Our final weekend of season in Iowa

remy3424

remy3424

Well-known member
Well, it is our last weekend to pheasant hunt in Iowa. It is our coldest day of this season, I am not sure tomorrow will be much better. I am sitting here, the temps are not going to get much better, my dog is bugging me, so I guess I am going to go try it. I really have trouble with keeping my fingers warm on my right hand, with a numb index finger, it makes getting the safety off it's own adventure. I should be back in 2 hours with or without birds for this last run. Last weekend I wore a thinner water/wind proof glove with a chemical handwarmer on my palm, on my shooting hand, it seemed to work fine, but the temp was upper teens. My phone says, 7*, -5* wind chill. Update to follow!
 
Well, that wasn't too bad. The birds were wild, but I shot and killed the first 3 I had opportunities to get. I was in the truck after a couple pics and heading home in 90 minutes. I did have to work my shooting hand fingers after a bit to keep them thawed, but the temp wasn't bad at all (truck said 10* coming home). Good socks in my every-hunt 400 gram Thorogood boots, regular jeans with waxed canvas chaps, my LL Bean waxed canvas hunting coat with a long-sleeved polypropylene base and a cotton long-sleeved T-shirt over that...snug as a bug. Likely done for the season unless I get a request to take someone out tomorrow, with single digit temps, that is doubtful.
One old bird and 2 young ones.
1-4-25 roosters 1.jpg1-4-25 roosters.jpg
 
Seems like just the right amount of snow in that photo Remy. I only had one hunt in the snow this season. It rained and melted just a few days later.
 
Congrats on the great hunts! I went out this weekend on public and it was chilly for sure. On Saturday the roosters let us get close enough, but I wouldn't say they were sitting tight, but the hens were. I shot one rooster and missed one.
Sunday I hunted a different public area for about 5 hours and never fired a shot. The hens were sitting tight, but the roosters were wild. I also found it odd that they were out in the prairie grass for the most part and not in the cattails or heavy cover.
Also, I didn't see another hunter either day, and these are pretty expansive public areas.
I'm going to try and give a private spot one more try on Friday if I can get everything lined up.
 
Jawilor said:
Congrats on the great hunts! I went out this weekend on public and it was chilly for sure. On Saturday the roosters let us get close enough, but I wouldn't say they were sitting tight, but the hens were. I shot one rooster and missed one.
Sunday I hunted a different public area for about 5 hours and never fired a shot. The hens were sitting tight, but the roosters were wild. I also found it odd that they were out in the prairie grass for the most part and not in the cattails or heavy cover.
Also, I didn't see another hunter either day, and these are pretty expansive public areas.
I'm going to try and give a private spot one more try on Friday if I can get everything lined up.
Click to expand...
I noticed the same thing last time out, on virgin private land even. Hens held, roosters took off on the dogs and ran for 100yds then flew. None in cattails or tall bluestem, all were in the short knee high clumps of canary grass out in the open. Wasnt even any in the timbers where they always are late season. Everything seemed in a November pattern.

Shot a couple that were dumb enough to hold, coulda shot a half dozen running but thats not what its about.

Wish our season went to the end of the month, would be a great year for it.
 
I am always really quiet when getting out of the truck, letting the dogs out, etc. On Sunday I parked, got ready, quietly closed the door, opened the tailgate, let the dog out, and quietly closed the tailgate. When I lowered the topper window it squeaked a little and a bird flushed from some cattails 50 yards away. I should have just packed up everything and went somewhere else...lol
 
The bulk of the birds I encountered Saturday were in an 18 acre block of switchgrass (the heaviest cover on the farm). Didn't get a shot wading through that, but I pushed a ton out into the rest of the farm...they didn't sit much better in that cover...maybe I could just push it faster, had one in a large group that flushed somewhat toward me, my second shot crumpled him, the dog found him. Another flushed close to me, an easy shot, I hit him hard and had him before the dog got there. The final rooster flushed with a few hens that Gus had pinned down. Hit it on the first shot, but he was still flying away, shot again and then he was just stalled in the air, hovering like a helicopter, so knowing how hard live birds are to recover in this cover, I ended him suspended in the air. Gus was on it where he landed. It was one of those days things almost seemed to be moving slow. I could see a long stem of grass on a flushing bird, I didn't seem to have to rush anything. Those 3 roosters were the most shot-up I have had to deal with all season. They are all breakfast sausage now, processed 14 pounds of 50/50 pheasant/pork, plus 3 pounds of straight pork with the extra last night.
 
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Today I hunted the same spot as last time, with just a dusting of snow and a very light wind they held. Only had opportunities on two roosters, but both are in the refrigerator from one shot each at about 25 yards after great lab points. The dog put up 38 hens and two roosters today. Never seen a ratio like that in my life, but most of it was due to a hen flock i encountered where 22 came up right in front of me one after the other. Amazing sight to see, but a quick way to get a disappointed doggo. Pretty sure he thought i forgot my shells or something

Lets hope for GREAT nesting conditions this year
 
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