One thing you learned

I have learned that time spent in the field is not wasted. Memories of 2 roosters flying by my parked truck while sitting in it with my son - and then looking at each other wide eyed, like "Lets go get em"! Hunting with friends and family is better than hunting alone, you have alot better stories to tell around christmas when others can chime in.
I agree. I've gotten my nephew, my cousin, and my red headed step son into bird hunting. It's still fun with just my excellent dog.
 
Wind is your friend. Nothing covers sound better. Gotta be out in front tho, or you pluck tail feathers.
Good point but the pheasants know this, too - seems like they get a lot jumpier (even) when it is windy, because it is harder for them to hear.

I may be part pheasant myself. Don't hear well (wind or no wind). And jumpy.
 
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I HOPE I learned -- It was a January SD hunt maybe only 5 inches of snow. At 71 years old wind drifts over my knees to get to the places I wanted to hunt and in the cattails where I hunted just took too much of the enjoyment out of the hunt. I considered myself to be in pretty good shape but this kicked my butt. Second thought - doing it alone was not too smart either. Hope I learned...
This resonates with me.

Gotta ask. Would it be legal to hunt pheasants from atop a mule? Not the motorized kind. My kin folk, some might say.
 
Just because I was curious I looked it up:
KDPWT regulations 115-3-1 (b): "The use of dogs, horses, and mules shall be permitted while hunting, but no person shall shoot while mounted on a horse or mule."

It's hard enough to get all my crap together for a day afield. I can't imagine a stock trailer and everything else that would be required to ride mule or horse in lieu of walking. The second clause would sure place a premium on a steady pointing dog.
 
I always like hunting bigger fields with higher or thicker grass especially late season. I would normally run 2 or 3 dogs as I feel I need more nose power and legs on the ground. This year during late season that worked against me more than it did for me. Pressured roosters already on high alert hearing rustling grass all around them, made them blow out before I could get there. I just wasn't getting any shooting opportunities. I went with one dog only in these big thick fields the last 2 weeks of the Ks season and I was actually kicking birds up or at least standing next to the pointing dog when a rooster would get up. My bird in the bag count went way up.
 
If I have learned anything in over 50 years of shooting pheasants, raise your gun at your own speed, don't rush to shoot, let the young ones miss first then drop clean at 40 yards. Trust your dog.
 
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