Goosemaster
Well-known member
I think 1980 they changed it.
Hunting solo tactics
- Thread starter Goosemaster
- Start date
AKSkeeter
Well-known member
I hunt solo almost exclusively. Just me and my dog.
Rarely is my flushing dog within shotgun range as I am silently positioning myself way in front of the birdy dog.
I have about 20 spots I rotate through and I think memory of what worked in the past at each spot helps.
For example, yesterday I hunted a large area where the roosters typically flush wild across a river to heavy cover.
Then I used a canoe to cross the river and hunted that heavy cover. This has worked well in the past.
Also I am a quiet as possible, quiet pants, no nagging the dog, etc.
1) Steep slopes
In my areas, steep slopes are common and roosters typically run uphill.
So I try to position myself up slope and in front of the dog tracking a rooster.
2) Cattails
Same with cattails, I listen to the direction the dog is tracking and stay
way in front as silently as possible.
3) Riparian shrubs
In river bottoms, my strategy is to jump shoot mallards going upstream.
With the dog at heel and me slowly walking, roosters run
and hide in thick shrubs at oxbow bends.
Then on the way downstream, I release the lab at the start of the oxbow shrubs,
and immediately run to position myself at the other end.
Typically a rooster will flush across or downstream and I am in position for the shot.
Rarely is my flushing dog within shotgun range as I am silently positioning myself way in front of the birdy dog.
I have about 20 spots I rotate through and I think memory of what worked in the past at each spot helps.
For example, yesterday I hunted a large area where the roosters typically flush wild across a river to heavy cover.
Then I used a canoe to cross the river and hunted that heavy cover. This has worked well in the past.
Also I am a quiet as possible, quiet pants, no nagging the dog, etc.
1) Steep slopes
In my areas, steep slopes are common and roosters typically run uphill.
So I try to position myself up slope and in front of the dog tracking a rooster.
2) Cattails
Same with cattails, I listen to the direction the dog is tracking and stay
way in front as silently as possible.
3) Riparian shrubs
In river bottoms, my strategy is to jump shoot mallards going upstream.
With the dog at heel and me slowly walking, roosters run
and hide in thick shrubs at oxbow bends.
Then on the way downstream, I release the lab at the start of the oxbow shrubs,
and immediately run to position myself at the other end.
Typically a rooster will flush across or downstream and I am in position for the shot.
Last edited:
BritChaser
Well-known member
As barren as most harvested fields are these days, hunt in unfarmed cover near feeding areas. Also, in a patch of CRP say, start at a corner of the down wind side and walk across the wind toward the opposite down wind corner. That will put any scent trails across the dog's nose. When the dog turns into wind, follow.
Goosemaster
Well-known member
I agree with this,getting up ahead of the dog can help.I hunt some places where scouting really helps,and the weather plays into where birds are.
Goosemaster
Well-known member
My dog always barks if I get a bird, or when she gets out of the car, always has.
Goosemaster
Well-known member
You never know what kind of critter might be in those cattails!
Tomahawker
Active member
Walked a strip of crp solo deer hunting last week. It was quiet and I was being quiet. I walked right into 5 roosters and 2 hens. All erupted within 20 ft of me. I thought, who needs a dog running around making a racket? That being said, the best way I’ve always known to see pheasants is to go deer hunting and vice versa.
gimruis
Well-known member
This is why I emphasize the importance of "making no noise" when pheasant hunting. You wouldn't make a racket walking to your deer stand or turkey blind, why let all the pheasants know you're coming or you're there. Simple logic folks
Goosemaster
Well-known member
They always know when I'm there.My dog barks.
Goosemaster
Well-known member
Today I hunkered down and got 2 pass shooting like ducks.My dog was 300 yards ahead.
Goosemaster
Well-known member
Not making noise is very difficult for me.My dog barks.In nice weather, public land pheasant are very difficult to get a shot.My strategy, or fortune, is having a stealthy dog.
I'm an outlier when it comes to not making extra noise, talking to the dog, etc. I figure they will hear us coming just by the noise we make the in cover. If they want to flush wild or want to run, I feel they are going to do that when they hear us walking.
I also record my hunts, so I am talking to the camera. In some cases, that might be a trade off, where even I might be a little more quiet if not for the camera. I guess I've just mellowed enough, and it is an acceptable trade-off, and more fun for me to be more relaxed about it. If I am hunting with others who have a different belief about talking, then I'll respect their wishes and reduce the volume and quantity of my talking, even if I don't have the same belief about the effect it has on the birds.
When I am hunting with others, if they are less experienced hunters, or the lighting conditions make it difficult to identify the birds, I'll help them by yelling hen or rooster. The more wind there is, the louder I'm yelling, because it can be darn hard to hear each other in 20+ mph wind sometimes. When I am by myself, I'll still sometimes say "hen", as reinforcement for the dog to let the bird go, and as an explanation to her of why I didn't shoot.The camera has a wide field of view, so birds get smaller really fast on the videos. By explaining that it was a hen, or what was going on with the bird, why I didn't shoot, etc., it helps my target audience. My target audience is future generations of hunters in my family, or younger hunters in general, if they get any value or fun out of watching the videos someday.
The reason why I say a stealthy dog is a benefit, is because they can cause some birds to hunker down instead of fleeing, if they aren't making a lot of noise when they get closer to the bird. In some situations, depending on the cover, my dog can be more catlike, and avoid making noise in the cover too. I feel that if a dog gets closer to a bird without the bird realizing the dog has located them, then when the bird does realize it, they might feel the dog is too close to try to make an escape and they might try to hunker down instead. This might happen more often with younger birds than the wise, older birds, by the very fact that the ones who hunker down are more likely to be taken out of the population faster.
