How many Prairie Chicken hunt?

I have tried to hunt the early season a couple of times, but all I manage to find are pheasants, quail and turkeys! My dogs have pointed several flocks of PC during the phez hunt, but we haven't found any yet while looking for them in September. Maybe I am not looking far enough west or south???? I am sure we will give it a go this September as well.

Rut
 
Here are some pics of my hunts:

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You can see the stitches on her back leg, it ended our season a little early:
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Rut
 
Rut

I sucks with you get a dog hurt, happend to me Ace's first season.

If you have PC in the area you were showing, look for them more on top of the highest points in the area. Also way from the trees and power lines generally. The grass you are in may be a little on the thick side for early season chickens. BTW, the grass is generally thinner on the tops of the hills.

Good luck
 
SetterNut said:
That is too late in the season to get on them with a dog. Once they are in the large winter flocks, you can pretty well forget about getting close to them. That time of year you can hunt them by finding out where they are feeding, and setup on the edge of the field as they fly in.

That is fun, but not as much fun as shooting one over a pointing dog. Thats what the early PC season is for, bird dog hunters :cheers:
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wasnt hunting for pc's just pheasant hunting, happened to see one group flying across the road to feed, and the other group i saw later in the day flaying out in the distance of the field we were in
 
Ive always wanted to go early season but never have. Ive been trying to get one the past few years and was successful in the 2009-2010 season. Bagged a greater. Had a flock partially pointed on the back side of a hill and was lucky to poke one down about 30 yards away.

Have had some lessers hold pretty good for the dog in SW Ks but one thing or the other always screws it up, my bad shot, not shooting quick enough, or they are out of season.


Saw some very good flocks last year. Biggest flock I saw and had pointed by my dog no one would believe so I wont even mention it. Most of them flushed when my 2yo setter ran right through the middle of them in front of the 9yo dog. Still had 4 singles sit and hold in some taller grass, but my 2 yo ES screwed that up as well. She was so bat sh*t crazy over all the scent she flushed all of them running around like a mad woman before I could get there. All I could do was watch and enjoy the great dogwork by my old dog and laugh and curse the young one at the same time as I was hustling over.

The 9yo ES pointed the flock and the singles for me. I was about 400 yards away on the next hilltop and couldnt run over fast enough before my young dog figured the old one was pointing for a reason and messed it up. All I could do was watch, the 2 yo was by me when the 9yo pointed...I just couldnt beat her over there :D Hopefully this year she'll calm down a bit more. Took her out to a preserve in March and was very happy with the results. Hoping I can bag one or two this year. In her defense they were a new bird/experience to her this past season. I think she had about 10 or so experiences with them last year so hopefully after one or two finds she'll figure it out this year.

My biggest problem has been the little rockets eyes. Always too many eyes staring at you from the top of a hill and they tend to take off wild. Very rarely have I caught some in some taller grass where they couldnt see me coming. Those are the times they naturally will hold best.

Still on the hunt for a bagged lesser.
 
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KsHusker said:
Saw some very good flocks last year. Biggest flock I saw and had pointed by my dog no one would believe so I wont even mention it.

My biggest problem has been the little rockets eyes. Always too many eyes staring at you from the top of a hill and they tend to take off wild. Very rarely have I caught some in some taller grass where they couldnt see me coming. Those are the times they naturally will hold best.

Still on the hunt for a bagged lesser.
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I'm sure I would believe it if you mentioned it. As a child I got to see them in flocks of 200+ here in the Flint Hills (no, I didn't count each one for all you smart aces out there:rolleyes:) regularly. I wouldn't doubt if there were more in some flocks, especially when it got real cold. They'd come in for what seemed like minutes. We'd let 'em get passed our lines then start shooting them. This way we got to reload before they come back to scare 'em;)one last time. I'm sure they still exist in those #'s in localized areas where not every farmer for miles and miles burns every single year. Those #'s won't come back round here for awhile cuz these guys ain't gonna stop burning annually. I'm very happy voters decided there will be no wind generators in our county. That would've sent the population spiralling down even faster.

Yes, they're hard to sneak up on. Windy fall days may help a bit w/ the noise, but there isn't much can be done about those eyes when walking them up w/ dogs.

ME TOO! I've had a couple opportunities while pheasant hunting, but either wasn't prepared (by not checking season dates) or I hesitated to be sure it wasn't a hen pheasant. Chicken huntin' ain't EZ!!
 
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When hunting in combination where quail, pheasant, and prairie chicken exist together during the regular season, I agree it's very easy to be taken by surprise. My daughter had 3 dogs pointing into a hedgerow in SE Nebraska a couple of years ago with me on the otherside, birds got up, went her way, she didn't fire thinking they were hens, 35 prairie chickens or so where you least expect them! We all had the special permits too! Early season on open grasslands, it's easier to focus, but hen pheasants are still a challenge, because of their immaturity.
 
