Day 3 Final day SD Report, and the answer

519vx

Member
Well, the last day is here. Ive had a great trip so far, but the dogs and I are tired. My older dog tore a nail on her front pad in the field at the end of the day yesterday, so she?s done. Though she?s in pretty good physical condition, the heat and hours afield have taken their toll on my younger dog, but we are still going to do one more hunt before we start heading east toward home.

I head north toward a ditch I found last year and that I had scouted yesterday. I get there and as I opened the truck door, birds started to flush. My wife Kathy decided to stay in the truck with the older dog while I hunted the younger one. The stretch of ditch that is really good is only about ? to ? mile long. The birds seem extra spooky here, I?m sure they have been hunted as they are jumpy and flushing a long way out. One would jump, and 3 or 4 more would then jump. The immediate area had a combination of cut and standing crops. Most flew into a standing sunflower field. By the time I worked as far as I wanted to, I?d guess somewhere around 50 or more birds flushed. It is a good spot, but none were in the bag. Its already warm out and the pup isn?t hunting her best, so I decide to call it good for this trip and end the hunt.

I take my hat off and wave it to my wife back at the truck so she can drive down the overgrown section road to pick me and the dog up. She doesnt come. What the heck? I motion again, nothing, so I start walking back toward her. As I start to get closer, she starts pointing to the left side of the ditch. Hmm. I bet another bird came in behind me while I was hunting down the road. The dog and I get back into hunt mode. The wind is blowing the wrong way and the dog wants to hunt into the wind, not downwind which is the way the ditch laid out. She finally started hunting where I wanted her and quickly picked up scent. About 10 feet later, she flushed a gorgeous rooster. He flew out of a clump of tall grass across a picked bean field. I really took my time and lined up on him. I squeezed and he dropped. He hit the ground, bounced a little, and took off like a rocket running. My dog was on him at first visually, but he cut across some rows and she lost him so went to scenting. I put my gun down and walked out to see if I could see him. Despite the warm, dry, and breezy conditions, she picked up on the scent and followed that to a small woodlot with tall grass around an abandoned house. Two more different birds flushed close as soon as she hit the edge of the grass/trees. She ran back and forth but was overstimulated with all the scent, and we were unable to locate bird.

I called her off and walked back to the truck. The hunt was now over and it didn?t end the way I had wished. My wife saw the whole thing and asked what happened. I shook my head and said I just wasn?t sure?that I?d never had these problems with hard hit birds that I couldn?t recover. My shots seemed to be ?on? and the shells were fresh, I had just bought them new the week before the trip. I reached into my vest and I took out one of the shells and held it. I looked at the shell and?.? WHAT? NO WAY!! The shell says STEEL on it? The shells look the same as the ones I usually use, high brass with dark red sleeve. So for the last three days Ive been shooting #6 STEEL loads? That explains plenty. Nearly all my shots were further out, where steel doesnt have the energy/penetration that lead does. That explains why the day before reddog said ?you rocked that bird, too bad he didnt come down?. It was completely my mistake. I bought the wrong ammo. It?s humbling enough to live that and live with the lost birds, it?s even more humbling to admit such a critical error that cost me birds. It seems like a (and frankly is) a dumb mistake, but hopefully others can learn from it.

All in all it was a great trip, and I got to spend some time with my dogs in pheasant mecca. Best of luck to anyone headed out there this fall.
 
Pups and the prizes.

Endoftrip_zps8a305e37.jpg
 
Awesome 519, thanks for sharing! Hate to hear of the ammo debacle. I know how much is ps's me off when I do something like that, but when it sticks in your craw this much, you tend to never repeat the mistake.

It sounds like you're getting yourself set up very nicely for future years in SD:thumbsup:

And for the detailed reports you shared:10sign:
 
pheasants lost

I have absolutely crushed birds in South Dakota only to have them run of and not be found. I learned my lesson and shoot nothing but 12ga 3 inch magnum with 4 or 5 shot. Cut down on the losses.
 
