How's the season so far?

K

KansasGsp

Active member
Just checking in to see how everyone's season is going? Don't need locations or even parts of the state. For me and the couple guys I hunt with it's been a struggle to put birds in the truck. We've hunted 5 days now and it's been the worst year I can remember. Usually we don't have many problems getting into birds but this year we're not seeing many and the few we are seeing are wild as all heck. Went Friday for half a day (to an area that usually is pretty decent) and didn't pull the trigger. Been a long time since I've hunted and haven't pulled the trigger. We are getting into a few quail but quail just don't do it for me like pheasant! My son (12 years old) did get his first wild pheasant this year so that was a blessing, but other than that it's been pretty bleak so far. How about the rest of you guys?
 
Conditions since opening day have been unavailing except for a small area in SW that had a bit of snow. Not sure if that helped there or not - not where I hunt.
 
I've been out once in Kansas, between weather, a bout with COVID and other trips, I just haven't had time for my normal forays into my home state. That one time I was out, I was chasing quail in Northeast KS, saw no quail, shot 3 roosters between 8 and noon and called it a day. I'm having trouble motivating to get out west based on what I'm hearing from my friends and family...
 
I'm also having a pretty lean season. Numbers seem to be about the same, maybe even up a little, but the birds are very spooky. I'm also shooting poorly, which doesn't help. And my dog is retrieving poorly, which is even worse. I haven't had a season this frustrating in years.

I got out in the snow last Thursday with grand aspirations of points, kills, maybe even a limit. One rooster got up in range and I missed it twice. There were plenty of hens, but the roosters gave me the slip. I'm pretty sure I was walking over them. My dog did find two small whitetail bucks though. Both allowed us to approach to rock-throwing range. One even stopped to stare at us, still in rock-throwing range. I think he really wanted us to leave so he could go back to his nice sunny bed.

While deer hunting on Saturday I heard plenty of cackling and saw lots of hens, so there's hope for the rest of the season.
 
Shot a limit on Sunday the opening weekend and shot a limit the second Saturday of the season , and shot a double on pheasants the 3 rd Saturday of the season .

One of the areas we hunt lost 5 quarter sections of CRP , we will see a negative trend in that area , Quail numbers are pretty decent in the areas we hunt .
 
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I’d say numbers have been about the same as last year for me. Hunted several different areas and found birds in them all. Will agree that weather hasn’t been prime and birds have seemed spooky at times but I’ve also had them hold extremely tight a couple times as well. Averaging about 2.3 birds a day so far and that includes a couple of days with poor shooting. Could be pushing 3 a day if I’d learn to shoot better.
 
Three of us hunted after the Chiefs win yesterday, went to a piece of private ground. My Elhew EP died on October 26th (13 years) so being without a pointing dog this season we are back to fundamentals of hunting, lots of walking and covering as much ground as possible when we hunt. We do have two dogs that have stepped up their game on findings (dead bird) and retrieves. This has been a good year here so far, watching the size of those covies hopefully the rest of this year and upcoming seasons. Always trust the dog as Prairie Drifter quotes! (True)

Ty 5 quail (2 doubles)
Brett 2 quail (First Shot)
Uncle 0 quail (Shot at 3 quail 0-5)

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I don't do photos and I sure as hell don't give out locations....but that said, I will say the season has been better than I expected here in ks.
Getting limits on roosters most times out and a smattering of bonus quail......don't be afraid to push though those huge crp fields by yourself IF you got a good dog...I always find a few that will stick..
Good luck out there....
 
We had a long discussion several years ago about hunting large CRP fields solo. It is my preferred method of hunting and has been for 40 years. I kill most of my roosters in large fields by myself, especially in the late season. The thicker and taller the grass the better with some wind. Going solo allows you to be so much more quieter which is the key to pheasant hunting along with walking into the wind.
 
We spent a few days last week in mixed bag country. I would say last year the pheasants were doing better than this year, and quail were down last year compared to this year. We saw less pheasants in the field, but saw more birds along the road than usual. Could have been the warmer weather early last week and we did maybe a little more driving. We were seeing decent numbers of quail and healthy sized coveys. 15 to 20 birds was not uncommon. Then the last day we moved a little to the east and saw just a few pheasants, but moved 10 coveys of quail. No covey below a dozen and some flushed were multiple coveys together. Sometimes put up 30 birds. Key is moving around and not being afraid to try new or ‘maybe’ spots. We did hunt mostly private land, but we saw birds on WIHA as well. Attached picture of typical pasture and sorghum(milo). Cover is a bit light here. There was more cover than last year, and last year there was plenty. The tulley reeds(phragmites) are really taking over the ditches and wet sloughs where we hunt. Great winter and escape cover, but rough!
In the picture my setter locked up and my brother-in-laws lab. Setter is not even 2 yet and was the stand out for our hunt. Has a death grip on the bird retrieve, but not destroying the bird. He was solid even with the lab jumping in front of him.
 

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This year has been much improved over last year in the same areas I hunted last year. I hunt 80% of the time on WIHA. 3 times since opening weekend I have limited out on pheasants on solo hunts but I wait until mid-week, don't start until around 10 am, use the wind and go to the middle of the biggest CRP patches I can find and just follow the dog quietly. I love hunting with a few close friends but there is something about the solitude and challenge for you and your dog on solo hunts.
 
Liv2hunt said:
This year has been much improved over last year in the same areas I hunted last year. I hunt 80% of the time on WIHA. 3 times since opening weekend I have limited out on pheasants on solo hunts but I wait until mid-week, don't start until around 10 am, use the wind and go to the middle of the biggest CRP patches I can find and just follow the dog quietly. I love hunting with a few close friends but there is something about the solitude and challenge for you and your dog on solo hunts.
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I'm curious about the 10 a.m. start. Let them eat and get back to their cover?
 
They typically are out of feed and back in loafing and protective cover by 10 which is the main reason. Another reason is many times the areas get pressure first thing in the morning. That doesn’t mean they don’t get hit all day but I have watched the most pressure, one group leaves and another follows shortly after, early in the am. Not to say my approach is right but it is working for me.
 
on my trip to Kansas last week, I never shot at a bird before 9:30 or 10. I was out 3 mornings in a row at legal shooting time and it just wasn’t productive. Was talking to a buddy who was hunting that same time and he had a similar experience.
 
Just got back last night from 4 days on the ground. We waited until 9-9:30 to get into the field and even then early in the week when it was cold an snow on the ground, the first field didn't produce until later. I'll post a few photo. Found more pheasant than quail.
 
Buddy and I are leaving next week for 4 days. Hoping for a repeat of this! From a couple years ago.
 

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Chessie 67 said:
on my trip to Kansas last week, I never shot at a bird before 9:30 or 10. I was out 3 mornings in a row at legal shooting time and it just wasn’t productive. Was talking to a buddy who was hunting that same time and he had a similar experience.
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This is an interesting phenomenon. Typically the roost field is my most consistent one but the last 2 days I’ve experienced the same thing. Only 3 hens in the two days out of a field that has been a consistent producer for several years and I believe sees little pressure. Ended up limiting out both days so I know there are birds in the area. Maybe they are leaving the roost in the cover of darkness?
 
Just got back from a 2 1/2 day trip. Got out there Friday evening in the 35 mph winds but ended up having a great quail hunt. Moved 15 coveys in 3 days. Where I go phez are few and far between. Lots of good dog work.
 
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