If you have a dog that is stealthy when they get close to the bird, then it gives you extra time to get closer. Of course, that's up to the personality/instincts of the dog somewhat, and generally implies a pointer (more on this below). Getting them on a lot of birds when they are young can enforce more of that. If they have a teamwork mentality and it clicks that their job is to locate the birds and the hunter's job is to shoot the birds, so the dog can get the bird, that's ideal. More bird contacts helps with them figuring this out and helps with them knowing how stealthy they need to be when closing in on the birds, to keep the birds from fleeing.
I'll take this one step further. Not everyone has this ability, but if you have a dog that has a lot of drive and is a general purpose hunter/versatile breed, I feel that allowing them to hone their hunting skills on chipmunks, squirrels, moles, tweety birds, etc. when they are young and/or in the off season is a benefit. If you have a place to take them to where they can roam safely and be part of nature, great. If you have some land around your house, and you can let them roam safely, even better.
When I hunted flushers, I just had to watch closely and get to the dog quickly when they were getting birdy. Keeping them closer obviously helps. When the flushers weren't staying as close, bye bye birdy. It is definitely a different game with flushers, but I feel if you create a strong bond between the two of you, regardless of the dog's instincts and heritage, it is only going to help you when hunting.
As for strategy on how to work the field, I'll sometimes try to keep myself between the birds and heavier cover where they might be more likely to head towards. Or I'll keep a mental note of what direction earlier birds are flushing and try to use that to my advantage. The windier it is, if we are working cross wind, I'll follow the dog parallel, and a greater distance down-wind, so I have more time for a shot on a wild flush.
Working directly into the wind, when it is really windy, for walk up flushes, is always a bit iffy, because they can head downwind instantly. Not much to do there, except to be ready to pivot with each step taken. Some might approach them from the front of the dog. I don't do that, because the bird might be further than we think. Also, when windy, I would be giving the bird easy excuse to fly with the wind. By coming from the downwind side, at least I have a chance they will fly into the wind, even if just briefly.
My dog is very staunch when the bird is close. She is waiting for me to make a move. I'll sometimes try to get her to release with commands, but most of the time, I've found it works better to kick the cover before getting to where the bird is, in the hopes she'll break the point and pounce. That might not be the textbook way to do it, but it is what works best for me, rather than being right on top of the bird when it flushes, or having it flush behind me.
I try to find areas to hunt that other hunters might not be as likely to hunt. Maybe the way the roads are arranged, it is harder to get to that access. Or maybe there is a strip of cattails and/or water you have to walk through to get to higher ground on the other side that is surrounded by private land. Maybe it is just a matter of having to walk to a far, back corner (surrounded by private land), and others may not want to walk that far. In the winter, it might be a matter of snowed in/drifted roads that others won't drive on/walk on, that lead to the public land.
This may ruffle some feathers, but I think public land birds are *much* more challenging than private land birds. That doesn't mean I won't hunt private land birds, if given the opportunity, but I just view them completely differently. Similarly, when I get together, annually, with friends who come to town, who don't have the time or endurance for wild bird hunting, at a game farm, I view that completely differently. If I were to put them on a scale of challenge, it would be something like this:
(Game Farm/Preserve Birds)-----------(Private Land Birds)---------------------------------------------------------------------------(Public Land Birds)
If that didn't come out right due to viewing on a phone:
Level of challenge (on a scale of 1 to 10):
Game Farm/Preserver Birds - 1 to 2
Private Land Birds - 2 to 3
Public Land Birds - 9 to 10
Caveat: If the private land birds are hunted every day, then they are going to behave more like public land birds. I'm talking about private land birds that aren't hunted or are hunted occasionally or rarely.
I'll poke the bear even more. The percentage of public land birds who are 10s *might* be higher in Minnesota or Iowa (or other states) than South Dakota, if we include *all* public properties in the pheasant range, because there are fewer public acres and fewer birds, so they get pressured more.
When it comes to hunting these challenging birds on public land, I guess the biggest thing, for me, is to set my expectations appropriately. Some birds are going to flush wild, some birds will have already been pushed to private land or deeper into the cattails, and we are going to have to work harder and longer for the birds we do get. Perseverance and a positive attitude go a long way.
All the above is my personal opinion and experiences. Others may have different beliefs and experiences and I respect those.
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Goosemaster
Well-known member
I don't use a collar,but yeah it does annoy me.My 11 year old lives to hunt.
I've never looked at the map for public land in Montana. Are they highly pressured there due to too many people hunting too few spots?
Hunthemup
Active member
Goosemaster
This is back in the 70s and things have change. Back then I hunted solo often, and I followed the dog (trusted the dog- GSP). However after many failed attempts, the farmer who's land I usually hunted gave me an advise. "get a helium red ballon and tie it to your belt loop high in the sky. Then those devil birds will hesitate exposing themselves and may hold more, as predator is the sky is danger. IT Worked more often than not.
Goosemaster
Well-known member
There is some public hunting in Montana,but not like Dakota.It is hunted heavily.
Goosemaster
Well-known member
What?Goosemaster
This is back in the 70s and things have change. Back then I hunted solo often, and I followed the dog (trusted the dog- GSP). However after many failed attempts, the farmer who's land I usually hunted gave me an advise. "get a helium red ballon and tie it to your belt loop high in the sky. Then those devil birds will hesitate exposing themselves and may hold more, as predator is the sky is danger. IT Worked more often than not.