Season Synopsis

A5 Sweet 16

A5 Sweet 16

Well-known member
Technically there are a few hours left, but for me & Ace, the season ended Sunday. (He doesn't know yet.🙄) My 43rd pheasant season...done. Each one is fantastic in its own ways, but in terms of number of hunts, bird numbers (both alive & dead), & amount of time/effort required to shoot a couple, I'm calling it my best season ever. EVER! We averaged 2.47 roosters per outing, while I generally consider anything over 2.0 "pretty good". After a winter that some thought decimated pheasants, I saw more than in quite a while, which goes to show what truly great habitat (& maybe lucky nesting/brooding conditions) can do for a wildlife population.

Weather was weird. A lot of uncommonly warm & uncommonly windy stuff. And I was only able to hunt in a few inches of snow 3 times. This seemed to promote others hunting more than usual this season & lengthened the number of weeks most public land roosters really weren't on public land at all during shooting hours, at least in the areas I hunt. So I concentrated on ditches a few more times than usual.

With the exception of maybe 2 days, my shooting was pretty acceptable. I think Ace even thought so. He was, of course, phenomenal. He's now got 5 seasons under his collar, & basically meets or exceeds all my expectations. He's my 3rd "once in a lifetime dog" in a row, & I can't imagine having more fun than we have together. He really progressed this season in terms of knowing we hunt as a team.

We wrapped up the season last weekend with a couple medium-easy limits. I can't expect next season to be equally amazing, but I'm optimistic. I've got 8 months to figure out how.

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I agree it was one of the best numbers wise, and easily the most enjoyable for me personally. Sunday was my last day also, it was perfect!!
 
A5 Sweet 16 said:
This seemed to promote others hunting more than usual this season & lengthened the number of weeks most public land roosters really weren't on public land at all during shooting hours, at least in the areas I hunt. So I concentrated on ditches a few more times than usual.
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You've said this before, and I didn't forget. Sometimes part of the joy and also frustration of hunting is knowing the birds are around somewhere but not finding them. And also being so small compared to a deer or turkey you can be around them but not see them at all. My last hunt of the year I was struggling just to see a bird. With about 25 minutes left to hunt I saw roosters start sailing into the public land I was on, coming from adjacent private crop field. I'd guess others may have also just walked in as well. I saw a couple roost beds in the grass with droppings and managed to flush a few in those waning moments of the season, even though they got away. It was an ah-ha moment for sure. Usually I struggle with finding birds mid-day later in season. And I live so far away that if I make the drive, I hunt most of the day. Thanks for the write up.
 
MNMEAD said:
I didn't know those pay to hunt ranches stocked the ditches?? Ha! In all seriousness, I'm hoping you can scrap together a few four five more videos from the season?
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I've got lots of footage left that hasn't been turned into videos. During the season it's hard for me to be a real prolific producer.
 
Bob Peters said:
You've said this before, and I didn't forget. Sometimes part of the joy and also frustration of hunting is knowing the birds are around somewhere but not finding them. And also being so small compared to a deer or turkey you can be around them but not see them at all. My last hunt of the year I was struggling just to see a bird. With about 25 minutes left to hunt I saw roosters start sailing into the public land I was on, coming from adjacent private crop field. I'd guess others may have also just walked in as well. I saw a couple roost beds in the grass with droppings and managed to flush a few in those waning moments of the season, even though they got away. It was an ah-ha moment for sure. Usually I struggle with finding birds mid-day later in season. And I live so far away that if I make the drive, I hunt most of the day. Thanks for the write up.
Click to expand...
This late season was particularly challenging without snow to encourage them to use public ground. But yeah, that's the fun. They could erupt on your next step (or your dog's). That anticipation is what made me fall in love with the game. And when I don't find them, & I know it's because they were in the grass, trees, etc. right next door that I didn't have access to...it makes me want to get them even more. And by get them I do mean kill them. Hard.
 
Season didnt go quite as planned for me because the pup got to sit out 6 weeks of it due to continually needing stitches. The old dog nailed a few with the help of some pain meds this year and she spent the rest of it walking beside me when tired, which im completely ok with. She just wanted to be there. I did get the pup on some birds and Im thinking shes gonna be a stud in a year or so. She showed some enormous drive and she has a nose. All business out there. Got her on some hens today to finish things out but couldnt pin down anything to shoot.
 
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