I posted this at the end of last season
my apologies if you saw it then and are rereading it now
getting ready for a new season and getting excited
best of luck to everyone of my pheasant hunting peers!!
my apologies if you saw it then and are rereading it now
getting ready for a new season and getting excited
best of luck to everyone of my pheasant hunting peers!!
pheasant season 2024-2025
"things I learned and question I have!"
disclaimer—some of these are true
i do own land, so some of these pertain to landownership
-You can still farm and leave some for the pheasants
-Pheasants don’t need much help but they do need some help
-Spray Roundup before May 1 (ground less than 50 degrees ) and the warm seasons grasses will thrive
(Kills Brome)
-monoculture (esp brome) kills habita
-some weeds are ok
-Roosters run, hens hold
-I always hit my shooting slump right after Thanksgiving
-Practice swinging and firing snap caps at home
-Switch to larger shot (#4) after start of December because many shots are going away, especially with flushing dogs
-Late season birds need and deserve more killing power
-I’ve switched from Bourbon to Irish whiskey after the hunt
-I promise I will never smoke another cigar
-Pheasants are dumb after the first snow
-Some Pheasants have a PhD after the second snow
-Pheasants are in the cattails
-Pheasants are not in every cattail
-Hunters with pointers dress better than hunters with flushers
-You missed 100% of the shots you don’t take
-Hunting and getting zero birds is better than not hunting
-One public rooster equals three private ground roosters
-You need cold AND snow and a morning hunt to make the roosters hold in January
-I hunt alone 90% of the time, the other 10% I wish I had
-How do pheasant know where the property line is?
-Maintain absolute control of your property
-Make sure your renters know the rules
-Maintain good relationship with your neighbors
-Just because you’re a relative doesn’t mean you get to hunt my place
-Always compliment, your partner’s dog even if it means only saying that she is pretty
-It’s easier to hunt property that you know than it is property you don’t
-if they are not there you won’t find them. Move on
-Start out feeling cold
-Wear a neck gator/buff it is the best way to regulate temp
-I greatly respect and enjoy A5, Goose is very entertaining ( welcome back )
-I have great respect for the people who drive many hours to hunt even just for a few days
-I have many good friends, but only a few that I will hunt with
-Almost nobody ever turns down an invite to pheasant hunt
-Share what you have if you want, but only with people who will really appreciate it
-Missed shots are like football interceptions. You have to forget about it and move on to the next opportunity.
-Your dog is just like you, sometime they have an off day also
-Your dog has the same emotions in the field as you do
-Late season birds, when one flushes they all flush and they’re gone
-your dog is going to catch and kill an occasional hen. Feel bad but that is nature.
-Have a plan but follow the dog
-be ready all the way to the road/truck
-It’s all about the corner
-Don’t walk in a straight line
-They have to be somewhere but they could be anywhere
-The smart ones get up behind you or not at all
-Burrs stick a lot less after the first hard frost
-Marry someone with land ( I didn’t)
-Marry someone who understands your need to hunt ( I did)
-If you’re taking novice/ kid hunting release a few birds on your property . What they don’t know won’t hurt them.
-Love your dog because he will not always be here
-I have a fine shotgun with two triggers. I’ve never hit anything with the second trigger.
-The older I got the less it is about a limit a more about the dog
-Take care of yourself so you can hunt next year
-I trust my dog more than I trust myself
-You need a plan and the dog needs direction
-How do they know to fly into the sun?
-If a bunch of hens flush, the roosters are running in front of them
-Sometimes you have to Keep up with the dog
-Sometimes I feel like a magician. I can make 100 pheasants disappear in seconds.
-when someone tell you about a large number of pheasants flush --multiple the number X 0.25
-I shot zero pheasants in shelter belts (they were in there though)
-If you grant permission make sure they know it is only for that day and you know for how many people
-Sometimes say no
-Donate a hunt to charity
-Have secret spot and tell or show no one
-Sometimes I just need to see something wild
-Some people want to kill pheasants and some people want to hunt pheasants - I prefer the latter
-It’s suppose to be fun
-Life is too short to hunt with people you don’t like
-The longer you walk the better the chance to find birds
-My least satisfying hunts were the fastest limits
-One man, one dog, and one bird is the perfect scenario
-Your always one step away from a double
-Doubles shorten the hunt
-Pheasants will run up hill and then fly
-I’ll hunt in the cold, but big wind gives me second thoughts
-I prefer the last hour over the first hour of the day
-South Dakota sunsets are the fingerprint of God
-The third shot at the same bird is always fired in anger
-Shell tube extensions on your Benelli just lessen your concentration
-A good gun functions without being clean
-The most important piece of equipment you have is your shoes
-Wear different colored shooting glasses corresponding to light conditions
-Pea-less dog whistles don’t freeze
-If you take someone who’s never hunted before with you, you should leave your gun in the truck
-The lake may be frozen, but the cattails may not be
-The old farmstead may let you hunt, but the new modern one probably won’t
- I hate skunks
-Always carry a knife
-The better the farmer, the less the pheasants
-A pheasant will to live will exceeds its last breath
-How come no one’s around when I make a great shot?
-How come many people are around when I miss a layup?
-How is it possible to miss a pointed bird? Were you not ready?
-Why does the second rooster always flush after my double barrels second shot?
-Pheasants flush when your zipper is down
feel free to add to these and disagree!
