miscalculated and we were getting there around 5:30. Pulling down the gravel road to the WMA and someone pulls in 1 minute before us. Said they had already missed out on their first option
That’s just downright ridiculous. Part of the reason I started skipping openers about a decade ago. Too many hunters, too much corn, and too warm out. I’m sure it’ll get better as the season progresses. Most pheasant hunters hang it up well before the end of the season.
Sucks getting beat to a spot but it’s also a good to see more people out hunting. I see it as proof organizations like Pheasants Forever work. More hunters hopefully means more money for land conservation. Ive personally seen 2 large land acquisitions in the 10ish years ive been involved in my local chapter. More people is a double edged sword for sure, but I don’t let it stop me from hunting the whole season through.
I would also add a lot of credit the the recent trend of youth trap teams. Seeing an uptrend at our Youth Pheasant Hunts and 9 out of 10 will tell you their on the trap team.
We stunk it up in Iowa this weekend. Just couldnt find our MOJO and the wind ended our hunt by late Sunday morning. BUT it was a fun and rewarding weekend. My young golden evolved dramatically over the weekend culminating in a rock solid point on Sunday morning for one of the 4 roosters we got. (2 hunters) I suspected she may point based on her behavior at home and time will tell if it happens consistently but it was as good a point as I have seen from my pointer. I had to flush the bird. She was working cover well and was a different dog from Sat to Sun.
I may have to sacrifice some early ice fishing to get her out more this year.
I have seen SO many pheasants deer hunting the past 3 days its ridiculous. The countryside is a cackling orchestra when the sun comes up and then they buzz the landscape like a swarm of bees for a few hours. Gonna be some goooooood hunting when I’m finished with the deer.
Me and my grandpa made it down to Iowa last weekend with his just under 2 year old female golden and my 5.5 yr old lab female. First day we got 4 and had two we couldn’t find(bummer). Second day we got our limit of 6 by 11am. Best pheasant hunt for me ever. Dogs did great. His dog chased our final rooster over 60 yards and came back with it. Made his hunt for sure. Mix of public, ditches, and some private land that I’m very fortunate to have. One highlight was when we flushed an enormous buck out of a cattail patch and about 8 pheasants flushed all around him. That was a sight to see. One side-note: my iPhone had a bad malfunction that totally locked it up the night before leaving so was without my phone for a long weekend. At first was pretty ticked off about it but as the trip wore on I actually realized how refreshing it was not having it.
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Browning humpback and Iowa roosters are a classic combo. Great!
Browning humpback and Iowa roosters are a classic combo. Great!
Yessir! I was shooting the old Belgian A5 12ga and grandpa is shooting a newer sweet sixteen A5. Was definitely a cool feeling 
Very nice. We have been struggling to get limits just hunting ditches.
One highlight from this weekend for me was my dog, pointed a rooster again, then caught it in the air after I shot it. But then wouldn’t retrieve it?! 
We’ll get there.
But then wouldn’t retrieve it?!
Im unlike a lot of people probably but retrieving is the least thing I am worried about.
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>suzuki wrote:</div>
But then wouldn’t retrieve it?!Im unlike a lot of people probably but retrieving is the least thing I am worried about.
Same here as long as she finds them and immobilized them where I can see and get to them. So far, good on both accounts. EXCEPT when water comes into play. My pointer will water retrieve game like her life depended on it even though she’s not a huge swimmer. I cant keep my retriever out of water. I will need her to fetch birds in that scenario.
Well I went pheasant hunting this afternoon in the fresh snow for the first time this season. Raised about 25 at the first spot and dumped a rooster. Unfortunately the spurs cut my dogs leg pretty bad so the hunt finished there. They put surgical staples in and cleaned it up at the vet. She has to take some pills for a while and no walks or hunting for 10-14 days. 
Wow. Never heard of a roosters spurs cutting a dog before. Bummer.
Wow. Never heard of a roosters spurs cutting a dog before. Bummer.
It didn’t bleed much but apparently the spur cut into her just right and then opened the cut up even more. It looked more like a gash than a cut. Didn’t seem to bother her much but I had to address it so it didn’t get worse or get infected.
Sorry to hear about your dog’s injury.
Check this IA bird. Crazy!
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Whoa quite the tail feathers.
Well I went pheasant hunting this afternoon in the fresh snow for the first time this season. Raised about 25 at the first spot and dumped a rooster. Unfortunately the spurs cut my dogs leg pretty bad so the hunt finished there. They put surgical staples in and cleaned it up at the vet. She has to take some pills for a while and no walks or hunting for 10-14 days.
