Old-School Tips on How to Hunt Pheasants Alone 

This story, “Higher Pheasant Searching Alone,” was initially revealed within the October 1984 situation of Outside Life. 

Over the previous a number of years, I’ve saved data on greater than 100 pheasant hunts. Throughout that point, I’ve hunted each alone and with as many as 9 different gunners. All in all, I’ve give you some fairly attention-grabbing figures. As an illustration, my tackle solo hunts has averaged greater than twice that of after I was with two or extra different folks. 

The rationale for the elevated bag, in my view, is that it’s so much higher to attempt to outsmart pheasants than to outnumber them. That is very true late within the sea­son when the birds you’re looking have earned their edu­cations by avoiding hunters. 

Roosters aren’t precisely Einsteins, however they often don’t stick round in the event that they know they’re being hunted. Two peo­ple most likely make 3 times as a lot noise as does the solo hunter. Three or 4 hunters can generally sound like a military marching by means of a area. Not solely do further hunters add further pairs of ft, however there’s all the time the temptation to begin speaking or joking backwards and forwards. When looking alone, I prefer to reap the benefits of the quietness to beat pheasants at their very own game-being sneaky. 

I particularly bear in mind one morning when my younger Golden Retriever, Mysti, and I have been out battling knee­deep snow drifts and zero-degree chilly in hopes of out­smarting just a few cock birds. After drawing a clean at one spot, I headed for some favored late-season cowl. 

This 200-yard strip of thick cedars and underbrush bor­dering a milo area was a haven for pheasants. Unfortu­nately, it was additionally common with pheasant hunters. Whereas driving previous the world, I seen quite a few tire marks and footprints. It had clearly been hunted at the very least twice because the final contemporary snow every week earlier. In contrast to my predecessors, although, I didn’t park in an previous homestead close to the bushes. 

As a substitute, I continued till I dropped down in a small dip within the street that put me out of sight of the duvet. Quietly leaving the automotive, I put the canine at heel and slipped right into a deep waterway that angled to inside 30 yards of the far finish of the cedars. My plan was to not solely use the waterway to enter the bushes unseen, however to shock the birds much more by coming in from a distinct course than they have been accustomed to. 

Slinking by means of the final 100 yards of the waterway in a crouch, Mysti and I quietly entered the duvet. I’d no sooner given the canine the hand sign to hunt when she pushed up a pair of hens. Just a few seconds later, one other chook flushed behind a cedar, by no means revealing itself for identification. 

Transferring quietly within the mushy snow, Mysti started working a path. Doing my finest to maintain up together with her, I used to be compelled to duck by means of thick stands of cedars that usually despatched an avalanche of cedar twigs and snow down the again of my neck. Midway down the duvet, I may see my canine’s tempo quicken because the scent bought stronger to her proper. Anticipat­ing the flush, I headed for the sting. I’d no sooner made it than a cackling rooster got here streaking by. On the shot, the chook folded and plowed full velocity right into a snowdrift. 

Admiring the retrieved pheasant, I used to be proud to see that it carried three-quarter-inch spurs-the equal of an enormous 10-point whitetail to a devoted pheasant hunter. Considering again, I spotted that three of the 5 longest-spurred birds I’d ever taken had come on solo hunts. 

Whenever you’re out looking alone, remem­ber that the sort of cowl you choose could make an enormous distinction between success and failure. Attempting to hunt an enormous, extensive patch of weeds or grass could make the looking dif­ficult even when there are a variety of birds in it. Roosters have a nasty behavior of operating cir­cles round you in the event that they’ve bought sufficient room. 

As a substitute, I like to stay to smaller, thicker areas that I can simply work totally. A few of my favourite areas are deep and slim attracts, waterways, thick creek bottoms, overgrown ditches, patches of cattails, and the like. Keep in mind to attempt to are available unseen. Hunt as quietly as possi­ble and work the duvet totally. 

There’s little question {that a} good canine is an enormous benefit to a pheasant hunter. However do not forget that a foul canine is much more of a handicap than no canine in any respect. It’s essential that the canine works shut and stays underneath management. A canine that ranges wildly or needs to be shouted at to be saved underneath management may as nicely be compelled to heel and be used solely on downed birds. 

The dogless hunter, nevertheless, can nonetheless kill his share of roosters with somewhat further work. With none four-legged assist, it’s as much as the gunner to squirm and pull his approach by means of thick tangles. Zigzagging backwards and forwards typically helps, as does the previous trick of paus­ing once in a while in hopes of unnerving any tight-sitting birds. 

Regardless of how quiet you attempt to be, ultimately you ‘re going to search out your­self behind a bunch of feathered observe stars that will fairly run than fly. Watching the canine, following tracks within the snow, or really seeing the birds up forward of you’re certain tip-offs. 

At instances, you possibly can drive the birds to locations the place they’ll maintain higher. Working an space towards an open piece of floor or a area of inexperienced wheat will generally get the birds to carry lengthy sufficient so that you can get inside gun vary. However, when you push a rooster towards a piece of knee-high grassland or stubble, you’re nearly out of luck because the chook will most likely hold proper on operating. 

Chances are you’ll do nicely to drive operating birds into thicker cowl the place they could really feel safer in sitting. This tactic has labored for me many instances in one in every of my favored late­season hotspots. On the finish of wa­terway lies a patch of a number of the densest cattails and plum thickets possible. Greater than as soon as I’ve tracked birds the whole size of the waterway with out getting one to flush. At different instances, I’ve had as many as 50 rise up out of a stretch of cattails that most likely covers much less floor than an aver­age home. 

