2021 Pheasant Reports

Ralph – great pics. ski goggles are a great piece of gear to have when that wind is blowing!

Gerty – awesome work! a 1 man limit is an impressive feat, especially with the current state of the pheasant habitat

Final trip of the season in a balmy 3 degrees yesterday proved to be a successful one. Holy crap the snow got deep in a week though. It was about an inch last week and now its about 8 or 9 inches deep where I hunt. Trudging through that deep snow really saps my energy quick, and the dog too. I was able to raise 10 birds at 3 different spots and 4 of them were roosters. The birds I did find were holding tight. Finished the season on a high note and went home with 3 long-tailed roosters. These 3 roosters complete my 9 bird possession limit at home. I was thinking of going again on Saturday, but the snow is just too deep and the temperature looks to be bitter cold. Wish the season was a little longer like it is in Iowa or South Dakota because I would definitely go again.

gimruis wrote:

I was thinking of going again on Saturday, but the snow is just too deep and the temperature looks to be bitter cold.

Same here. Mother Nature generally laughs at my plans.

Ralph Wiggum wrote:

Same here. Mother Nature generally laughs at my plans.

Honestly the cold doesn’t bother me. Once I start walking, I’m fine. I usually work up a mild sweat even when its bitter cold. But the deep snow just sucks walking through.

Looks like my season is done. I would like to have gone on last time but my hands can’t take this cold.
It has been a disappointing year this year. Normally my crp holds birds but with the lack of rain it just hasn’t grown (only a foot tall). Most of the birds have been in the cattails witch I only own a small part of.

My pheasant season is also over. My dog ripped a nail last week and it’s R&R time for him for the next week or so. He isn’t so sure though. Two days or so after a weekend hunt he starts groaning and whimpering – seemingly to make a point that the next hunt is taking too long to arrive.

The season was a good one for me and the bud I hunt with. We shot limits of birds on about 80% of the hunts. A big success for us as we only hunt public lands. The bird numbers where we hunt were definitely up and our dogs are in their prime – good times. Let’s hope for a continued mild winter and a good hatch next spring.

Some pics:

Had a good hunt Thursday afternoon, 12/30/2021 hunting solo without a dog. Here’s my ” tailgate” photo.

gimruis wrote:

Honestly the cold doesn’t bother me.

Cold is fine, but -25 F is too much for me, and I don’t want to risk any exposure damage to my dog.

Great pics, guys!

boone wrote:

Here’s my ” tailgate” photo.

Holy army truck Boone

gimruis wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>boone wrote:</div>
Here’s my ” tailgate” photo.

Holy army truck Boone

I needed to call out the Army National Guard to help me. It’s actually one my buddy’s dad’s many farm trucks. I’m guessing he bought at some surplus sales auction.

I was determined to get out today because my young pup needed one more chance to figure some things out. He delivered. He stuck his first incontrovertible point on a wild rooster, followed by a good retrieve (he dropped it at my feet instead of holding, otherwise it would have been perfect). It was a very satisfying finish.

Nice way to close out the season!

E4mo wrote:

I was determined to get out today because my young pup needed one more chance to figure some things out. He delivered. He stuck his first incontrovertible point on a wild rooster, followed by a good retrieve (he dropped it at my feet instead of holding, otherwise it would have been perfect). It was a very satisfying finish.

What kind of dog? Puddlepointer?

Very nice E4mo!

Yep, he’s a Pudelpointer. I grew up hunting pheasants over Viszla’s, but wanted a dog that would enthusiastically retrieve waterfowl. The Pudelpointer breed has delivered on both fronts.

E4mo wrote:

Yep, he’s a Pudelpointer. I grew up hunting pheasants over Viszla’s, but wanted a dog that would enthusiastically retrieve waterfowl. The Pudelpointer breed has delivered on both fronts.

I suppose I could look it up, but how was the Pudelpointer breed bred? What are they a combination of?
I saw one last year, cant remember when, and I asked the guy if it was a wirehair or a Griffon. Nice looking dogs for sure.

Mid 1800’s. German Pudel (Poodle) and English Pointer.

E4mo wrote:

Mid 1800’s. German Pudel (Poodle) and English Pointer.

Very cool! I see them on the dog shows all the time. Look like a great breed.

Funny I mis-spelled it and I have owned one for 10 years! LOL

@suzuki You had one before they were cool!

E4mo wrote:

@suzuki You had one before they were cool!

Yep. Read about them loooooong ago in a magazine and got on a many year waiting list. I got an OK one. Driven to hunt but a little low on brains. She’s more mellow now with age but it took a damn long time for her to settle down.

suzuki wrote:

Driven to hunt but a little low on brains.

Both of mine are borderline retarded so I think that’s just how they are

E4mo wrote:

@suzuki You had one before they were cool!

Cool might be be an exaggeration.

@ralphwiggum Fair enough. They do kind of have a face only their owner’s could love.

Just ribbing you guys, @E4mo. Bearded pups are where it’s at. I just prefer Italian stallions.

Duluthian, can you tell me what kind of vests those dogs are wearing in the SD pic? Thank you.

A little late, but quick report.

I made it down to southwest MN the second-to-last weekend of the season. It was my first time doing a solo trip down there and exploring new places(I usually hunt Iowa). Struck out at the first two spots and made a big jog further SW to hit a different WMA my grandpa has taken me to in the past. I should add this was my first time ever hunting anything on Christmas Day.

I had a friend with who doesn’t hunt much and after a short walk through some cattails he had some leg pain that he just couldn’t deal with(after walking a few miles earlier in the day, to his credit). I said it’s ok, let’s walk back to the truck. He said he didn’t want to ruin my hunt but I assured him he wasn’t. Then I asked him if he’d mind if I walked one last patch of grass because it was my last trip of the season to either state and I wanted my dog to get a little more work in. He said no prob so I gave him the keys and told him to meet me at the end of the road, 150 yds away. Well, I took my time(sorry Kev!) and walked all kinds of weird zigzags and paused for 20 seconds every 2 minutes, when my dog got very birdy and flushed a rooster off the tip of her nose. It quartered away perfectly and in excitement I didn’t get the gun seated in my shoulder socket(just the very top of the butt) and “lobbed” two shots of #3 steel at the bird. He dropped on the second, about 30-35 yds. My girl was right on him and brought him back to me with only a broken wing, a little stunned. Success! Continued the same pattern for the next 10-15 minutes and continued to kick up hen after hen, one by one, all from the same little 20 square yard area. Almost every one was flushed directly by my dog after she’d get birdy and nose around deep in grass pockets for a few seconds. AND I had already walked through that little area once or twice!!! Was about 8-9 hens consecutively. Man was that a cool experience.

That last patch I walked was actually a WIA(walk-in-access), adjacent to the big WMA. I only bought my MN stamp the night before and threw a walk in access endorsement on there just for the heck of it(plus I’m always happy to throw a few more dollars out there for the right cause). Buddy didn’t have his. Boy am I glad I did! What a cherry on top of an otherwise somewhat uneventful season… I was so happy and proud of my dog! Could not have asked for a more perfect Christmas present!

Thanks for reading

Yes the gun was resting in a not so good manner against my truck, but it was at least unloaded

No excuse on that one really, except excitement…

But I definitely won’t apologize for the way my pheasant tenders turned out! Check it out-

First pic is the leftover tenders tossed in franks Buffalo wing sauce (after being reheated in the air fryer so they’re good and crispy again)

Side note: my dog still managed to get into the bird guts despite my hiding the carcass. You know how I know?

She farted the whole ride home, and they had that distinctive “bird guts” smell. If you know you know.