swellcat
Member
Where . . . ?
South Central in a grass field bordered by milo on one end and corn on the other. Time of day was late morning to mid-afternoon.
The birds were making good use of deer trails. At one point, a buck and a rooster jumped up together.
I'd read about pheasants "doubling back," so it was interesting to be able to see in the fresh snow how they moved . . . which included some sharp, cut back turns of around 135°.
Most flushes came after the hunter stopped moving. The zig-zag and pause advice seems pretty right-on . . . at least for the situation and conditions of that late season day.