12/23 pheasant report south central

[Bob Peters]

I mainly hunt public, but had permission on a good private spot for this region. Old farmstead surrounded by 80+/- that is cattail/bluestem mix with a few food plots. Driving down the long gravel driveway we saw a rooster flush on the field edge and right into the slough. We marked him down. Parking by the outbuildings, we began walking toward the first food plot, and as we got toward the end, all the birds were a ways down the fenceline and flushed into the slough, 8 or so hens and a couple roosters. We crossed into the cattails and went after the bird we saw while driving in, he flushed a little wild just out of reach. We walked towards the direction where the large group from the foodplot had landed, hoping to get on a rooster, but all we flushed were the hens. As we continued to one end of the slough, suddenly four roosters flushed from the cattail/canary grass edge and crossed the slough. We would choose to hunt a treeline and birds would flush out of the cattails or vice versa. On the far end of the property we split a chunk of blue stem and each took a dog. My buddy didn't walk up to the very corner when we started, and sure enough as we started walking down the line, a big colored up late season rooster flushed behind him on the edge of the bluestem and picked corn, cackling as he went. We marked him down in a thicket, chased him up again, and my buddy took two shots but didn't connect and he flew into a giant marsh. We took a break at the truck, and were talking to the landowner when we saw a rooster walking across the driveway, and when we all turned and looked he flew into the food plot we had started in. I walked down and posted while my buddy went down with his dog, first flushing two hens out, and then the rooster cackled flying away! I let 3 shells fly, fiocchi #4's high velocity (1330 I think), and I saw a pile of feathers knocked off him, but he kept flying. Finally I told my buddy this one small corner of the slough was a really good spot, and lets give it 10 minutes before we leave. I walked in the cattails with the dog. She was running on my right, and suddenly on my left a bird flushed damn near under my foot! I went to raise my gun but then I thought it was a hen. By the time I realized it was a rooster he was a ways out going straight away We never got a bird this trip, but we saw a pile. I really had a fun time. The roosters got the best of me, but it has happened before and it'll happen again. Funny how some trips we've only seen 2 roosters and shot 2 roosters. Other trips we've seen a dozen roosters but never get one. I will take another crack at these cocks before the season closes, and I'll let you know if I end up getting one. I love this sport.

 

[KSBrittman]

Thanks for sharing your hunt with us , sound like a great time . That’s what I am after to see birds and to see if Me and the dogs can outwit them .

Sounds like great habitat too !!!

 

[Bob Peters]

I walked down and posted while my buddy went down with his dog, first flushing two hens out, and then the rooster cackled flying away! I let 3 shells fly, fiocchi #4's high velocity (1330 I think), and I saw a pile of feathers knocked off him, but he kept flying.

I tried this same spot 8 days later, didn't see near as many birds. On the edge of the cattails in the general vicinity of where this bird had landed the dog sniffed him out. Frozen solid and nearly immaculate. I took him home for an autopsy. Peeled the skin back and there were two pellet holes in the upper thigh, never could find the bbs, but probably ended up in the back half of the boiler room. I would have cooked him up, but a field mouse had chewed up the breast meat.