New hack: Will birds flock to me?

[Limitless]

Last week, I only bagged 13 birds in 5 days on public land in South Dakota. I have done some serious soul searching, as a result. What can I do to reach that upper echelon of rooster royalty? What more can I possibly do to hold court with the likes of @A5 Sweet 16 and @Golden Hour? Do I throw in the towel and retire from pheasant hunting?

I think I might have the solution. I can't make any guarantees, but I have a plan. I opened a late arriving birthday gift, and my clouded vision came into focus. The problem was clear. It wasn't what I was doing, it was who I was being. I can't just go pheasant hunting, I have to *be* a pheasant hunter.

Some would say you are what you eat. My purine intake and uric acid levels are probably already off the chart. So it can't be that. I am reminded of the saying, the clothes make the man. That must be my missing ingredient to the recipe that leads to the fabled pheasant nirvana.

This deficiency stops here and now! The evening before every hunt, the rest of January, I shall make myself into a new man by donning the final piece of the puzzle:

 

[Golden Hour]

The shirt is great and I'll assume you're already avoiding the grabass, fondue, gucci suburban short bus that inhibits so many pheasant hunters from reaching their full potential.

Question one - how many times have you looked at OnX or the SDGFP interactive public atlas today? A guy should be spending at least a half hour per day considering new frontiers to venture and eliminate the roosters that call those places home.

Question two - What is your snack of choice? First, you shouldn't need a snack as punging a limit should only take about 40 minutes. But for those special hunts and the ones taking longer than expected, keep a can of Vienna Sausages and some crackers and butter (good butter) handy to replenish your body and soul.

Otherwise, just obsess about hunting way more than would be considered normal and hunt the same.

 

[remy3424]

Don't sell yourself short, those fellas have a pile of shot birds, still intact in their freezers. They just pull 3 out a couple times a week, jump in the soccer mom van, pull up by some standing cover, drop the birds, some throw their shotgun in the snow also, for even more affect and snap some hero pics. Heck, give it a try!
I wish we had a BS section for these threads, news guys drop into some of these threads and that might be their last stop here.
Limitless, you are beginning to resemble some of Bob's posts....hope they aren't the same dude with 2 separate accounts! Sorry, I hope neither takes offense from that..
I will get me one of them bird hunting shirts at the truck stop next week....a double extra wide if anyone is looking for a birthday gift for me.

 

[Limitless]

I wish we had a BS section for these threads, news guys drop into some of these threads and that might be their last stop here.

I thought the whole website was a BS section?!

 

[remy3424]

I thought the whole website was a BS section?!

Thanks Bob.

 

[Bob Peters]

Limitless, you are beginning to resemble some of Bob's posts....hope they aren't the same dude with 2 separate accounts! Sorry, I hope neither takes offense from that..

None taken. I've now been accused of being goose(few months back) and Limitless! I'm not goose because I don't shoot a 28, I never been to the high Canadian, never hunted with my cousin, and wouldn't be caught dead ever owning a ski boat.

I'm not limitless because I've learned to shorten my posts, I don't have a weird sight on top of a Turkish gun, I don't hunt with a German dog, and he went 13 of 15. I would have went more like 10 of 15.

 

[Limitless]

I don't hunt with a German dog

Half English dog.

 

[A5 Sweet 16]

A shotgun you're in love with & good shells help.

Premier dog is a given.

Obsessing about pheasants & pheasant hunting both on & off season is a way of life.

Your vehicle matters very little, although an old Ford farm truck is definitely worth a few style points.

Fashion statement is important - hat, pants, sweatshirt, boots...your entire ensemble, ESPECIALLY the vest!

But I think at the end of the day, the most beneficial attribute of the truly insane pheasant hunter is motivation. You must want to win! To BEAT PHEASANTS! Yes, on a daily basis. But you want your last thought before checking out to be....they were bastards; they may have won a few battles; but through it all....I'm pretty sure I won the war.

 

[Goosemaster]

When I was out there,I saw a few grabass groups surrounding cattails and I realized my solo hunting style is better.

 

[Limitless]

When I was out there,I saw a few grabass groups surrounding cattails and I realized my solo hunting style is better.

How many were in each of those groups?

 

[Weimdogman]

Last week, I only bagged 13 birds in 5 days on public land in South Dakota. I have done some serious soul searching, as a result. What can I do to reach that upper echelon of rooster royalty?

