Pheasant Tactics

[Mayfly]

Another excellent time to hunt roosters is when the weather gets downright nasty.  High winds are a pheasant hunter?s best friend as the cover makes more natural noise than the hunter.  If you are quiet enough, your sounds will get lost in the wind and the birds get edgy.  They do not know where you are or where to go and will end up sitting tighter or fly, thus allowing you to get up on them for a closer shot.

I was reading this on-line and I thought to myself....I completely disagree.

What does everyone else think??

I think high winds work to a hunters disadvantage. As a matter of fact, when the winds really get going I get somewhat discouraged. I think it is much harder for the dogs to lock down on a scent. Sure, if the bird doesn't move and the dog scents it then you enter into a prime set-up but then again how often does that happen. The high winds carry the cent higher and faster and sometimes swirl the scent. When a bird does get on the move it can also be very tough for the dog to stay with that scent.  Besides scent, the shooting can get downright tough! If your not ready the second that bird gets into the air you may be too late. A rooster in the wind is a lucky rooster. And lets not forget a wounded bird in the wind......tough stuff.

So I guess when it comes to wind I disagree with the article I quoted above......anyone else??



The Champ!!

[Spinach]

I have to disagree with you on this one. The article is completely correct in my opinion, strong winds, snow, nasty weather definitely keeps the birds on edge, keeps them hunkered down more allowing us to walk right on top of them.

Harder work for the dogs though, but this article is correct when talking about general Pheasant hunting, the nastier the weather the easier it is for the hunter.

Every season I'll make sure to go hunting on the first nasty winter storm of the season, I cant remember a year that I wasn't highly sucessful, it also lets me know how many birds are actually on a given property because they hold tight to the thickest cover and stay down until me or the dog practically walk over them.

I treat these types of hunts more like a scouting day rather than a day to get the dog some good work in the field. It's not very fun to me to just shoot Roosters unless the dog gets a chance to work a few birds.

[Mayfly]

Sure...2 things happen in this kind of weather, either the birds sit extremely tight or they are wild. If your dog can get the scents and lock the bird down then you win. If it is really blowing hard it may be difficult and I think you may walk over a lot of birds and loose a lot of runners. I would really prefer not to hunt in this type of weather. If we are talking snow then I agree it may be the best hunt of the season right after a storm.

You can't honestly tell me that you think that a hunt in high winds is prime time weather........ ???

[Spinach]

Yes, I can honestly say i believe in the original quote.

These conditions are terrible for a hunting dog, and like I said in my first post, i treat these windy nasty days as a scouting trip, i'll definitely see more birds and walk over more birds, but high winds and nasty weather will more often than not keep the birds on the ground in one spot, they wont fly or run until they are practically stepped on.

The wind usually eliminates a wild flush or a running Rooster, giving the hunter more time to work each hunkered down bird.

To me Pheasant hunting is all about watching the dogs work for the birds, I probably wouldn't even hunt Pheasants without my dog, but some Pheasant hunters don't own dogs so a nasty windy day is ideal to them and bagging more birds.

[jigglestick]

not living in pheasant country, any time i have to go, rain, shine, wind, sleet, or snow, i go.
my best times have come right after nasty snow storms. the first ones of the season are the best because the young birds are totaly dumbfounded. they have no clue what just happened and their guard is down.
with wind, they do not run on you like they will when it is calm and sunny.
they sit tight. it may be harder for the dog to catch the scent of a bird off any distance, but i tend to recognize the types of area they will be in in that weather. strips of hedgerow, fencelines, ditches are great as they block the wind. creek bottoms, and cattails offer the best option to hide and loose the wind.
these are the areas i will send my dog into. from that point, even in windy conditions they can pick up scent. help them again by aproaching these areas from downwind.
the wind definately helps you, by putting a damper on their hearing and they conserve energy when they are sitting still out of the wind. those two factors equal birds that wont bust out until the last possible moment.
on more than one occasion i have actualy kicked a bird, or even stepped on their tails before they cut loose. startles the crap out of me, but what a laugh, especially if they get away.
i am not sure who i agree with, but that is my take on the matter. :)

[GRIZ]

I would tend to agree. The last choice for me to hunt would be calm and sunny. Snow storms were mentioned but I didn't notice anybody talk about a rain. It makes everything nice and quite, your dog will still be able to get a good wind sniff of the birds if not better because of the moist air. If the dog ground shiffs a bird during a rain your practically on top of the bird anyway.

