Bob Peters
Well-known member
For some reason if the season was just on the verge of opening I wouldn't post this question. But being it is 5.5 months away give or take I think it's a safe bet. I'm just looking for your experiences with hunting opening day on public land in the pheasant belt. I have hunted opening day twice in MN but never in IA due to being in SD on the IA opener. The first time I hunted the MN opener was in 2019. Long story, but I threw together a last minute trip with a hunting mentor and we were driving around trying to find a spot an hour from the twin cities at 10 minutes to the opening bell. As you can imagine most spots had vehicles parked there, and we managed to try an undesirable swamp piece. We heard a rooster cackle in the standing corn but never flushed a bird. My buddy had a shot at a bird standing on the edge of a ditch/ cornfield that day but somehow the rooster got away. The next two years I didn't hunt the opener. Last year I hunted MN opener, got out super early to a beautiful piece surrounded by corn that had all been cut in the 5 days prior to opener and never saw a bird. Huge disappointment. I had taken off Wed,Thur,Fri of opening week to hunt. This would be day 5, 6, and 7 of the MN 2022 season. I know it's common to get caught up in hunting certain states, the golden triangle, 4 bird limits in Kansas, Nebraska's heyday, eastern MT bloc mgmt. etc. I just know I couldn't believe what all I saw during those 3 vacation days I took during the first week of MN season. I parked Wed. morning and saw 6 roosters walk across the gravel road waiting for my buddy to arrive. We hunted a short while and in a creek crossing near a phragmite patch a dozen roosters launched out in all directions, but I couldn't fire as my buddy was right in front of me. After this spot we split up and I drove north a few miles and saw 3 roosters in the road. At noon. They ran into the public forbes, I parked and chased, got one, missed one. I gave the dogs a watering and rest, then proceeded to get my second bird and limit for the day. Me and my buddy both got a limit on that spot the next two days, and we missed some, flushed some out of range, etc. There were a lot of birds around. In fact after shooting a limit I saw roosters standing on the road every day. I only wished I had hit that spot on opening weekend both days. Even if hunters were there at 9am, there were so many birds, I could have got my limit right behind them. Or hunted it in the golden hour and got a limit. What a gem of public habitat in MN and I'm happy to say that it is being added to and will be an even larger block of wildlife land for hunters to enjoy and cherish in the future. On MN deer opener I was coming back from Iowa and drove around this wma just scouting and saw a big wiley old rooster with a tail longer than I could measure on the edge of the crp, and as I rolled along he crept back into an adjoining shelterbelt on private land. I smiled as I saw this veteran who had avoided the hunting pressure go on his escape route. I loved that he continued on to propagate future generations of wild pheasants on this wonderful piece of public land. I know I'm getting a little long winded here, but I'm curious about others' experience hunting opening day. Often I've read the common opinion to hold off, hunt later, when all the crops are out, the colder weather and sometimes snow will concentrate birds in thermal cover. I agree with this, and last season, and really every season I've hunted till the bitter end. I agree that all the crops being out and cold/snow will concentrate birds. But I can't help but think that from now on I'll hunt every day I can. I've seen that even opening day there are birds to be found, ground can be found with harvested crops, and even if the corn/beans are still in, birds can be taken. Someday I hope to hunt the Iowa opener on public land. Even if it's crowded on public, I think that spots can still be found and roosters flushed. A buddy's wife remarked, "imagine being a dog, and you wait all year for hunting season, and then it's over so soon." I agree with her 100%, I guess my only thought on that is in the future I plan to hunt early season, late season, and everything in between. Any comments on hunting opening day public in MN, IA, and SD are appreciated. I had a late night at work, and had been thinking of this subject for some time. I am 42 years old and have been pheasant hunting since 2019. I guess you could say pheasant hunting is "in my blood" or if we were down south, "I'm ate up with it." I just can't stop thinking of all the great memories I've had with friends, and more often, just me and the dog, walking for miles and miles in the uplands, chasing wild roosters. I'm really thankful for this website and all the great people on it. God, Family, Country... and Pheasant hunting. I would love to see Sage and Ace give it a go on these wild and hard hunted MN birds, but of course they've got their paws full trying to keep the SD rooster population in check
. I know I've posted this picture before. Here is Skye, on day 3 of our MN hunt, with our limit bird. I had walked into a corner of public land adjoining a freshly cut cornfield. I've had so many miscues in my day, but here I JUST KNEW THERE WAS A BIRD. I paused for a LONG time. Suddenly there was a flush, one shot and it's like she knew too. A quick retrieve and our limit. Man I miss it so much! Hope springs eternal, 
waiting for pheasant season 2023.
. I know I've posted this picture before. Here is Skye, on day 3 of our MN hunt, with our limit bird. I had walked into a corner of public land adjoining a freshly cut cornfield. I've had so many miscues in my day, but here I JUST KNEW THERE WAS A BIRD. I paused for a LONG time. Suddenly there was a flush, one shot and it's like she knew too. A quick retrieve and our limit. Man I miss it so much! Hope springs eternal, waiting for pheasant season 2023.
Those are great thoughts, Bob, & a fantastic picture of Skye!
