Best ways to pinch birds in a draw?

[CO Hunter]

As I mentioned in a previous post, I have several fields (WIHA) that I’ve hunted over the last 5-10 years. I’ve seen some of the same escape routes used and since I typically hunt solo with my dog, I find that I’m often on the wrong side of the draw/thick stuff/plum thicket (insert any obstacle that makes a shot difficult or impossible!) when I have perhaps pinched the birds enough where they have to fly. I have found that typically without a blocker birds get up at the end of the draw and sometimes along the way depending on the cover.

Specifically for the fingers that offshoot a larger draw, I find that those areas present better shots because the cover is smaller and defined- bordered by cut field/winter wheat in some cases.

After all that...I guess my fundamental question is do you all think that walking a main draw then veering off into a side channel has likely pushed birds from the main draw into the finger or were the birds likely already in the finger and I just pushed them to the end? Or were they perhaps already at/near the end of the draw and have nothing to do but flush when I get close enough? If so, then a stealthy approach and “ambush” at the tip of the finger draw could be productive to outsmart a bird or 2 from their typical escape route. Or perhaps pushing the finger back into the main draw to change things up a bit? Has anyone tried to just forgo the linear walking pattern of a typical draw/finger to quietly approach an end or bisect a draw at a “birdy” feature such as plum thicket, change in cover, etc? It’s putting all the eggs in one basket as opposed to pushing cover with the hope that a bird or 2 holds tight enough for a shot somewhere between point A and B. I understand and use natural “blockers”- road, winter wheat, thin cover as much as possible to contain the birds....just trying to figure out if there is a “better” way of going about this.

I get the saying that you find birds where they are, but spooky public land birds can also be where they are because you just pushed them from where they were... That was more rambling than intended...while there are no absolutes, I’m just trying to better understand some different tactics to try to put to use. Thanks for the forum’s insight and expertise.

 

[BrownDogsCan2]

I think the bigger draws are travel routes. I don't think you normally push them out but have already filtered out into the surrounding grass or like you said smaller draws. If you look at the number of tracks if you have snow, there should be way more birds then you usually find and the dogs don't really get birdy like you have been pushing them.

 

[KSBrittman]

I would look at weather conditions and figure when they mainly use this cover .

I had acces to a private Crp feild that had a cattail patch in a draw about the size of normal size living room the cattail patch was at the top of the draw about 45yard off a grain feild , it had snowed overnight and I went to that spot the next morning with dog at heal very silent and out of site of it till I was almost in shooting range . Dog goes on point I have my newly restored model 12 lots of birds come out staggered flush 3 birds on the ground 20 minutes into. The hunt ,

 

[CO Hunter]

Thanks guys. I appreciate your thoughts. Yes, makes sense about the apparent pheasant “highway” when snow is present in some draws, even though my dog doesn’t get too fired up. I will certainly try the stealthy, at heal approach to some spots. For what it’s worth, I think these weedy draws are loafing cover- surrounded by wheat/corn/milo, that I typically hunt mid-day. I’ve been getting decent about finding the birds, but they give me the slip more times than not. It’s a fun chess match. Similar to reloading, the inner OCD comes out as I plot and scheme how to hunt it the next go around, which fingers crossed, will be next week. Thanks again.