Snow and pheasants?

R

Rogue Hunter

Active member
Not too experienced hunting pheasants. I was wondering how tactics change for you when hunting in the snow; or, when snow is expected, say, later the same day or expected the next day? thanks
 
When it snows I prefer to hunt cattails but in western ND cattail sloughs are rare.

We got a couple inches overnight out here. Just about to leave the house for this morning's hunt.
 
Snow forecasts don't affect pheasant hunting. Snow does. Some people claim tracking birds in snow is effective. I haven't noticed that in 40 years of hunting (not that I've never done it). My recommendation would be to not be concerned with it. Typically, this time of year, snow doesn't change much because the snow's usually not deep, doesn't last long, doesn't knock down other types of cover, & doesn't make feeding difficult. When it affects things is when it completely covers everything except the thickest cover. Birds won't stay out on the barren tundra any longer than it takes to scratch around for food to fill their crops, because when they're out there, they're completely exposed to predators, particularly birds of prey & humans. When the lighter cover just has a blanket of snow over it, they'll still use it. But when it's completely socked in w/ snow, they'll head for the thick stuff, typically cattails. And during the day they'll hang out in trees more, particularly if it's windy out. After there's a good 6-10" of long-lasting snow on the ground, they'll relate to roosting cover, food, loafing cover, & safety cover, & they'll just hop back & forth between them. I believe roosters feel safest during the day in trees. (Nighttime is different because....owls) If things are pretty tough (cover-wise), the roosters will often kick the hens out of the best cover. I've found this to be mostly true during the day. At night, they both sleep in cattails or buried under some nice, soft, snow-covered grass or cedar trees.
 
Phez hold better in snow. My ideal phez hunting day: 5" of new snow, overcast, 30 degrees, and a breeze always on the dog's nose. lol
 
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I’ve trailed many roosters in the snow over the years. Well, at least I was following a trail and a rooster eventually got up. No idea if it was the one I was trailing.

Find a deer trail in the cattails and just wander around. If you have a tough dog who isn’t afraid of busting cattails all the better.
 
When I was young, I told my boss, the 1st snowfall of the year after opening of pheasant season in Nebraska I would not be in, that grew into a little tradition at the business I worked for. Snow in general is great for bird hunting in so many ways, it helps the dogs with scenting, show's if birds have been in the area, quiets your approach, depending on the snow depth, birds will burrow into it, thus holding tightly. It also reduces cover areas, thus bunching birds up, this can be both good and bad, more eyes and ears to work against, but usually you can get into them and there are always a few stragglers left around. Obviously to much snow can be a bad thing, along with wind and cold, i.e. blizzards....they are the death of birds many a time....
 
I agree with Montana. I always look at hunting in snow as the terrain I need to cover shrinks. Instead of a 300 acre field I'm working with, now I have maybe 50 acres of actual cover to work. The tree lines, hedge rows, cattails, thickets etc. I can zero in and just pop around and hit each piece of cover and walk straight to the next one. But as far as what I look for in that piece of land? Like others have said, cattails is a must. Along with any thick patches of cover or hedge rows.
 
BritChaser said:
Phez hold better in snow. My ideal phez hunting day: 5" of new snow, overcast, 30 degrees, and a breeze always on the dogs nose. lol
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I agree. In Montana , there is a lot of snow. They hit the thick cover.Be careful, those cricks are deep, and there is thin ice.Blast a hole in it, to check in spots.
 
We had a light snow cover the ground this morning and I was wishing A. I could have been in the duck blind this morning and B. Chasing pheasants this afternoon. Now that I think about it, I guess I'd like to do both regardless of weather. Anyhoo... Snow helps tremendously (especially this one, since its been so dry) when it comes to scenting as it keeps the dogs from breathing in so much dust, thus improving their ability to locate birds. As far as the pheasants go, their pattern will stay pretty much the same as it isn't a behavior altering amount.

When it comes to forecasted snow (if the meteorologist is correct), I have found that pheasants load up and sock themselves in to safely weather the storm. That said, if snow starts at 6:00pm, I like to hit the cattails or thermal habitat starting about 3:30pm or 4:00pm. If the snow doesn't start until later in the evening, it's kind of a wash. If cumulative amounts do fall (4" or more), I would really put my attention to the cattails. Unless I wasn't finding anything there, then I'd move outward.

