Roosters in the wind

[MNpurple]

My dad is coming out this afternoon and tomorrow for his first ever pheasant hunt. I know, just absolutely wonderful timing with the hurricane winds, but its our only chance to hunt together this year.

So I know in December when its cold and windy, the cattails are obviously the place to go, but how about now? Will the birds still spend their time in the unpicked corn or with wind like this , will they actually head towards cattails? What would be your plan of attack except increasing my lead distance!

Thanks, I really want to get him a chance at a few birds.

[yakfisher]

A lot of the cattails I've been in this year have been very wet, I wouldn't expect too many pheasants in there until they freeze up. Unfortunately they are probably in the corn. The corn provides great overhead protection and protection from the wind. I would hunt the thick grass near the edges of the corn fields in the early evening. The birds should be coming back in to roost for the night. Any other heavy grasses will have a chance of holding birds during the day, but they are mostly spending the day in the corn. This past week I also found birds in willow stands surrounded by thick grass. Good Luck.

[2thepointsetters]

Where I have been hunting the cattails are dry and there are birds holding in them. Not as many birds as there would be in December but they are in there. When it is really windy I try to hunt the thickest stuff I can find. Yesterday we found pheasants way back in the woods in the swamp grass during the middle of day. We were over about a mile from the nearest corn.

[yakfisher]

I've been hunting in west central MN and it has been a wet fall.

[icehole10]

The two times I've been out this year we've got bird out of the wet cattails. Not sure if the dogs are maybe pushing them in there or not though, but either way there out there just have to work a little harder until some of the corn comes down and the cattails freeze up.