Over the years, I have learned many things about the word "value". There is a generic description for it found in any dictionary, but to each and every one of us we interpret it a different way. We also tend to alter our views on values as we grow older, holding new things in higher esteem as we mature enough to appreciate them more than in our youth. For example, take your first autographed baseball card you got as a kid. Boy was it cool for the first day or so! But, sooner or later, it ended up close pinned to the front fork on your bicycle to make a very cool sound. Now, if I had that rookie Rod Carew signed baseball card today, you better believe that it would have never seen a second outside of a plastic sleeve!

We also can appreciate value when it comes to travelling and selecting an outfitter for our hunting needs. When I was younger growing up in Minneapolis, my friends and I would become the ultimate hunting know-it-all when the season came upon us. We would open the state map, the walk-in atlas, and anything else we could find to select our Mecca of choice-you know, the one that when your finger is on it on the map visions of numerous flushes and full game bags immediately filled your mind. And, even when you spent hours driving, finding a hotel room, a place to eat, somewhere to cold store your bag (if you had any!) and end up coming home with one bird, you still saw it as a value.

 

Now that I am older, hopefully wiser, I have learned the value of hunting with a good outfitter. Sure they are costly, but the expense is well justified. I've heard many "weekend warriors" say, "I'm not going to pay hunt-I can figure out where to go by myself." Realistically, the bulk of them can't. There is little point to driving hundreds of miles for a long-anticipated hunt only to run into posted signs, fumble around in strange country for week, spend a lot of money on gas, motels and meals. All that just to shoot two or three birds and then drive back home! A much better deal is to book with a quality outfitter and shoot a limit each day and have a good time doing it. Bottom line, the difference between a fine hunt and a lousy hunt is the couple of hundred extra dollars paid for an outfitters services.

 

So where do we start? First and foremost, you must know what you want from a hunt. It really is no different than planning the annual family vacation. You must do some research. Research on the internet is now the method of choice for millions of people. You need to identify some of the following issues before you start your search:

 

1. Location. Where do I want to go? Am I willing to fly or drive? How is the habitat this year? How was the spring hatch? How was the winter? What is the weather like in this area during the hunting season?

2. What amenities do I want? Full lodging, meals, game cleaning, etc? Is my license included? How about ammunition? There are many choices out there, so identify these needs upfront.

3. Budget. How much am I willing to spend? What do I get in my package, and how much will I still be responsible for?

 

Most of today's outfitters know the importance of having a strong online presence, and simply by searching with a few key phrases will help give you a lot of information to dig through. Review the information they have online, and if you are interested, fill out their contact form for additional information. Another great way to gather information is to attend any local or regional outdoor trade shows. These usually are scheduled for sometime between January and April. A lot of outfitters exhibit at these shows as a regular part of their marketing plan. They know that tens of thousands of people will be in attendance over the length of the show, and almost all of them are pre-qualified prospects! They will have brochures, videos, and many, many stories to tell about their outfit. Gather the brochures, but ask a lot of questions. 

 

Watch the outdoor TV shows on local and satellite/cable programming. A lot of the outfitters will be featuring their offerings, and here you will get more of the visual information that you may need. 

 

When you have identified potential outfitters, the next step is to contact them and get the questions answered. Ask for references-these people are a valuable resource for information too. 

 

Don't be impulsive either. Of course these outfitters are going to tell what a great operation they have, but in their line of work if you provide a bad experience word gets around. From the hundreds if not near a thousand outfitters I have met and talked to over the years at trade shows, almost every single one of them understand their customers needs and have a proven track record of meeting those needs successfully. 

 

In summary, do your homework, and don't rush to a decision. Ask questions, talk to friends and hunting buddies, and references given to you. Make sure you feel comfortable with your selection, to ensure that you have a memorable hunt of a lifetime!

 

 

 

Today’s clean, well-manicured row crop fields are less than ideal for pheasant hunting. The birds often begin running out one end of the field soon after hunters walk into the other.

 

In years past, hunting a row crop field was much like hunting a block of grassy cover. The crops were much shorter and there was considerably more weedy ground cover than is the case today. Pheasants held much longer, so one or two hunters could work the field and have a good chance of flushing birds at close range.

 

If you’re lucky, you may still find an occasional dirty field; if you do, it will probably hold more birds than other nearby fields.

 

The open rows in today’s clean fields make perfect running lanes for pheasants. The only practical way to hunt such a field is by driving it with a group of hunters and placing posters at the end.

