 Refreshers: In the Field
If it's been awhile since you've hunted, it's easy to forget some details that can be important. These quick tips might be the difference between having a good ring-necked pheasant hunt or spending a few days recovering from a frustrating experience.
Keep in shape: It's important to keep in mind that hunting can be exhausting. It's not easy walking through some of that deep brush in heavy clothes, carrying several pounds of metal and gear. For that reason, it's a good idea to get in shape before the season starts.
Eye the sun: If possible and if nature and the wind cooperate, try to keep the sun at your back. This has three important benefits.
- You can see the birds better when they fly.
- It's harder for the pheasants to see you coming.
- It's much easier to see the color of the ring-necked pheasant, allowing you to quickly pick out the roosters before they fly out of range.
Choose the weather: The ideal day for hunting pheasant in South Dakota is a cool but slightly humid day with light wind. That light wind moves the bird scent to the dog and the moisture in the air helps hold the scent in the brush, weeds or other vegetation. Hot weather has an effect on both the hunter and the dog and may cause you to choose not to wear some of the heavy clothing required to protect you from the brush. Dry weather increases the dust in the air and on vegetation. This can clog a dog's nose. The heat itself is also very hard on a working dog, since they have trouble cooling down.
Work into the wind: Upland game birds in general and pheasants in particular have excellent eyesight and hearing, which are their primarily defenses to protect themselves from threats. Smell is not so important to them; ringneck pheasants have a poorly developed sense of smell, but it is important to your dog. Keep these things in mind when you're approaching your hunt. Plan your pheasant hunt so you're walking into the wind. This will bring the scent of the birds toward your dog, greatly increasing his or her ability to find the pheasants quickly. Perhaps even more importantly, if you're walking into the wind the birds will tend to flush into the wind. This will slow their flight and give you more time to get your shot off before the pheasant gets out of range.
Learn from your prey: If you don't know where the birds are feeding or want to double-check on that, cut open the crop of a downed pheasant. This will give you more insight into their current patterns by letting you see what foods they're eating in different seasons and weather.
Be a good scout: It's a very good idea to travel with extra clothing. Especially extra boots, socks and pants. A sure way to ruin a day of hunting is to accidentally step in a large puddle, filling your boots with water and then walking with wet, heavy feet the rest of the day. It's also a good idea to bring clothing to accommodate a change in temperature. A first-aid kit is a pretty good idea as well, especially for your dog.
Pick a good location: South Dakota Pheasants are found in a variety of places, all having one thing in common; good cover. Here are some areas with thick, tall weeds:
- retired crop fields
- shelterbelts
- abandoned farmsteads
- drainage ditches
- railroad right-a-ways
- fence lines
- weedy areas near streams
- cattail marshes
Reasoning for the season: One thing to keep in mind when you're heading out to hunt is the time of year. The time of the season in which you're hunting affects how you hunt.
- Early Season: The pheasant outlook for South Dakota early in the season is highly positive. This is the time during which veteran hunters talk about taking the "dumb birds" or the young birds. The vast majority of roosters are taken during the first couple weeks of the season, leaving those that are more and more savvy. In the very early season, the short grassy areas near crops (loafing areas) are a good bet. But those areas are easily hunted and therefore heavily hunted. So later in the season it's much more likely those areas will be filled with hens and no roosters.
- Late Season: Late-season pheasant hunting in South Dakota is when the hunt becomes a bit more challenging, which for many veteran hunters is where the enjoyment comes in. The outlook is still very positive, but by late season your average ring-necked pheasant has gotten pretty smart. One thing you can do to increase your odds of bagging the increasingly savvy roosters is to hunt the harder-to-reach areas that others may have overlooked, avoided, or just been too lazy to try. Here are some pointers to help you find those wily birds:
- Harvest Help: Work the grassy ditches, fence lines, sloughs and other thick cover near newly harvested farm fields. You may even be able to watch as a field is being harvested to see where the birds are going.
- Consider the Gizzard: Pheasants need gravel in their gizzards to grind food for them, so check deep brush and cattail marshes near gravel roads.
- Keep it down (your voice that is): Ring necked pheasants use their keen hearing to protect themselves. You may need to sneak up on the hunt savvy roosters.
- Think Thick: Birds that have survived into late season tend to favor heavier and heavier cover.
- Think Creatively: Look for out-of-the-way spots that others may have missed.
- Consider your equipment: while 6 or 7 ½ shot and improved-cylinder or modified choke works well in the early season, you may need to extend your range for late season roosters. Use a modified or full choke with size 4 or 5 shot.
|
|
