Pheasant Reports?

[rundrave]

Anyone make it out today? Kids birthday today so I didn’t make it out.

 

My gsp and I will be out tomorrow and Monday and will probably need waders lol.

 

I saw the MN Governor went to a game farm for the pheasant opener this morning? Maybe that shows the need to improve habitat for the birds?

 

[bobberineyes]

Wind whipped snow didn't keep the orange army from going out in the area we were in. Pretty much all the state land was surrounded by pickups early. The kid dropped the only rooster we flushed but did flush several real small birds. A couple of spots had some standing water but it was the snow and wet grass that got one wet. 

[PurpleFloyd]

Saw a few. Everything I normally hunt is standing water and with the amount of crops in the hunting in this area won’t be too good until things freeze solid

[rundrave]

Did well in SD today got my limit in 25 minutes on my first walk today on public land:

 

[monstermoose78]

Flushed a hen today and a nice buck

[rundrave]

Was only able to get out for a short hunt today but got 2 more:

 

[Wanderer]

Pretty sweet!

[rundrave]

where are  weekend tail gate shots?

 

I stayed home and got yard work done. Saturday was a little too warm for me to run the dog but chased a hot blue gill bite instead via the Kayak 

 

I am heading West to Huron next weekend to chase roosters for 3 days though, anyone one else make it out and have any luck?

[smalliehunter]

Went for my first walk yesterday.  Hard to get motivated since retiring my old dog.  Young one did pretty good tho

[fishingstar]

out on our annual Lac qui parle trip. first day was very slow only 3 hens today.

This area is way behind in the crops. not many field are combined . All our favorite spots have crops  all around them. We headed west looking for new hunting areas to hunt with some potential. We will see in the morning if the new spots will pan out.

[rundrave]

any recent reports or pics?

 

I had what quite possibly was the slowest weekend of hunting that I can remember here in SD. Got to Huron area just as sun was starting to go down on Friday. Literally had just enough time to get one walk in before dark. Had dog go on point and missed 2 roosters that got up right at my feet. I got excited at the chance for a double, and whiffed on the first bird only to get distracted by the 2nd bird and whiffed on my next shot also. The salt on the wound was that those were the only roosters I would see for the rest of the weekend. 

 

Just absolutely awful conditions out that way, its really wet and lots of crops in. The weather was perfect on Saturday, maybe could have used a little more wind. I was up early and started to put on some miles in the truck scouting out areas. Its wet EVERYWHERE, I have never seen anything like it. Between roads being closed, washed out flooded etc, its just a rat race trying to get to places. By 9:30 there were trucks starting to stake out areas so I just found a go to area that I have done well on in the past that had no one on it. Walked the entire area where I could and never flushed a bird or saw any get out a head of us. Tried to stay on high ground only to paint myself into a corner in land locked areas and not able to keep going so had to back track many times where I had already walked or get wet. This was the story of the day.

 

I hunted 10am to sundown and it was brutal. Lots of hunters out early in the day so it was hard to find places to walk that didn't have anyone already on them. With lots of places flooded out its really concentrating hunters to areas that are still walkable. So then I went back to areas that weren't accessible via road. Sometime this meant parking and a long walk through mud and water a long the road just to go get to the WIA. I was hoping getting off the beaten path would produce some birds but it didn't.

 

Later in the afternoon I finally ran into a few hens but that was it. Just as I finished walking that area they started to combine the field next to it. I stayed and watched to see if they kicked out any birds and a few got pushed out but they went to land I couldn't walk. Other than a few hens it was slow didn't see a rooster in gun range the entire day. Even going the gravel roads the I wasn't seeing much. Pretty tough pill to swallow hunting from 10am to 6pm and didnt get a bird but I guess thats why they call it hunting lol. I put on a lot of miles on foot and was absolutely exhausted by the end of the day,  soaked wet and defeated.

 

Sunday was a washout and I didnt feel like hunting in the rain so I chose not to go out. I think I am gonna give it a rest for a couple weeks for some crops to come out and the water to hopefully freeze. I know there are birds out there they just have the upper hand right now. Unless we get some snow I dont see myself heading out any time soon. Talked to a few guys at the gas station and restaurants in town and everyone said it was really slow for them also.