 

Some hunters who own good bird dogs refuse to hunt clean fields because they’re not conducive to good dog work. Even a well-trained dog finds it hard to resist chasing a rooster down an open corn row. But in early season, when a high percentage of the crops are still standing, there may be no other choice, because that’s where the birds are.

Don’t ignore crop stubble, especially if it has scattered weed patches. The stubble makes a prime feeding area and is usually high enough to conceal a sneaking rooster.

 

Hunting row crop fields is most productive the first and last two hours of the day, although they may hold pheasants anytime. Avoid hunting these fields in windy weather. The rustling leaves are so noisy that you may not hear the birds flush. And you probably won’t be able to hear the footsteps of your hunting partners or your dog.

 

 

Pheasant hunting requires some advance preparation. First, you’ll need to do a little preseason scouting; it will pay big dividends later. Most fish and game departments make annual pheasant counts in late summer and publicize the results before the season opens. Study this information; then do a little research of your own. Drive around in early morning or late afternoon watching for birds on the roadsides. When you find a promising area, talk to the landowners and ask for permission to hunt once the season begins.

 

Make sure you are properly outfitted. General-purpose pheasant-hunting garb consists of a blaze-orange hunting jacket with a good-sized game pouch, brush pants and a blaze-orange cap that makes it easy for your companions to see you in tall cover. Comfortable boots that provide good ankle support are a must for long-distance walking.

 

Learn two take your time on the shot. When a gaudy rooster bursts from cover with a boisterous cackle, even veteran hunters lose their composure. If you make the mistake of rushing your shot, the bird will fly away unscathed. If you do manage to hit the bird at close range, there won’t be much left of it.

 

Statistics show that more than 3 times as many pheasants are taken in the first half of the season as in the last. That’s because most hunters want to get the "dumb" young birds. Hunting pressure is normally heaviest on opening weekend and tapers off steadily through the season.

 

Once the young birds are "educated," hunting becomes much tougher, but the competition for hunting spots decreases greatly. For this reason, many experienced hunters prefer the late season.

 

Because the birds’ behavior changes so much over the season, your success will improve greatly if you learn to tailor your hunting tactics accordingly.

 

Early in the season you can find pheasants most anywhere, including grass fields, cattail sloughs, cornfields, roadside ditches and brushy draws. They may be in light or heavy cover. Public hunting areas, though crowded, produce a lot of birds.

 

•Wait until the initial opening-day barrage is over, and then go back through areas that have already been hunted. Birds flushed by hunters move between different fields throughout the day.

•Look for dense or hard-to-reach cover that would discourage all but die-hard hunters.

•Work short-grass loafing areas adjacent to crop-fields. These spots "burn out" early, however, and then hold only hens.

•For the close-range shooting likely in early season, most hunters prefer improved-cylinder or modified-choke shotguns with high brass, size 6 or 7 1/2 shot.

 

Many veteran pheasant hunters would rather hunt in late season than fight the early-season crowds. Although the birds "wise up" in a hurry, you can still have good success in late season if you proceed as follows:

 

 

 

 

Let's face it, come November those roosters sure can get smart. No matter how much cover you seem to push, if you happen to be in an area that has been hunted hard throughout the season, a limit of roosters seems to be almost impossible.

 

There are however some things that can make your next upland bird hunting experience a much more successful and

enjoyable experience. Listed below are some ideas that have been proven to give you the edge on your next pheasant hunting adventure.

 

 

Gain the advantage with these great pheasants hunting tips.

Tips

Warnings

Due to the great number of shotguns presently available it is impossible for me to mention very many in this report, but I will write a word or two about several over/under doubles I have been impressed with of late. A couple are from Weatherby, the Orion Upland and the Athena Grade IV. I used the latter on an Arkansas duck hunt and a Minnesota pheasant hunt and have yet to find anything to complain about. Both models are quite handsome, beautifully balanced, throw excellent patterns, and are available in 12 and 20 gauge. Another newer over/under I really enjoyed hunting with was the Citori Feather XS from Browning. Other new over/unders include the Remington Model 300 Ideal and USRAC/Winchester Supreme.

 

I'm sure more pheasants fall victim to hunters armed with autoloaders than with any other type of shotgun. This is easy to understand considering the affordable price of some of them along with the ability of the gas-operated models to soak up part of the recoil from heavy loads. Of the new autoloaders I have field-tested, the ones that impressed me most were the Weatherby SAS and Beretta AL391. Both are very nice guns. Other good autoloaders are available from Remington, Browning, Mossberg, Franchi, and Benelli. 

