SD Pheasant Reports

[reddog]

Friday, I broke out the Browning double auto, just for nostalgic reasons and managed two with the old dog in a short day.

Saturday found the wind blowing 35 across the prairie and I felt like a pansy, so I stayed in the truck, scouting places to hunt, rather than actually hunting. About 3pm a pair of sharpies flew across my binocs and landed about 250 yds away. I talked myself out of the truck with the double auto and the old dog. I was thinking to myself that I wouldnt have a chance at these two birds, but when I got up there, Ellie locked on point about 5 yds off of them, and I stepped in for the flush. They took off into the wind and I knocked down a double. Amazing, I thought to myself. Even better, I walked another short distande and put up another one and bagged it. You learn something new every day, I guess.

Sunrise on Sunday, found me audio scouting and glassing the prairie on a absolutely gorgeous day. Today, I would let the young dog run with me in tow with the Beretta 686 20. I took her for a 5 mile run

down the road, to burn off some of her excess fuel. I was going to hunt a new parcel of land on this day that I know nothing about, but it looked promising. It took till 11 am to secure

permission, and away I went.

Harvested milo field, surrounded by a massive pasture with a large pond that was ringed with cattails..,, I started off in the milo, as that is where I had seen lots of grouse feeding and heard several roosters cackling in the background.

Didnt find anything in the milo field, so I headed to the prairie thinking I could stir up the chickens. No such luck. I worked my way around to the pond,(that I had never seen before) and at the base of the dam, Breez locked up.

I waded in and out rocketed a rooster. I had to wait for it to clear a small tree before I could fire. I rocked it hard with the first shot, and gave it another shot as it lifted over the dam and out of sight. With no mark on where this bird landed,

I just had to hope that when I cleared the dam, that I would be able to figure it out. We started up the west bank of the pond, that was littered with small islands of cattails. We were working thru the second patch, when I happened to look to my right

up on the prairie, and there laid bird #1. As we got to the south end of the pond, I decided that I should move across the ice to the other side, to give the dog the wind. After several tense minutes of listening to cracking Ice, I found myself safely on the other side.

The south end of the pond had a medium sized cattail patch, and Breez sounded like a freight train blowing thru it. Two birds couldnt stand the racket, and busted out the far side. One was well within range, but I passed on the op.

We continued around the east side, heading towards the dam again, and Breez locked onto a point as hard as I have ever seen her, in our short relationship. I handled her a little on the point, praised her, and her intensity level never waned.

I dug my camera out of my vest, and took one quick photo of her

So much time had evolved since she pointed, that I caught myself thinking this cannot be a rooster, Coon maybe, or even worse, a skunk or porcupine.. I moved a round to the west side of the cattails, to try to force the the bird out over the pasture, or over the white ice that I had crossed. ( if its a rooster) I moved in carefully, and I heard the flapping of wings trying to escape its cattail hiding spot. The rooster banked out over the pond, and I dropped it with the load of 6s thru the skeet tube. The bird hit the ice dead, but its momentum carried

it about 20 feet across the ice, Breez took off at the shot,(all 36 lbs of her) and flew across the ice. She put on the brakes at the bird, and promptly slid by it. In her effort to get turned around, she ended up on her back, flopping around for some kind of traction. She finally got slowed down enough to get her feet under her, and picked up the bird and delivered to hand.

We didnt go 40 yds further, and almost the exact same thing happened again, only this time she pointed on the far end of the cattails, about 15 yds from me. I moved in from the south this time, to try to force the bird out over the pasture, as now we were on new ice, that I didnt want to risk her going out on. Almost like a textbook, the rooster broke to my right, and I dumped it on the first shot out over the pasture. Breez made another perfect retrieve to hand and we headed back to the truck..

an hour and a half had passed by quickly, in what will go down as one of my most memorable hunts. Great weather, great dogwork, and even some decent shooting on my part.

Ive been running alot of birds thru Breezs nose this year, waiting for things to click. I think I made a bird dog on Sunday!

[lindy rig]

Just an awesome report....... way to go guys!

[MuleShack]

Cool story Red!

Always nice when the dogs perform awesome, and better when you end the day with a lot of positive experiences. The limit is just an added bonus.

Congrats.

[fishinfey8]

Hit it hard yesterday. Went all over central SD looking for roosters. After a long morning of bird-less fields, my partner and I decided to take about a 45 min drive to a totally new area, and boy am I glad we did! Got our limit in the afternoon (both of us). I don't know if we were just lucky or what, but we ended up seeing quite a few birds. Right before dark (after being limited out), I watched approx 10 hens and 23 roosters fly from a field of sorghum across the road to the cover. I don't really want to say exactly where I was since I am going to hunt the next couple weekends yet, but it was close to the river. All public land I will add.

That outing showed me that I can't get lazy on the "bad" years. I almost didn't go out yesterday- especially hearing local reports. If I wouldn't have gone, I would have missed out on one of the funnest days of pheasant hunting I've ever had!

[Bryce]

Just back from my trip and not a good report. Hunted hard over a wide swath of the state on land that traditionally holds lots of birds. Some that holds giggle type populations. 46% reduction number released by the state is laughable. My time was split between two groups and the only numbers they put in the trucks was on pay to play when I wasn't there. Reports and inspection of those birds were indicitive of released birds. Van and bus loads of hunters where I have never seen them in the past. Made two 90 mile runs to relocate during the trip. Both at 730-930 am. Saw exactly 1 bird during those trips.

1 public land bird and 2 ditch hunting birds. Save your resources if you are thinking of heading

out there without a pay to play lined up. Cheaper than the gas required to find the very limited pockets of birds. If you do find such a pocket, no need to stray more than a section or two away.

[reddog]

Leaving again on Wed. We got the daughter married off last Saturday, so my weeks are pretty much free from here on out.

Gonna hunt east river deer with either the 250, or the Encore on Wed night and Thursday morning. Then gonna head west further and wing it. I dont know if I am going to activate my last 5 days for this year, or wait. Ill be deer hunting on Friday for sure.

Ill report back when and if I come back

[fishinfey8]

One of my friends went 2 for 6 on public land today. All birds were near food sources. Also, the ice has locked up all the sloughs, making the cattails a great spot to hit. Cattails next to food = birds right now IMO.