Cramsey
New member
Hi everyone,
I’d like to add a little action to the Michigan forum. I meant to start when the season started but…I didn’t. Also forgot to take pictures but I’ll give some brief reports of the first three weekends. Wild birds only on public land in the thumb.
Opening day - 5 of us took 4 roosters. My dad’s buddy who we’ve been bringing along for three years finally got his first (he’s had plenty of opportunities the last few years, just hasn’t connected. Gotta break some clays before the season in my opinion). My dad got one, my buddy got one, and I got one. My brother in law had his first pheasant hunt on last seasons opener and shot his first bird ever, which smelled of beginners luck. He missed one on this years opener and was the only one in our group not to bring a bird home. We flushed 6 roosters total and probably about 20 hens. Bird numbers seemed maybe a little lower than last year honestly. Last year on the opener we were standing there waiting for shooting time and we heard probably 15-20 cackles before light. We heard on this year. This was the busiest opener I’ve seen hunter-numbers wise in years. I swear we saw 100 other guys at least out and about. It’s nice to see the tradition still alive but it sure sucks competing for fields when there’s only so many fields to go around. We got there an hour and a half before shooting time and there were already a couple other trucks on the same road. By the second weekend there was no competition. Saw one other guy on the third week.
I missed the second weekend due to a trip with my wife but my dad, his buddy, and my buddy went. My buddy took a rooster and they said they flushed 3 roosters and about 10 hens that day.
Last weekend was just my father and I. We flushed two roosters, one of which I took home. We both should have shot at the other one but we didn’t get a good ID while it was in range, of course. Flushed maybe 6 more hens for roughly 8 birds seen total.
Going out again Sunday for a few hours. I’ll update and hopefully remember some pictures. Good luck to everyone else out there!
I’d like to add a little action to the Michigan forum. I meant to start when the season started but…I didn’t. Also forgot to take pictures but I’ll give some brief reports of the first three weekends. Wild birds only on public land in the thumb.
Opening day - 5 of us took 4 roosters. My dad’s buddy who we’ve been bringing along for three years finally got his first (he’s had plenty of opportunities the last few years, just hasn’t connected. Gotta break some clays before the season in my opinion). My dad got one, my buddy got one, and I got one. My brother in law had his first pheasant hunt on last seasons opener and shot his first bird ever, which smelled of beginners luck. He missed one on this years opener and was the only one in our group not to bring a bird home. We flushed 6 roosters total and probably about 20 hens. Bird numbers seemed maybe a little lower than last year honestly. Last year on the opener we were standing there waiting for shooting time and we heard probably 15-20 cackles before light. We heard on this year. This was the busiest opener I’ve seen hunter-numbers wise in years. I swear we saw 100 other guys at least out and about. It’s nice to see the tradition still alive but it sure sucks competing for fields when there’s only so many fields to go around. We got there an hour and a half before shooting time and there were already a couple other trucks on the same road. By the second weekend there was no competition. Saw one other guy on the third week.
I missed the second weekend due to a trip with my wife but my dad, his buddy, and my buddy went. My buddy took a rooster and they said they flushed 3 roosters and about 10 hens that day.
Last weekend was just my father and I. We flushed two roosters, one of which I took home. We both should have shot at the other one but we didn’t get a good ID while it was in range, of course. Flushed maybe 6 more hens for roughly 8 birds seen total.
Going out again Sunday for a few hours. I’ll update and hopefully remember some pictures. Good luck to everyone else out there!