Do you enjoy cooking and eating pheasant?
I fed pheasant tortilla soup to my pf committee members last night. I am now cooking off some pheasant that I plan to serve as Chinese Chicken. Butter seasalt garlic and black pepper as the pheasant and some diced colored peppers cook up now. Stirring and chopping with a wooden spatula. I will refrigerate this mixture and take out and shred up before reheating. Add some BWW Azian Zing sauce diluted with orange juice and honey. Serve over steamed rice noodles.

I love eating pheasant. I love hunting pheasants with my dogs.

 

[Limitless]

Do you enjoy cooking and eating pheasant?
I fed pheasant tortilla soup to my pf committee members last night. I am now cooking off some pheasant that I plan to serve as Chinese Chicken. Butter seasalt garlic and black pepper as the pheasant and some diced colored peppers cook up now. Stirring and chopping with a wooden spatula. I will refrigerate this mixture and take out and shred up before reheating. Add some BWW Azian Zing sauce diluted with orange juice and honey. Serve over steamed rice noodles.

I love eating pheasant. I love hunting pheasants with my dogs.

I am pretty boring when it comes to cooking them, but I do enjoy eating them, as does my dog. I either put them in a glass baking dish with some salt and pepper and peanut oil (sometimes with half an acorn squash), or simmer them in apple juice or chicken stock, or do them in an instant pot pressure cooker.

I saw someone posting about making ground breakfast sausage or cased sausage. I might be into trying that.

 

[Limitless]

The shirt is great and I'll assume you're already avoiding the grabass, fondue, gucci suburban short bus that inhibits so many pheasant hunters from reaching their full potential.

Question one - how many times have you looked at OnX or the SDGFP interactive public atlas today? A guy should be spending at least a half hour per day considering new frontiers to venture and eliminate the roosters that call those places home.

Question two - What is your snack of choice? First, you shouldn't need a snack as punging a limit should only take about 40 minutes. But for those special hunts and the ones taking longer than expected, keep a can of Vienna Sausages and some crackers and butter (good butter) handy to replenish your body and soul.

Otherwise, just obsess about hunting way more than would be considered normal and hunt the same.

Grabass - I was hunting alone unless you count the dog. I have it on good authority that grabass can't take place with only 2 participants, so even counting the dog, I should be safe there.

I do have to admit to owning a suburban. However, I haven't used it one bit for pheasant hunting this year, and I even took the battery out (old one died) and didn't put the new one back in, in the hopes that would increase my odds in the fields.

I actually wouldn't mind some fondue, but despite my desire, I haven't succumbed.

I think I am good with the required digital scouting. Some days I may even have a "problem" in spending too much time finding that elusive back corner slough, bordering what looks like a crop field.

I do have to hang my head and admit to a lack of Vienna sausages, crackers, and (good) butter. I'll endeavor to rectify this in future hunts.

Unhealthy obsession - check.

Thank you Obi Gold Hourobi. You're one of my only hopes.

 

[Limitless]

A shotgun you're in love with & good shells help.

Premier dog is a given.

Obsessing about pheasants & pheasant hunting both on & off season is a way of life.

Your vehicle matters very little, although an old Ford farm truck is definitely worth a few style points.

Fashion statement is important - hat, pants, sweatshirt, boots...your entire ensemble, ESPECIALLY the vest!

But I think at the end of the day, the most beneficial attribute of the truly insane pheasant hunter is motivation. You must want to win! To BEAT PHEASANTS! Yes, on a daily basis. But you want your last thought before checking out to be....they were bastards; they may have won a few battles; but through it all....I'm pretty sure I won the war.

I love my shotgun when it hits them.

Boss bismuth - check.

Dog - Honey is looking over my shoulder and says we've got that one covered.

There is that obsession tactic again -- check.

I do have an F350 plow truck with a 7.3 liter diesel. It provides moral support, as I don't take it hunting.

I suppose fashion is in the eye of the beholder. At least one person agrees with my hunting fashion choices, including me.

They are bastards, aren't they? Sneaky little bastards.

To war we go!

---

The Pheasants Are Running
(To the tune of "Over There")

Verse 1:
From Minnesota, I’m bound to go,
With my shotgun ready to steal the show.
To South Dakota, where roosters hide,
We’ll flush them out with hunting pride!

