1st Year of Hunting Pheasant

M

mhknox

New member
Hi,
Im slowly getting back into hunting, I want to try my luck with pheasants this year and was planning on using the Walk In Areas in and around Weld County. Is this a good idea, I was looking at harvest stats and it seems most of the birds harvested in the state come from Yuma County. Is weld county worth my time? Any information would be helpful, Thanks
Matt
 
I just moved here 2 years ago and last year was my first year chasing pheasants here in Colorado. The WIA's in Weld County did ok for me last year. I like to try different areas through out Eastern Colorado and I for one am happy with the opportunities that most of the WIA's had to offer in all of the Counties I hunted. People say the further East the better it gets, but I think birds are where you find them for the most part. Yea, maybe Yuma county has more birds as a whole, but lots of people are there too. Tough to hit a field that hasn't been combed over until later in the year when people get shy of the cold.
 
My advice would be to keep heading east. There are birds in Weld, but there's a good reason folks hunt Phillips & Yuma!

The WIA can produce all year. If you find a good spot, be ready to walk in at the first legal minute you can shoot. Doesn't take more than one or two parties through a corner before the birds are gone for the day, but if you're the first one through you can have some luck.

The Late Cropland atlas is now posted at the DOW's website. Take it out in the next week or two and do some scouting.

Lastly, and I know not everyone has this luxury - the WIA are way more productive mid-week when they're not getting tromped do death by weekend warriors!

Good luck!
 
I would go further east as well. I try to go for WIA that is off of the beaten path, and off by itself. Also, I like hunting the really big fields. Face it, most people are lazy. When they walk a quarter mile out into a field, and they don't find any birds, they turn around to find another spot. When I hunt the bigger fields, I head straight to the far corners. In non-drought years, I have had good luck in CRP with thick cover - which might prove to be difficult to find this year.

Also, I might have an idea where I want hunt before I go, but many times I just drive around looking for WIA signs, stop the truck and get out, instead of looking for the perfect field. Many times it seems like "the perfect field" is imprinted in everyone's mind and those fields get hunted the most.
 
go farther east
northeast and southeast,alot of the swa's along U.S. 50 never see hunters nowadays. its pretty droughty down there the last few years but theres a lot of irrgated farm land along some of those swa'.
my experience,pheasant hunting in CO. requires alot more pheasant hunting than pheasant shooting.
 
I don't know where to hunt in CO, but I did want to mention that I envy you and wish you the best of luck in your first season. It sure is fun learning how to play this game. It's such a challenge at times, but "success" can be achieved! Finding your first bird on your own is a priceless moment. Then you find another and you think you really got the thing figured out. Then you hunt for the next 10 years and sometimes you get into 'em, sometimes you don't. You then realize you may never have 'em truly figured out;):D

Enjoy the season bud!
 
My first year of pheasant hunting was less than stellar. Half of it was getting over the "startle" when a rooster popped up and cackled!

My reaction was basically !!!:eek:!!!

:laugh:

The misses were followed by Dakota giving me the stink eye and me saying "Dude, I'm sorry!"
 
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