 

As slide-action guns go, I see more pheasant hunters toting Remington 870s and discontinued Winchester Model 12s than all others combined. I seldom hunt with the pump gun, but if ever that changes I'll probably go with the 12-gauge 870 Wingmaster for wild pheasant and the same gun in 28-gauge for preserve hunting. Other pump guns I wouldn't mind spending a day or two in the field with are the Browning BPS, Benelli Nova, USRAC/ Winchester Model 1300 Ranger, and Mossberg Model 500 Sporting. 

 

 

The pheasant, like many Americans, is an immigrant to North America. The first successful introduction of pheasants to this country occurred in 1881 when Judge Owen Nickerson Denny (US consul to China) shipped 30 Chinese ringnecks (26 survived the journey) to his home in the Willamette Valley of Oregon. Eleven years later Oregon opened a 75-day season and hunters bagged 50,000 pheasants. They were subsequently released in 40 of the 50 states. To better understand why populations declined so rapidly, one must understand the Pheasant life cycle and the habitat requirements of the pheasant, as well as how the landscape was changing throughout that time. 

 

 

A wide variety of techniques can be used when hunting pheasants. This is probably one of the reason pheasant hunting appeals to so many people. A lone hunter can usually hunt field edges, fencerows and small weed patches. Many enjoy the solitude and easy pace of this type of hunting. Larger blocks of cover such as standing cornfields, cattail marshes, shelterbelts and large waterways may be difficult for one hunter to cover. Several hunters working together not only find more birds, but sharing the outdoor experience with good friends can be a very important part of the hunt. Larger hunting parties have found that they can bag more birds if they post "blockers" at the far end of the field, particularly if the birds seem prone to running or flushing wild. For many hunters, it just isn't a pheasant hunt unless you have a good bird dog along. A well-trained dog is a tremendous help in locating and retrieving crafty ring-necks. Selecting a good bird dog is again a matter of personal preference. English setters, Brittany spaniels, German shorthair/wirehair pointers and Labrador retrievers seem to be some of the most popular breeds among pheasant hunters. To learn more about huning dogs please visit our hunting dogs section According to a DNR wildlife research biologist, pheasants follow a schedule as routine as your daily commute to and from work. Understanding the pheasant's daily movements can increase your odds of flushing a rooster. 

 

"Pheasants start their day before sunrise at roost sites, usually in areas of short- to medium-height grass or weeds, where they spend the night." That's the word from Dick Kimmel, research biologist at the DNR Farmland Wildlife Research and Populations Station at Madelia. Kimmel says that at first light, pheasants head for roadsides or similar areas where they can find gravel or grit. 

 

Pheasants usually begin feeding around 8 a.m. When shooting hours begin an hour later, the birds are still feeding, often in grain fields while cautiously making their way toward safe cover. "Look for the edges of picked cornfields," says Kimmel, who regularly hunts southwestern Minnesota with his English setter, Banjo.

 

By mid-morning, pheasants have left the fields for the densest, thickest cover they can find, such as a standing corn, federal Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) fields, brush patches, wetlands, or native grasses. Kimmel says the birds will "hunker down here for the day until late afternoon." It's next to impossible for small hunting groups of two to three hunters to work large fields of standing corn. Pheasants often run to avoid predators, a response that frustrates dogs and hunters working corn, soybean, and alfalfa fields. Groups of two or three hunters usually have better success working grass fields, field edges, or fencerows. Other likely spots during midday are ditch banks and deep into marshes.

 

 

But eventually, pheasants have to eat again. During the late afternoon, the birds move from their loafing spots back to the feeding areas. As in the morning, birds now are easier to spot from a distance and are more accessible to hunters. "That's why the first and last shooting hours are consistently the best times to hunt pheasants," Kimmel adds.

 

Once the bird has been bagged, it is essential to take good care of the meat, particularly if the weather is warm. Perhaps the best way is to dress and cool the meat immediately after the hunt. Almost any recipe calling for chicken will also work on pheasants. 

 

During some years, Iowa hunters harvest as much as 80 percent of all the available roosters. In biological terms this is not excessive. Due to their polygamous breeding habits, only a small percentage of the males are actually needed for reproduction the following spring. Iowa's comparatively long; cock-only season is really quite conservative because the hen segment of the population is always protected from legal hunting losses. Shortening or closing a cocks-only pheasant season during population lows does not result in increased pheasant production in the future, because hens are protected and the lack of breeding males has never been a limiting factor for Iowa pheasants.