Late season birds tuffer?

T

Tomahawker

Well-known member
Last week I went thru a slump and missed birds out right, but rocked several and knocked one down couldn’t find. Shooting 5’s and 4’s. Been shooting pretty good until then. These late season birds just plain tuffer? Better armor? Older? Sun was in my eyes? What say you?
 
Just screw in a $100 choke tube and they will fall.
If you normally are hitting birds and you think you are on them, you are likely still hitting them, just not breaking wings, they will fly-off and die. I would say to get closer, but with snow, my experience is you won't get any closer shooting. Shooting 4s and 5s isn't the issue.
 
Tomahawker said:
Last week I went thru a slump and missed birds out right, but rocked several and knocked one down couldn’t find. Shooting 5’s and 4’s. Been shooting pretty good until then. These late season birds just plain tuffer? Better armor? Older? Sun was in my eyes? What say you?
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Young of the year birds are basically at maturity this time of year, so they're a touch bigger and faster than in October. And they've likely been pressured (unless you're hunting cherry private land) and have their escape route figured out and there's rarely indecision when they flush.

Personally, I always think that I have a more difficult time squaring my feet and that throws off the shot. But the idea that they have thicker feathers, etc., isn't the case. They're the same birds, albeit with a chip on their shoulder.
 
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Not sure what choke you are using but I change to Improved Modified on late season birds. You will get tougher shots and I would rather firmly hit them than risk not getting enough pattern on them resulting in cripples. 4 and 5 shot is fine for late season birds.
 
Do not wound birds,that's bad karma. You may have to make a trip to Northern Saskatchewan. Late season birds are more difficult because they are experienced and have been shot at.
 
I do believe they do have thicker dencer feathers than in October, but your shot selection should be fine for that. If shooting 6s I would suggest you step-up a sze or 2 for later season, for that reason. I am sure many late season pheasants are killed with 6s. I only switched to 5s in the last 20 years, prior to that it was 6s all season long. I didn't know many birds grew thicker feathers for the winter until the last decade.
 
Bird Buster said:
Not sure what choke you are using but I change to Improved Modified on late season birds. You will get tougher shots and I would rather firmly hit them than risk not getting enough pattern on them resulting in cripples. 4 and 5 shot is fine for late season birds.
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Just made the switch to that choke myself...in large part because I have gotten slower as this age thing catches up with me.
Had used and still will for early season a light mod choke(also known as skeet 2 )
Allows me more confidence that when I finally get on the bird at 35 or 40 yards I still have a lethal pattern.
Have gone 7 for 8 shots since switching. 6 of those were dead before they hit the ground.

I also load my own with high quality nickel plated shot. Great penetration with little to no feather drag. Plenty of pellets do a full pass thru.
For what it costs to go hunting in general, spending the money on premium plated shot is a no brainer imho...I know a few here have a differing opinion....lol
 
Shooting modified/full. Copper coated. I’m convinced the sun’s angle combined with snow refraction divided by distance to the flush plus distance to the shot is throwing shots off. Don’t and won’t own a screw in choke gun. Gucci to say the least. Those things are the first step towards paying to hunt.
 
Tomahawker said:
Shooting modified/full. Copper coated. I’m convinced the sun’s angle combined with snow refraction divided by distance to the flush plus distance to the shot is throwing shots off. Don’t and won’t own a screw in choke gun. Gucci to say the least. Those things are the first step towards paying to hunt.
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I had no idea....where did you find this info?
If it's from a Montana source I would have to question the veracity of what constitutes borderline blasphemy...
 
In range can be an issue in winter - snowy settings. Last week all three birds I took the day I was out flushed under point no further than 10 feet from me. I still try to contemplate how I could not see any one of them in that snowy quagmire of cover.

I try to underdress because I know I will get warm, but I see plenty of guys in thick coats and gloves on ... their ability to get on the bird and pull the trigger has to be delayed. Couple in the exhaustion from post holing through snow drifts and getting the gun on target is just a bit tougher too.

Between birds two and three in the bag I had a point on a near "double" rooster flush. One flushed and then to my surprise a second one flushed 5 seconds later from the same spot. Two shots missed on bird one ... one shell one miss on bird two. I was a bit tired by then ... I am staying with that excuse.

I shoot Federal #5s. I will shoot a little higher velocity shell if I remember to have them along. Downed birds in December are being found on the same pace (most dead) as last year. Have not lost a bird yet this year.

I rarely take a poke at birds flushing too far out except for a couple that I noted in a separate thread.
 
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BRITTMAN said:
In range can be an issue in winter - snowy settings. Last week all three birds I took the day I was out flushed under point no further than 10 feet from me. I still try to contemplate how I could not see any one of them in that snowy quagmire of cover.

I try to underdress because I know I will get warm, but I see plenty of guys in thick coats and gloves on ... their ability to get on the bird and pull the trigger has to be delayed. Couple in the exhaustion from post holing through snow drifts and getting the gun on target is just a bit tougher too.

Between birds two and three in the bag I had a point on a near "double" rooster flush. One flushed and then to my surprise a second one flushed 5 seconds later from the same spot. Two shots missed on bird one ... one shell one miss on bird two. I was a bit tired by then ... I am staying with that excuse.

I shoot Federal #5s. I will shoot a little higher velocity shell if I remember to have them along. Downed birds in December are being found on the same pace (most dead) as last year. Have not lost a bird yet this year.

I rarely take a poke at birds flushing too far out except for a couple that I noted in a separate thread.
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What are you, some kind of pheasant hunting God.
 
Mostly a combination of luck and perseverance mixed in with touch of experience and decent dogs.

But let me share that experience can also cut against you - sometimes you pass on opportunities because you have been down that road before or you say been there done that and/or not again. That and age where grinding snow filled cattails on public land is a younger man's game.

Bob Peters is in a good place - still driving for every new opportunity and adventure awaits.
 
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