One other solo looking tactic that I exploit if I feel there are a bunch of runners within the group of pheasants is to pretend the birds into considering that there’s somebody on the different finish of the duvet ready for them. The place doable, I’ll drive to the place I anticipate to exit a draw or creek backside, get out of my automotive, and perhaps shut a automotive door and even hunt a methods earlier than quietly slipping round to return in from the opposite finish. It’s a variety of further work nevertheless it has paid off previously. 

Generally I’ll hunt midway by means of cowl utilizing a break in a hill, ditch, or creek, slip unseen into the opposite finish, then begin looking again within the course from which I got here. Considering he’s boxed in, an previous cock chook will generally simply resolve to sit down tight. I’ve adopted tracks within the snow the place this has occurred. 

One in every of my favourite methods of taking late­-season roosters is to make what I name “rooster raids.” I’ll spend many of the day looking very small, typically remoted clumps of canopy which can be at instances no greater than my lounge. The entire key to the commando like maneuver is complete shock.

 After consuming a cup of espresso and eat­ing a roll in celebration of taking that lengthy­spurred rooster within the cedars, I made a decision to perform a little raiding. Lower than one-quarter mile from a good friend’s home is a large creek backside that bisects a grainfield. Early within the season, you could find birds scattered about wherever alongside the underside. However when there’s snow on the bottom, they usu­ally head for a specific plum thicket. Lo­cated on a small bluff on the north facet of the creek, it’s excellent for the birds. Many of the thicket is down out of the chilly north wind and so they can solar themselves for a lot of the day whereas being up excessive sufficient to see a number of hundred yards in virtually each course. The important thing phrase right here is sort of. 

Swinging approach round and preserving the canine at heel, I got here in from the west utilizing some small cedars and a slight rise within the hill to maintain out of sight. Easing as much as inside 10 yards of the higher fringe of the thicket, I made a decision to get dramatic. Yelling, “Cost,” I despatched Mysti in whereas I went as much as watch the motion. Caught completely off guard, the dozen or so birds within the thicket panicked. Hens ran frantically to the perimeters and flushed. The lone rooster within the mob saved attempting to rise straight up out of the jungle, cackling each time he hit a department. On his third attempt, he lastly made it airborne however was reduce off by a load of Premium No. 7½. 

A little bit widespread sense may also help you de­termine good locations for raids. The plum thicket described above is an effective instance. Understand that the birds often aren’t too distant from feed. Not solely does that imply grainfields but in addition weed patches and large feed bales which can be usually saved by farmers. Do you have to occur to stumble onto a bunch of birds in a specific cowl, hold the place in thoughts. If the birds spooked wildly and also you didn’t get a shot, plan a strat­egy that may work out higher subsequent time. Pheasants are sometimes compelled to be creatures of behavior late within the season when life will get arduous for them. The place you discover them at some point, you simply may discover them the subsequent. 

Late one Saturday afternoon final season, 5 of us stumbled onto a creek backside that was actually stuffed with pheasants. Because it was, issues bought somewhat unorganized and we solely managed to bag one rooster every. Be­lieve me, there have been sufficient birds for us to have taken at the very least twice as many. 

A gentle drizzle was falling when Mysti and I sneaked again down into that very same creek backside just a few days later. We had only a half-hour of daylight remaining and, up to now, it had been a type of days. I had missed my solely shot of the day and was coming down with the flu. I used to be somewhat discouraged, to say the least. 

Slipping alongside quietly, we’d solely gone a brief distance when Mysti pounced into some thick tangles. Two roosters flushed, heading to my left. I fired shortly and each roosters went down. Instantly, ·issues have been trying higher. Persevering with on down the underside, I picked up one other two birds for my restrict, and made it again to the automotive with 5 minutes of authorized capturing time to spare. 

The lone gunner is commonly out of luck in the case of looking huge grainfields the place the birds are feeding. Those that have a canine, although, can typically get some capturing by forgetting about following a set sample and easily sticking with the canine and hoping for the most effective. One morning final season, I used to be in a position to bag a pair of roosters from an 80-acre wheat stubble area by let­ting my canine hunt at will. 

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To some hunters, essentially the most irritating factor on the planet is to see pheasants sit­ting on the snow, feeding out within the open. Attempting to stroll up on birds you possibly can see will virtually all the time end in failure. As a substitute, I prefer to attempt to gently spook the pheasants into some close by cowl that’s thick sufficient to both be hunted or raided. 

After attempting just a few extra unsuccessful raids following the plum thicket affair, I took a brief lunch break and headed for a draw that had yielded just a few roosters previously. Whereas pulling into the barnyard to ask for permission to hunt, I almost wrecked my automotive as I regarded out over the wheatfield that butted up in opposition to the draw. I counted an excellent 50 pheasants feeding inside plain sight of the home, and 13 of them have been lengthy­tailed roosters that glimmered within the afternoon solar. 

The farmer gave me the OK to hunt, professional­vided I hunt away from the home. Leav­ing my gun and the canine.within the automotive, I stepped into the open the place the birds may see me. Then, I simply stood there. After a couple of minutes of nervous pacing backwards and forwards, the whole flock both strolled or flew down right into a clump of cedars within the draw. 

After giving the birds time to settle in, I started a stalk utilizing an previous shelterbelt and a fenceline for canopy. Popping over the sting of the draw, I may see pheasant heads sticking up in every single place. The primary chook up was a rooster that gave me a straightforward shot-I related. I spent the subsequent few seconds attempting to tell apart roosters from hens because the birds filtered by means of the tops of the cedars. After a miss, I managed to down a chook. It took somewhat canine work, nevertheless it wasn’t lengthy earlier than Mysti caught up with the fourth and closing rooster of the day. My solo techniques had labored once more.