I took a 1/2 day off work to take Kepa out for a pheasant hunt on the waterfowl lease I signed up for. We arrived to the lease right at noon today and the weather was nice temp wise (60 degrees) but it was windy at around 25 mph.
Kepa and I started out on the southern end of the lease where the wind would be quartering toward or in our face. The field is crp planted with switch grass that has mowed paths every 100 yards or so, making it into 6 sections of cover. There are no food plots in it but it does have a big corn field boarding one side of it and the pumped “pond” with pits on one end.
We walked the first section without a flush or any action to speak of. Kepa didn’t even really get birdy either.
At the end we stopped for a quick drink and started back toward the Bronco walking the edge of the second section. Right away Kepa stared acting birdy dove into the cover and put up a hen. We continued on and not too much later Kepa got birdy again and flushed a rooster right in front of me that went right to left into the wind. One shot and the bird folded. I gave Kepa a few minutes and she came out off he switch grass with the rooster. I got a pic of her on the way in with the bird and gave her a drink after putting the rooster in my pouch.
We hunted back to the Bronco without any more excitement and I was wondering if we shouldn’t have started on the other end of the field. It was upwind but it was boarder by a picked corn field. So we loaded up on the Bronco and drove to the opposite end.
Once on the opposite side we walked the fence line. Kepa was birdy but not overly excited. Near the end of the field though her birdyness went way up and I could tell we definitely had a runner going up the field edge.
Just yards from the end Kepa slammed on the breaks, she had this one pinned. I walked up as the rooster flushed and angled out over the picked corn going straight away. I tried him twice with my 1187 missing both then as he caught the wind he turned hard left and my third shot (much to my surprise) folded him.
He fell into the corn field and Kepa made another nice retrieve.
We continued up the fence line and found a bunch of birds. One rooster got up well within range but took the wind and was out of range in seconds. I tried him twice and missed both shots.
With plenty of bird scent we pushed on and flushed hen after hen. Kepa was having a great time but no more roosters came up in range.
Kepa and I stopped back at the Bronco for a drink of water. Kepa was having fun but was also bleeding a bit around her nose and eyes from the cover so with Two roosters down and a third missed I called it a hunt.
A crappy weather forecast for this weekend has me staying home. Rain, sleet, snow with bitter cold and high winds is not my preferred weather to travel let alone hunt in. So post up your hunts from this weekend so I have something to read while watch football from the couch!!! Later Kevin and Kepa.
View attachment IMG_5228.jpegView attachment IMG_5228.jpeg
Kepa and I started out on the southern end of the lease where the wind would be quartering toward or in our face. The field is crp planted with switch grass that has mowed paths every 100 yards or so, making it into 6 sections of cover. There are no food plots in it but it does have a big corn field boarding one side of it and the pumped “pond” with pits on one end.
We walked the first section without a flush or any action to speak of. Kepa didn’t even really get birdy either.
At the end we stopped for a quick drink and started back toward the Bronco walking the edge of the second section. Right away Kepa stared acting birdy dove into the cover and put up a hen. We continued on and not too much later Kepa got birdy again and flushed a rooster right in front of me that went right to left into the wind. One shot and the bird folded. I gave Kepa a few minutes and she came out off he switch grass with the rooster. I got a pic of her on the way in with the bird and gave her a drink after putting the rooster in my pouch.
We hunted back to the Bronco without any more excitement and I was wondering if we shouldn’t have started on the other end of the field. It was upwind but it was boarder by a picked corn field. So we loaded up on the Bronco and drove to the opposite end.
Once on the opposite side we walked the fence line. Kepa was birdy but not overly excited. Near the end of the field though her birdyness went way up and I could tell we definitely had a runner going up the field edge.
Just yards from the end Kepa slammed on the breaks, she had this one pinned. I walked up as the rooster flushed and angled out over the picked corn going straight away. I tried him twice with my 1187 missing both then as he caught the wind he turned hard left and my third shot (much to my surprise) folded him.
He fell into the corn field and Kepa made another nice retrieve.
We continued up the fence line and found a bunch of birds. One rooster got up well within range but took the wind and was out of range in seconds. I tried him twice and missed both shots.
With plenty of bird scent we pushed on and flushed hen after hen. Kepa was having a great time but no more roosters came up in range.
Kepa and I stopped back at the Bronco for a drink of water. Kepa was having fun but was also bleeding a bit around her nose and eyes from the cover so with Two roosters down and a third missed I called it a hunt.
A crappy weather forecast for this weekend has me staying home. Rain, sleet, snow with bitter cold and high winds is not my preferred weather to travel let alone hunt in. So post up your hunts from this weekend so I have something to read while watch football from the couch!!! Later Kevin and Kepa.
View attachment IMG_5228.jpegView attachment IMG_5228.jpeg
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