Hunt like you normally would and make adjustments if the birds are tending to be in a particular type of habitat and focus on that.
 
Golden Hour said:
When it comes to forecasted snow (if the meteorologist is correct), I have found that pheasants load up and sock themselves in to safely weather the storm.
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This is true. I wish I knew whether they use a weather app, or if it's an instinctive thing. But if bad weather is eminent, they definitely fill up before hunkering down.
 
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Another advantage of fresh snow not mentioned is that you can see if your sacred hunting spots have been walked already. ;)

Many spot on comments above. One of my best friends and I joked about a coordinated COVID quarantine at the same time - late November and December. We love the late season hunts in the snow and head straight for the cattails.
 
IMO a small amount of snow (few inches) does one important thing if you're lucky enough to get out shorty after the snow hits. It tells you all about activity in the area. Lots of tracks you know birds have been using this area. Heavy snow more than 6" may be counter productive especially if it is combined with wind which will create drifts. Counter productive in that it will be tough walking. That being said I've seen birds borough in with deep snow and literally wouldn't fly unless you kicked them out of their hole.
 
Golden Hour said:
We had a light snow cover the ground this morning and I was wishing A. I could have been in the duck blind this morning and B. Chasing pheasants this afternoon. Now that I think about it, I guess I'd like to do both regardless of weather. Anyhoo... Snow helps tremendously (especially this one, since its been so dry) when it comes to scenting as it keeps the dogs from breathing in so much dust, thus improving their ability to locate birds. As far as the pheasants go, their pattern will stay pretty much the same as it isn't a behavior altering amount.

When it comes to forecasted snow (if the meteorologist is correct), I have found that pheasants load up and sock themselves in to safely weather the storm. That said, if snow starts at 6:00pm, I like to hit the cattails or thermal habitat starting about 3:30pm or 4:00pm. If the snow doesn't start until later in the evening, it's kind of a wash. If cumulative amounts do fall (4" or more), I would really put my attention to the cattails. Unless I wasn't finding anything there, then I'd move outward.

Hunt like you normally would and make adjustments if the birds are tending to be in a particular type of habitat and focus on that.
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What if there is 24 inches?
 
Golden Hour said:
We had a light snow cover the ground this morning and I was wishing A. I could have been in the duck blind this morning and B. Chasing pheasants this afternoon. Now that I think about it, I guess I'd like to do both regardless of weather. Anyhoo... Snow helps tremendously (especially this one, since its been so dry) when it comes to scenting as it keeps the dogs from breathing in so much dust, thus improving their ability to locate birds. As far as the pheasants go, their pattern will stay pretty much the same as it isn't a behavior altering amount.

When it comes to forecasted snow (if the meteorologist is correct), I have found that pheasants load up and sock themselves in to safely weather the storm. That said, if snow starts at 6:00pm, I like to hit the cattails or thermal habitat starting about 3:30pm or 4:00pm. If the snow doesn't start until later in the evening, it's kind of a wash. If cumulative amounts do fall (4" or more), I would really put my attention to the cattails. Unless I wasn't finding anything there, then I'd move outward.

Hunt like you normally would and make adjustments if the birds are tending to be in a particular type of habitat and focus on that.
Click to expand...
What if there is 24 inches
Golden Hour said:
If we receive 24 inches in one shot, I'm not going to bother the pheasants until they've had a day or two following the storm to load their crops and gizzards back up. Probably more than that.
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In Montana, it isn't unusual to get deep snow, and below zero temps, for weeks on end.I hope this season is mild.
 
I can tell you the very first accumulating snow of the year really bewilders the birds. You can see them all over the roads and acting bizarre.
 
All the positives above about hunting snow hold true.... 1 more that wasnt mentioned is that the birds hold tight. My 8 yr old lab has pointed hens in the past 2 yrs but never a rooster( i trained him to be a flusher but hes from pointing lab stock so the new "point" is all him). Although he flushed plenty in range last week, im psyched about the fact that he pointed 2 roosters last Tuesday...his first(s)... needless to say...i dont mind that at all...hard to miss those that you know are coming up at your feet ahead of time 😉👍
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