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Snow Birds

What a difference - early season pheasant hunting versus late season! We know that late season pheasants are smart compared to the early season birds. We have experienced the change in pheasant behavior between the early and late season in past years. But, we got our butts kicked by those gaudy flyers after Thanksgiving in 2003. We again traveled to Chuck Gosen's place in Bismarck.

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Iowa Pheasant Season Ends with a Bang

Most of the people I talked to failed to see the humor. To me, it was blatantly obvious that those folks were not serious pheasant hunters. But for those of us who do pursue the wily ring-neck, Conder's forecast was cause for celebration. The clock was rapidly ticking down on this year's pheasant season. With less than a full week to go, Iowa bird hunters needed a dramatic change in conditions.

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PHEASANT HUNTING IN THE SNOW

A heavy snow immediately changes the way pheasants behave, especially the years first snowfall. You may find the pheasants standing in the open during this time, leaving you wonder why this is; does he not know he is sticking out like a sore thumb? Actually, no he doesn’t.

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PHEASANT HUNTING IN TALL GRASSES

Most tall grass fields in pheasant country are a result of federal land-retirement programs. These programs are intended to reduce crop production and combat soil erosion. These areas help local farmers by annual payments they receive, in return for a multi-year contract. These areas are ideal nesting and roosting areas for nearly all species.

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Hunting Late Season Pheasants

It was late December into the pheasant hunting season in West River, South Dakota. Our group consisted of 1 dog and 4 hunters. We had hunted some private land in the morning, in the afternoon we decided to hit some public land because of the large amounts of roosters the land owner had seen on the public ground.

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PHEASANT HUNTING IN WETLAND AREAS

Wetlands often provide the heaviest, most secure cover available to pheasants. The twisted cattails, brush clumps and marsh grasses make it almost impossible for a predator to approach unnoticed, much less a pheasant hunting party. Pheasants congregate in wetlands to escape hunters when the pressure is great.

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PHEASANT HUNTING BASICS

Pheasant hunting requires some advance preparation. First, you'll need to do a little preseason scouting; it will pay big dividends later in the season. Most state game and fish departments make annual pheasant counts in late summer and publicize that information and results before the season is scheduled to open. We recommend studying this information; then you can do a little research on your own.

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Trespassing Hurts Hunters

Trespassers bag stiff fines, damage landowner-hunter relations. In Kansas, it is illegal to hunt, fish, shoot, or trap on private land without the owner's permission. Hunting from public roads and railroads requires permission of landowners on both sides of the road or railway. Railroad rights-of-way also require permission from the railroad.

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Hunting Pheasants - Fried Pheasant Recipe

When I look back over pictures of may dad and I hunting pheasants in the 1980s, it's not hard to see from the old prints how special these birds were. In this age of taking thousands of digital photos, even 25 years ago a couple of snap shots were usually reserved only for a significant outing and a couple of roosters were worthy of such attention.

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