Chorus:
Over there, over there,
Send the word, send the word, over there!
The pheasants are running,
The hunters are coming,
The birds won’t be safe anywhere!
So beware, say a prayer,
David’s coming with Honey — best beware!
And we won’t come back
'Til the bag is packed,
And it’s over, over there!

Verse 2:
Through golden fields and sky so blue,
Honey tracks with a nose that’s true.
She stalks, she points, and with a bound,
Another pheasant hits the ground!

Chorus (repeat):
Over there, over there,
Send the word, send the word, over there!
The pheasants are running,
The hunters are coming,
The birds won’t be safe anywhere!
So beware, say a prayer,
David’s coming with Honey — best beware!
And we won’t come back
'Til the bag is packed,
And it’s over, over there!

Verse 3:
We hunt with pride and steady aim,
Through brush and wind, we play the game.
With every shot, the skies will ring,
And back to camp, the birds we’ll bring!

Final Chorus:
Over there, over there,
Send the word, send the word, over there!
The pheasants are running,
The hunters are coming,
The birds won’t be safe anywhere!
So beware, say a prayer,
David’s coming with Honey — best beware!
And we won’t come back
'Til the bag is packed,
And it’s over, over there!
---

Thank you master Yoda.

 

[Bob Peters]

they were bastards; they may have won a few battles; but through it all....I'm pretty sure I won the war.

Many times in the early days and many times since, I feel like Custer in southern Montana with Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse just over the rise. My blunders, fails, and foul-ups are legion. Long ago I'd have capitulated, if not for one thing.

On that rare day where I rise above the Neanderthal level of thinking, and put the habitat, time of day, and roosters all together, even-ing the playing field, I've got a 50/50 chance of success. That's when Skye tips the scales in our favor. I never thought such a pretty, friendly, and happy dog could ever be so bloodthirsty. But with those laughing-cackling running flushing just out of range roosters, when she gets her chance she rolls through those feathered sons' a bitches in a way that reminds me of Patton's 3rd army cutting down Hun bastards in the Bulge on their way to Bastogne.

 

[Goosemaster]

How many were in each of those groups?

4 to 6 prob

 

[Goosemaster]

A shotgun you're in love with & good shells help.

Premier dog is a given.

Obsessing about pheasants & pheasant hunting both on & off season is a way of life.

Your vehicle matters very little, although an old Ford farm truck is definitely worth a few style points.

Fashion statement is important - hat, pants, sweatshirt, boots...your entire ensemble, ESPECIALLY the vest!

But I think at the end of the day, the most beneficial attribute of the truly insane pheasant hunter is motivation. You must want to win! To BEAT PHEASANTS! Yes, on a daily basis. But you want your last thought before checking out to be....they were bastards; they may have won a few battles; but through it all....I'm pretty sure I won the war.

I'm not vindictive, and I don't have anything against pheasants, I think they're beautiful birds, and they're great, I'm not sure why I'm always trying to go out and kill them, bud. I do love to be out with my dog and experience that whole karma thing, it's it's just a zan thing.

 

[Goosemaster]

A shotgun you're in love with & good shells help.

Premier dog is a given.

Obsessing about pheasants & pheasant hunting both on & off season is a way of life.

Your vehicle matters very little, although an old Ford farm truck is definitely worth a few style points.

Fashion statement is important - hat, pants, sweatshirt, boots...your entire ensemble, ESPECIALLY the vest!

But I think at the end of the day, the most beneficial attribute of the truly insane pheasant hunter is motivation. You must want to win! To BEAT PHEASANTS! Yes, on a daily basis. But you want your last thought before checking out to be....they were bastards; they may have won a few battles; but through it all....I'm pretty sure I won the war.

I'm not vindictive, and I don't have anything against pheasants, I think they're beautiful birds, and they're great, I'm not sure why I'm always trying to go out and kill them, bud. I do love to be out with my dog and experience that whole karma thing, it's it's just a Zen thing.

 

[Goosemaster]

It's almost always just me and my dog, and we're out there, and it's just a Zen thing for me, it's my happy place, if you're playing grab ass with your dog, you've been out in the bush. Too long my friend and maybe it's time to LOL. Maybe take it easy for a while. I'm not sure if I'll ever get to the level of expertise as A5 and JCW outdoors, I'm not as intense as those two guys, but I do shoot a 1958 sweet 16, so I have that in common with A5, and I do have a yellow lab and I've had four of them in the past so I have that in common with Lucas.