After the rain is done it gets a bit tougher as the birds get very active and will start to run alot again. It might be a bit wet and miserable but my best time to go would be right in the middle of a good rain.

[shakey legs 2]

I don't like windy days.  I'm with you on this one Mayfly.  My experience is that birds are spooky and tend to bust out way in front, regardless if there is dog pressure or not.  When a bird does get up in range, you better be on him quick because the afterburners soon kick in and he is hightailing it to the next county.  I have had excellent luck in calm, sunny days.  The birds for the most part seem to hold tighter as they know where you are.  In windy conditions, they can't get a good read on where the hunter/dog is and they get nervous and bug out.  Right after a storm, especially with snow is best as the dogs practically have to dig them out.  If I had to order a perfect day it would be overcast with 5-10 mph winds out of the south or west.

I think what affects a hunter's luck (or lack of it) the most is hunting with someone who isn't aware of how much noise can spook birds.  Things like approaching an area to hunt noisly, slamming car doors, talking to your partner, dog, whistling, etc.  The thing that bugs me the most is when someone is constantly trying to control their dog by talking.  I have found the dogra T/B collar to be perfect.  I don't carry a whistle anymore and I have not had to use my voice or the shock feature on the collar to keep my dog close.  If she does get out farther than what I am comfortable with, I hit the locate function on the collar and she comes back in range.

[Mayfly]

Agreed. I don't know where these guys hunt pheasants but when the wind is high the hunting is tough. When the birds do bust they are gone in a second as well.

Joe: Remember the trip we took out to Marshall last year with Brian? It was windy as hell. We saw a ton of birds but the hunting was tough for the dog. Once the birds start moving it is hard for a dog when the wind gets wild. At one point Luci locked in  on a bird and was steady tracking it...the bird busted and before I even knew what happened the bird was gone.

Now after a big storm I love hunting, especially the first snow of the year! That could make for the best hunt of the year.  Can't wait, only a little over 4 months away!

[Joe]

I'm not sure what you saw being so close to the edge of the corn, but from my vantage point it was sick how many birds busted right at the edge of the corn. :o They were all making their way into the field next to the pond. If we only waited 10 more minutes I'm sure we would have had a few more shots.  And to top it off we still busted 6 - 8 hens in the same area we just walked thru 15 minutes earlier. I'm looking forward to another trip out there. 

[Mayfly]

There were roosters everywhere! If I can recall correctly more than one dog had winded them long before we even got that far. I know I had to keep whistling for Luci to slow down. She wanted in! That was a cool day and that is a great little spot....(Shhhh )

[Joe]

The wind earlier that day was really tough. I know it was messing up the dogs bad, because some of them birds either held tight while we walked by or were running between us. I know Lucy was on a couple of those runners right off, but that wind made them roosters real spooky. The wind finally calmed down, but we started to run out of daylight.

[GRIZ]

A good wind don't hurt IMO. A guy just has to change the approach. I actually like a wind to me it make the approach easier. What I do in a strong wind is take the dog on the down wind side of the cover but not in it. When the dog makes that hard turn with it's nose straight out there is a bird in there. Might be hen, rooster or a bunch of em. Since you are approaching from the down wind side you generally get pretty close to them b4 they bolt. Another benefit to this is since you are not walking in the cover it is much esier on the legs walking.

[Joe]

We always try to work the dogs into the wind. It was just blow your hat off windy and it was dryer than hell. Not good senting conditions at all. This morning looks like it would be a great morning.

[Mayfly]

This morning looks like it would be a great morning.

Agreed, I mentioned yesterday, I wish the farm was open. This would be good weather to get out for a workout.

[Mayfly]

It's almost time

[Birddog]

I am ready also. Just let me know when and where.

[Mayfly]

Oh...I think you already know when and where

I'm making a reservation tomorrow...

No way in hell am I ever camping again that time of year while pheasant hunting..

After a long day in the field I want to lay in a bed and watch TV, not freeze my ass off in a tent!

I don't mind doing some cold weather camping but not after a day like that...feet wet, hungry, birds to clean, cold, cold and cold.

I want my room at the Delux