I have never hunted them with a dog inthe early season and don't know anyone who has. I have pass shot in the evening if we had access to a field we knew they were using, haven't done it in 15 years. Growing up in ND I used to love grouse season opening up in September and have been seriously looking at getting started looking for chickens in KS. Mostly to get the dog some early work and get out. The past 3 years I have seen nice size groups while pheasant hunting, mostly flying high mid-morning or so wild you can't even get close.
 
Last year on my first ever Kansas hunt,on the 3rd day I was hunting a field with a buddy and all of a sudden about 50-75 birds get up 30 yards in front of us, we had never seen a PC in our lives and I thought it was hens, 100 yards past that another flock of 50-75 birds get up together with at least 30 singles popping up left and right to catch up with them. We were shocked when we had learned what they really were! It was on a small WIHA. I have it marked in my book and on my GPS. I will sell the coordinates to the highest bidder! LOL! :D
 
ElectricShorthairs said:
Last year on my first ever Kansas hunt,on the 3rd day I was hunting a field with a buddy and all of a sudden about 50-75 birds get up 30 yards in front of us, we had never seen a PC in our lives and I thought it was hens, 100 yards past that another flock of 50-75 birds get up together with at least 30 singles popping up left and right to catch up with them. We were shocked when we had learned what they really were! It was on a small WIHA. I have it marked in my book and on my GPS. I will sell the coordinates to the highest bidder! LOL! :D
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$50 over here!
 
Love chasing them chickens.....I normally hunt them in KS. Both LPC and GPC during Pheasant Season. I change my hunting tactics last year in KS. I started hunting only the areas that I know have PC and hunt PH as a bonus bird. Had great luck last year being able to stay on these birds every day.

I remembered to take a picture of LPC in the field. Unlike the GPC I only have a picture of the mount.
 
The best part of PC hunting for me is it is the first season in the fall that I can get my Setter out on.

It is not a target rich enviornment around here, but we see a few. The early season is often pretty warm, and dry so it is tough on the dog. But the birds are still in small groups so get have a chance to get them pointed and shot.



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Later in the season is it is really tough to get the dog on them. They are in big flocks and they often fly before you and the dog are within 100 yards.
 
OKIEGunner said:
Love chasing them chickens.....I normally hunt them in KS. Both LPC and GPC during Pheasant Season. I change my hunting tactics last year in KS. I started hunting only the areas that I know have PC and hunt PH as a bonus bird. Had great luck last year being able to stay on these birds every day.

I remembered to take a picture of LPC in the field. Unlike the GPC I only have a picture of the mount.
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Gorgeous Mount!! Thanks for sharing!!
 
used to hunt them early in a place- 70 some miles NW of Wichita- pretty big open country- had a nice Britt who got out there aways- she caught on to pointing from a distance- I'd see her out there- come in on a fairly wide circle- sometimes some would hold- sometimes not- difficult bird to hunt with a pointing dog- but still more enjoyable than sitting where they fly to and from

not sure if these Britt's of mine woud do very well- they tend to lock up pretty close to pheasants- might try some though

pretty good way of cooking the breast fillets- like 5 birds
1/4 cup grape jelly
1 tbls Worchester sauce
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 cup butter
1 tsp salt
1 tbls soy sauce
1/2 tsp black pepper

place all ingredients except meat in a coffee cup & microwave for 1 min to melt butter- stir- pour 1/2 in baking dish 1/2 over fillets- bake at 350 degrees for 20 min or so

dip each bite in the sauce
 
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I may have to give that recipe a try. I was shocked how dark the meat is on a Prairie Chicken :eek:

It does take a dog pointing from a little more distance on average to get the chickens to hold here. Have had a few sit pretty tight, but the has been the exception rather than the rule.

I would guess that the average point last season was around 15 - 20 yards. A few shorter, but nothing inside 10 yards that I remember, that held.
It didn't take the dogs long to learn to be cautious around them.

But late in the early season after these birds had been hunted a few time, the birds were flushing wild at 50 - 100 yards from the dogs. I was pretty frustrating. During phez and quail season it was a waist of time for us to try to get on them, they just flushed wild in flocks.
 
I shot a prairie chicken in Kansas in November and could not find it. I looked for 20 minutes. It would have been my first pc in the bag. It was by itself and flushed at about 10 yards. I probably won't get that opportunity too often.
 
You run across them every once in a while later in the season.

But I usually think they are hen pheasants at first and don't realize what they are until it is too late :mad: :)
 
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