Suggestions for Central MN (Stearns)?

T

tokerlun

New member
I regularly hunt Central South Dakota with my in-laws each year for Pheasants. My Jack Russel died last Thanksgiving and we have since picked up a Golden Retriever. She will be about 1 when we go out to South Dakota in October, but I am looking to get her some extra time on birds/fields this year to get her lots of experience for next year. I live in St. Augusta (St. Cloud). Does anybody have any suggestions for some public land hunting? I have visited Veterans WMA and Sconnix as well. They seem like some likely ground, but I have never even considered hunting Minnesota.

Does anybody have any advice, input or observations about hunting central Minnesota? I am fully aware it will be way less birds than South Dakota, but I honestly am not sure what that means. Nor am I sure how much pressure there will be or how likely there is to be any birds at all!
 
There are hunt able numbers of birds in the area most years. Weekends can be fairly busy with hunter numbers.
 
There are birds if you know where to look. I used to live just north of St. Cloud, hunted the area, and always saw birds. I usually targeted land adjacent to corn fields. I had the most success on early season birds (uneducated) and after the corn was cut. Most of the times willows with canary grass or cattails held the birds.

But I'm giving up my honey holes just yet. I may go back this fall.
 
Stearns is a decent Pheasant county.

Private land can rival SD (at least mid population areas). Public land ... they are there !!
 
Thanks. I guess I'll get my pheasant tag and give it a few tries. I'm mostly looking to get the dog work and speed up the learning process. If anyone wants to run a field together let me know.
 
Tokerlun, I plan on hitting some fields near Stearns, just a short drive from St. Cloud on opener. Let me know if you're interested. I have a springer and a pointer I run separately, but we could run the flushers together.
 
Yeah I'd be up for that, but I'll actually be hunting one of my 5-day hunts in SD that weekend. If it's ever worth going out later in the season I'd be interested.
 
Actually, I looked at my dates wrong, I should be around for the opener. I'll keep in touch with you. I have a Baptism where I have to play Godfather, but I should be able to get in an AM or a PM one day that weekend.
 
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