I hunt almost every day and have not lost a bird yet to my 20 ga--shoot them in the head--hunted opening weekend with a 28 ga and did loose 1 bird--I just pass on the long shots or other ill advised shots. When you shoot for the heads you sometimes miss but if ya hit them up front they die.

TRUTH IS SHOOT WHAT YOU ARE COMFORTABLE WITH---a properly placed load of 4's 5's or 6's will do the job no matter what ga they come from :cheers:
 
I hunt almost every day and have not lost a bird yet to my 20 ga--shoot them in the head--hunted opening weekend with a 28 ga and did loose 1 bird--I just pass on the long shots or other ill advised shots. When you shoot for the heads you sometimes miss but if ya hit them up front they die.

TRUTH IS SHOOT WHAT YOU ARE COMFORTABLE WITH---a properly placed load of 4's 5's or 6's will do the job no matter what ga they come from :cheers:

Jim, did you change your AVITAR? That is a nice one. I still have not made it up your way yet but might do so one of these days. Nebraska taught me a good lesson again last weekend. All The Best!
 
Jim, did you change your AVITAR? That is a nice one. I still have not made it up your way yet but might do so one of these days. Nebraska taught me a good lesson again last weekend. All The Best!

Did you share a report in another sub-forum about your recent trip to NE? I'd like to read about it:)
 
Sounds like a rifle shot.

I can assure you that it wasn't a "rifle shot". Help me understand why you would post that? Trying to raise your post count/status? :confused:

The best part of UPH is hunters helping other hunters. I put the lengthy posts up not only to tell my story, but to maybe help someone else out. Think of how great this board would be if we all did that...
 
I wasn't accusing you of using a rifle.

I could care less about thread count or status. Do not even know what those things are and do not want to know.

I shot with one eye closed for many years. Just like shooting a rifle. Now I shoot with both eyes open. Unless I am swinging through or pulling away, which I seldom do, the touch the trigger when the barrel hits my shoulder. Used to lose birds; now it is extremely rare.

Take a look at my past posts and you will know that I too try to be helpful. Nothing worse than heading home and knowing a bird is suffering out there because of me.
 
I hunt almost every day and have not lost a bird yet to my 20 ga--shoot them in the head--hunted opening weekend with a 28 ga and did loose 1 bird--I just pass on the long shots or other ill advised shots. When you shoot for the heads you sometimes miss but if ya hit them up front they die.

TRUTH IS SHOOT WHAT YOU ARE COMFORTABLE WITH---a properly placed load of 4's 5's or 6's will do the job no matter what ga they come from :cheers:

I'm with you Jim! I don't know exactly why, but presume I aim better with my 28 gauge. I wounded 3 roosters in one field a few years ago with my 12 gauge Copper 4's XX Magnums. Lucky the dogs caught up to them. With the darn 28 I have yet to have a runner. I know it will happen at some point, but really impressed how it knocks them down and out. It has to be that I am aiming and swinging better. So nice that i can carry shells and not feel that they are there as well....:cheers:
 
Jim, did you change your AVITAR? That is a nice one. I still have not made it up your way yet but might do so one of these days. Nebraska taught me a good lesson again last weekend. All The Best!

Not changed--just finally figured out how to reduce the size enough without making it look like it was taken in 1800. :D:D: cheers:
 
Great report! Just got back on Monday. Such a great state to hunt in. When we were out there the sent conditions were horrible! We lost at least 3 birds that we thought were stone dead. Really could have used some morning frost or a little rain. It happenes to the best of us.
 
Thanks!

I want to thank all you guys for the posts about your hunts! Not only do I enjoy the stories but I also learn something from each of them. I hope to put your experiences and what you learned to good use when I leave for my first hunt in SD in a week. Can't wait!:)
 
The Steel 6s is one you will never forget....I learned not to call the wife and have her pick me up a box of 6shot and to tell the bass pro guy that I want pheasant loads. Nope...got some dang teal loads.
 
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