked in and the grass was so tall I couldn't see my dog or anything else. I moved to a different part of the same piece, crp abutting a picked field. As I crested a rise, I spied a lone rooster running in the open towards thick grassy cover on the public land. A perfect setup, I approached the grass and the dog ran in. Nothing. I paused to wait him out and so did doggy. He blasted out of the grass and flew right over my head. I missed with both barrels. He flew into thick timber. I had never been to either area before and might not ever be back(life is short).
11/29
I left to hunt south central MN. Driving to another spot I had never hunted before I saw two roosters on the side of the road near an open slough. Maybe someday I'll ask for permission. Just past this I saw a cock with two hens in the corner of a picked field near a tree line. Maybe there's more birds around than we thought. I arrived at the public land, figured out where to park, and made ready very quietly due to habit. Poochie ran in front of me and we heard two distinct crows 15 yards from the truck. We both froze, and the crows rang out again loud and clear a 2nd, then 3rd, and 4th time. They were coming from the other side of a thick grove of trees. We made our way through and it reminded me of grouse hunting. With a loud cacophony two roosters shot up on the other side of the trees. One crossed the road to posted land, the other landed in public crp, we waked his way. It didn't take long and we flushed him a 2nd time and I missed twice. We circled this entire piece and never saw another bird. As I was daydreaming on the way back to the truck it turns out that we flushed this bird a third time. Slow on the draw, I only took one shot, and he flew across the road to the same private ground his buddy went to. I can say that to my knowledge it's the first time I've flushed the same bird 3 times. I then went to a relatives farm to hunt. Roughly 80 acres of CRP/slough/foodplot. Right where he should have been, a rooster flies out of a small corn plot at the same time a rabbit runs out. I didn't get a shot off although he was definitely in range. Another rooster flushes 150 yards away later in the hunt. I chat with the landowner and then head to another piece of private 15 miles away. I head out for the last 30 mins of hunting, and almost immediately flush a cackling rooster and his hen out of range. As I walk the slough edge I see many tracks, but don't kick up any more birds. My dog goes face to face with a possum and they both snarl at each other but thankfully they separate with no contact. The snow made hunting difficult but not impossible. I forgot the gaiters I bought which made for a long day. Although I'm not a great pheasant hunter I love it. Wish I would have had someone take me earlier in life.
