Best week to hunt pheasant in your state?

J

JackFlush

New member
If you could pick one week, and only one week, out of the season to hunt pheasants in your state, which week would that be? Why that particular week?

I often hear serious hunters like to avoid opening week, due to large crowds and sometimes less experienced traffic chasing a flush. Then as the season wears on, we have to contend with harsher weather conditions. So I guess that perfect week would fall somewhere in the middle, when crops are out or just been harvested.

I ask out of curiosity, but also because my work schedule doesn?t allow me to get out much, so I guess it helps to know that choice time and where. I recently moved to Minnesota from Washington State, so right now is decision time for me. I?m looking at states anywhere from Colorado and Montana to the Dakotas, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota and Nebraska.

Also as a new member to the forum, I am interested to hear about others? experiences in their respective states. Thanks for any input and good hunting!
 
Private land - opening weekend. It is usually super productive because the birds haven't been educated yet.

Public land - a bad weather day. Keeps the part timers out of the field and the birds hold tight.
 
When the combines are rolling it is time to go. First week of November is typically very good in the MN/SD/ND corn belt.
 
I like the first week in November as well here in SD. Usually all the fair weather folks have packed it in for the year. If you can go during the week I hardly ever see another person hunting. Added bonus is you can start at 10 am. That being said, if I knew when the first snow was going to fall that would be the day and week I choose. It really throws the birds for a loop.
 
For me in wisconsin its Halloween weekend. The weather is usually pretty nice still and the fields are not as crowded do to parties football games and trick or treat.

Remtech
 
in MN ND & SD its after the crops are out so like oct.31 untill deer season so say till nov. 10-20 or depending on state... so last wk of oct-nov 20 is prime.... pick any 5-7 days in that time frame & u should be happy...

dont let the guys who say its no thing to hunt during rifle deer fool you its still not a very smart time to be hunting i was in SD during rifle deer east river opener it was nuts guys driving trucks all over in fields chase n deer etc. if u find a area not open 4 deer or rifles ur golden...
 
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BigRand said:
I like the first week in November as well here in SD. Usually all the fair weather folks have packed it in for the year. If you can go during the week I hardly ever see another person hunting. Added bonus is you can start at 10 am. That being said, if I knew when the first snow was going to fall that would be the day and week I choose. It really throws the birds for a loop.
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I too like to shoot in fresh snow. It knocks down the cover, the birds bunch up in shelter belts and tend to hold tighter. Lots of fair weather guys stay home. The problem in being there the morning after the snow fall. In Kansas, if you are lucky, its usually just around Thanksgiving or so. But lately snow has been hard to come by.
 
I really don't know? This is from a person who lived in the middle of the hunting (Chamberlain SD).
I've seen a harsh snowfall come through and kill many birds. Sad. There is no such thing as a quaint snowfall out on the prairie.
It is interesting to see the drop off in hunters after opening week or two. Much public land is very open after that. The hunters who do come. They are much better at hunting and they have dogs.
Maybe any holiday week would be best?
I'll be nice and not discuss what I've seen opening weekend. Private land is where it's at, then.
 
You can have opening weekend public I am too old to play in that circus. I run Labs so the snow is where it is at. I prefer first couple weeks in december. Colder the better. You have to hunt smart at that time. Even after all these years and hundreds of hrs chasing them, a flush of a couple roosters out of some snow filled cattails gets me going.
 
Opening weekend if you have private ground, first week or two of December if you're hunting public. I like it right around 40 degrees with a little bit of a North wind. You guys can have the snow, I really don't care for it. Most of my hunting places are an hour or two away, it makes travel too difficult. I enjoy seeing our dogs work running birds anyhow, snow just messes things up.
 
Colorado's opener is usually a zoo so I like hunting during the week following the opener and the first couple snow storms. Late season in Colorado, Kansas and Nebraska can be great. Birds are concentrated in the heavier cover next to food like corn or stripped wheat fields and there's often a little snow to help see tracks in.
 
The week before hunting season actually opens. :eek: I jest. But an uncle, long gone who was a Kansas farm boy, told me that he was once asked by a game warden if he ever hunted during the regulation season. My uncle said he told the warden, "Sometimes."

I like snow on the ground which I cannot recall ever in the opening week. The best day of pheasant hunting I have had in recent years was the last day, January 31st, of the 2012-13 season, and it was good because of snow.
 
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Amazing intel, thanks everyone! Really awesome information. Appreciate it. I can't wait to get out. Weather is finally turning cool in Minnesota. Fall is here.
 
u can save lots of time & $$$ jack flush if u just focus on hunting MN we have lots of land & birds to be discovered if u take the time to look... SD is always worth going anytime...

snow sucks if u gotta drive around & if ur dog dont like wearing boots ice on pads & ice crusted snow/lakes tear up dogs pads... after 1st few days after crops out is hard to beat...
 
After the crops are down second week in November. Just as the temperature drops. Usually I like it at about 30-40 degrees.
 
In ND, I like hunting thanksgiving and Christmas weeks, love hunting with snow on the ground and birds bunched up. Sometimes getting around can be tuff. But you never see any other hunters out during those times. Which is a huge plus in my book. Plus never have any issues getting permission that time of year, from farmers.



Great question!!!
 
Good advice, Munsterlander. Thanks. I grew up south of Chicago and there were some hard winters, but from what I hear, nothing to compared to out here.
 
I like the five days either side of November 10 for both MN or SD. Crops are generally out or going out. Often no permanent snow cover. Weather is typically manageable. The birds are getting educated and are able to use all types of cover.

IMO the above factors make for a fun and challenging hunt. Lots of opportunity to read cover, work out patterns and develop a versatile dog & hunting partner.

This is also a good time to be in SD with the chance to experience a big push of waterfowl through the landscape. Very few things as awesome as chasing roosters with all of the visual & audible stimulation of a huge waterfowl migration happening all around you.
 
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