Let's Go Hunt Some Pheasants
Pheasant season is the perfect time to spend time with your son and daughter in the outdoors. Credit: (© NEBRASKAland Magazine/NGPC)
Source: www.ngpc.state.ne.us
Published: Oct. 23, 2008
I've been waiting since last February, and now it's finally here. The three and one- half month period from late October to Jan. 31, is my favorite time of year.
Pheasant season is the perfect time to spend time with your son and daughter in the outdoors.
The high temperatures of summer and early fall are gone, days are getting shorter, the vegetation is changing colors, the holidays are approaching, and best of all, several hunting seasons are open now and more will open in the next few weeks.
But the absolute best part is that during this period that I can hunt pheasants. This year's Nebraska pheasant, quail and Hungarian partridge seasons are open Oct. 25-Jan. 31. The daily bag limit on cock pheasants and Huns is three, the possession limit is 12; the limits on quail are six and 24.
Some hunters have quit hunting ringnecks in the last couple of years because they claim there aren't enough birds out there anymore to make the effort worthwhile. But that's just an excuse. I know the ringneck population isn't as large as it was in the late ‘60s and ