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Pheasant HUNTING IN The Midwest
As one of the Midwest's most popular and gaudiest game birds, pheasants are the upland favorite of many hunters. The sight of a dog flushing a rooster provides excitement unlike any other form of hunting. With the last two mild winters in the Midwest, bird populations have exploded. South Dakota alone has over six million birds available. While the other states in the Midwest aren't as overrun with birds as South Dakota , they do have respectable pheasant populations and offer some great hunting opportunities under less crowded conditions. Habitat is the key for good pheasant populations.Organizations such as Pheasants Forever have done an excellent job of acquiring new habitat for birds to live. Programs such as CRP have been a boon to pheasant populations. Such habitat programs are the key to preserving the sight of a rooster exploding in front of a dog for future generations to enjoy. Take a look at what's needed to enjoy this great sport.
PHEASANT HUNTING TACTICS
Pheasants need two main things to survive: food and cover. Both of these should be on every hunter's mind as they begin their search for wily roosters. During the early part of the season, pheasants can be found in many areas. Cover such as CRP fields is a prime place to start. Many birds will also be in standing crops such as unpicked corn fields. Mild weather and high numbers of inexperienced birds usually make the first part of the hunting season an excellent time to hunt. As the season goes on, birds learn quickly. Pheasants learn that running is a better option than flying if they want to survive. Here a good dog is worth its weight in gold. Not only does a good dog make hunting pheasants twice as much fun, but it doubles a hunter's ability to find and retrieve birds. Sections of cover must be attacked at both ends in order to pin down running birds. Drivers push towards the blockers to surround the birds and most of the time both drivers and blockers will see shooting action. Make sure to have orange clothing and hats so all hunters are visible. Large sections of cover will require more hunters to effectively cover the area, while smaller areas such as food plots can be hunted effectively with two or three hunters. Areas that are off the beaten path may be better as they will have seen less hunting pressure.
As the crops are mostly harvested, cold weather has arrived, and snow may be on the ground, the pheasants environment changes and so does the pheasants habits. Gone are the masses of hunters that were out on opening weekend. The few diehards left will have some of the best pheasant hunting of the year. Because the crops are out and cold weather has set in, pheasants will locate themselves in areas with thicker cover. Areas such as shelterbelts and cattail sloughs are prime areas to hunt. Snow conditions not only give away the pheasants location by revealing fresh tracks, but also help in finding downed birds. For the serious hunter, late season is prime time to hunt.
Be sure to consider what type of ammo to take on the hunt. Five or six shot are the best sizes. Copper plated ammo is more effective when shooting at long range. Many public hunting areas now require the use of steel shot so check local regulations before you go.
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