[PurpleFloyd]

The dogs flushed one rooster the second day of the season which ended up in the bag and since that day I have been out 4 times and have not flushed a single bird. It’s terribly wet, muddy, crops are coming out but birds are not. My relatives who farm where I hunt have been seeing very few birds and some fields have none. I stuck around to watch one 40 that is probably the most prolific of all areas I hunt and not a single bird. 

 

Otoh there are deer up the wazoo this year. I don’t remember seeing more in this area and nice bucks. I jumped a 10 pointer from about 10 feet away last week.  

 

I need to try South Dakota 

[PurpleFloyd]

This is it for the year. 

[nyladnorman]

Not so bad at all. 

[123fish]

We have been having pretty good hunting down here in the Worthington area. The corn is starting to come out and if there is any kind of cover close to a recently picked cornfield you are good to go. The numbers are definitely there. Have seen close to thirty birds shot this year in our group and every one was a bird hatched this year.

[rundrave]

Hunting is improving. Still lots of corn in and still really wet everywhere. 

 

Had a big scare with thin ice that I hope to never repeat. Flushed a bird over my dog on point right on the edge of a slough. He chose to fly over the water but once he hit the wind he just stopped and I couldn’t pass an easy shot up. It was one shot and he folded up and feathers everywhere and didn’t land far from the edge. I knew it wasn’t gonna be a runner, and dog went right in after it. This was in thick cattails and I couldn’t see the retrieve. He ended up going through the ice. Thought he would free himself but he couldn’t get out and started yelping. I had to use the butt of my gun to break the ice to get out to him. Ended up in freezing cold water over my waist. When I got to him he was still yelping but also had the bird! The prey drive in these dogs is just unreal.

 

After a change of clothes kept hunting and ended up with our limit and ended our day early. 3rd bird was a dandy who thought he could out smart a veteran GSP, see the tail feather pic

 

[rundrave]

Anyone still out hunting? Had an amazing hunt today and saw a ton of birds. Dog is pretty tore up from crusty snow and ice. Hopefully he heels up quick as I would like to get out a few more times before season closes.

 

[Wanderer]

Thanks for sharing your hunts.   That tail is a dandy!

 

The legitimate prairie hunts for pheasants are rare for me now.  Not having a dog anymore is a big deal in that regard.  After you’ve had a great one it’s just half baked to go out there and walk around.  Ducks I can do without a dog.

 

I am going to a game farm Saturday with some friends so we can get a taste.  With our schedules it’s tough to get the old gang back together in hot pursuit of those cagey birds in wide open spaces.  Rice Creek is about as wild of a game farm as I’ve hunted and I’m looking forward to it and some pheasant pot pie afterward.

 

Good luck finishing up the season!

[fishingstar]

My last day for the year was last Friday. The snow is deep and the rosters have move across the road to the cat tails.

It was a strange year with the field work so late and the wet low ground then early snow and cold. 

[rundrave]

2 hours ago, fishingstar said:

was a strange year with the field work so late and the wet low ground then early snow and cold

 

I saw combines harvesting corn yet yesterday here in SD. I was surprised to how many fields are still not harvested.

 

I got the truck stuck 3 times yesterday so I know it’s still got to be tough going in spots yet. Fell through the ice into mud and water that was a fun one to navigate out of.  Nothing a little 4-LO couldn’t handle lol

 

[Wanderer]

Had a couple friends out yesterday in western MN.  Heard they flushed about 25 birds (hens and roosters) took shots at 4, hit and recovered 2.  Hard to get close to em.

 

Much different at Rice Creek today.  Snow wasn’t too crunchy and the birds held even more than usual for out there.  Just 3 wild flushes and only 2 got away.

 

[rundrave]

Wrapped up my pheasant season today.

 

Started the day of with super strong winds and was able to sneak up on a few but they were all hens.

Mid day the winds calmed and the temp got to almost 40 degrees. Was really warm and birds were just out scratching in the fields. Walked every type of cover I could find and it just wasn’t productive. Resorted to a little road hunting and picked up 2 birds. Not my preferred style to hunt but prior trip out I went on a really bad shooting slump so was was good to bag some birds to end the year.

 

Going to be a long wait again now until September to get out again.