Pheasant Hunting

Take your time..pick a piece of cover to work and then zig zag it pausing when you switch directions!

+1

That's the way my father taught me. A Lot of our flushes would come on the first step or two after a pause. Also, work the cover heavy to lite, so you are pushing the birds towards an area that they don't want to cross (open field, tractor path, etc.)

HollowWatcher is dead on.....going slow and pausing often is key. Patience is a virtue

I would hunt the thick cover on the edges of the gamelands. Go where others do not. Push small thick areas and walk fence rows. Listen for cackles and put the miles on the boots. Eventually you will be at teh right place at the right time.

If you can find a buddy, walk the fence rows on both sides. It will pay off at some point.

One guy hunting pheasants without a dog is a real challenge even when there are several birds in the area. As the birds will more often than not run and hide for danger to pass.

Before I got my Brittney three of us hunted release areas hard and seldom got a flush using the methods mentioned above. Yes they will work sometimes. However after training the dog we usually had our two bird limit each in a few hours....then off for grouse.

On another note a very reliable guy once told me he put a radio in the middle of a field and worked the outer edges in a circle and the pheasants he managed to move toward the radio would flush for a shot...never tried it???? I would even know which station to select????

I worked some thickets and fence rows yesterday I flushed birds along the corn stubble and tree lines. If you can find cover with food you will find the birds!