Had same thing happen to my dog 2 years ago, after 2 weeks of getting better she was fine and and within 20 minutes of getting her staples out we got our 3 bird limit.
Had same thing happen to my dog 2 years ago, after 2 weeks of getting better she was fine and and within 20 minutes of getting her staples out we got our 3 bird limit.
Good to hear! I’ve seen those spurs make cuts and draw blood before, but nothing like this. This was a rip and tear of the outer skin, wide open. Luckily it didn’t catch an artery or anything like that, and for now it appears there won’t be any infection either.
Glad to hear your dog will be fine gimruis. We have hunted behind dogs for many years and never heard of that injury before but if there is away to get a hunting dog injured without a doubt it will happen.
WishIwasWiser did you measure the longest tail feather? That bird there would win a lot of contests.
Sorry to hear about your dog’s injury.
Check this IA bird. Crazy!
That is definitely not a first year bird. Holy cow! I have shot some with long tails, but that is ridiculous.
Just finished cleaned birds in SD = God’s country
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Took the dog out for the first time this morning. Didnt walk much and only saw a few sets of tracks and no flushes. Taking 2 of my boys out on Wednesday since they are off school and work. I am off all week. Probably head out again on Thursday since we arent doing THanksgiving until Saturday this year. Dog worked well. His shock collar was all jacked up so I needed to replace the collar. I had to cut the old one off and the new collar I have is too thick. Dough! Ordered two that should be the right size.
Just finished cleaned birds in SD = God’s country
how’d you guys do? public or private? what part of the state? I’m heading back out for my 2nd trip in two weeks and am hoping we have better luck than we did in Oct.
My group is heading down ugly early on Friday because you HAVE TO BE HUNTING RIGHT AT 8AM!!!!!! 
Coming back Sat night. Power hunt. Cant say where or I could get in trouble…. 
I’m going hunting Friday and Saturday. Hoping conditions are better this time, last time 3/4 of the corn was still standing but the biggest problem it was dry as a bone and scenting was very difficult for the dogs. Thinking there will be at least some moisture this time and crops are all in so here we come!
Hoping to get out to SD still after that been a few years for me need to get back out there.
I’m going hunting Friday and Saturday. Hoping conditions are better this time, last time 3/4 of the corn was still standing but the biggest problem it was dry as a bone and scenting was very difficult for the dogs. Thinking there will be at least some moisture this time and crops are all in so here we come!
There was still quite a bit of standing corn in Central MN when I was out last Wednesday. I have no idea why it hasn’t been harvested yet either. It’s worth a lot of money too. The birds I found were near the corn though.
Every year around this time I start thinking, “yup, the dumb ones are dead and the they’re starting to wise up.” We started walking a huge WMA last weekend only to see about 25 birds flush wildly out of the middle of the cattails 150 yards ahead of us. We chased them around for a a while to no avail. Straight shooting would have got us a limit, but we ended up with 2 birds and rubber legs at the end of the day. Enjoy those classic flushes when they come. The 50 yard shots and 4 shot fiocchi’s are becoming the norm for public land birds until we get a big snow or some other change. Gotta hunt smart for limits.
I went down to IA on Sunday afternoon. I am not sure why I ever go down on Sunday afternoon. Seems like wherever you stop you are always walking on someone else’s boot tracks. Did manage to get one out of a ditch. Was also surprised how much that little bit of snow we had really filled in some of the ditches.
I actually look forward to holidays with my inlaws because they live in SW MN and the Pheasant hunting is great where I go. Was excited for Thanksgiving and 4 strait days of hunting, but my kid just woke up with a fever so I’m very worried my hunting trip is getting the can. I suppose I’m worried about my kid too… 
Yeah I was surprised by all the standing corn yesterday as well. The prices are sky high and with how dry its been they cannot possibly need to dry it, but maybe its due to storage issues because of the diesel shortage and the Mississippi being so low they cannot move it so they just leave it in the field.
Took 2 of the boys out yesterday. Got to spot 20 minutes early and heard a rooster cackling. 5 minutes before shooting time I heard multiple roosters cackling and they were flying but couldn’t see them. Set out at 9 right in the direction we heard them. 200 yards or so into the walk I see where they landed and tracks everywhere. I told the boys to get ready. All of a sudden 5 roosters flushed all at once and right into the sun. I couldn’t tell what they were until they were out of range. Major bummer no shots fired at all.
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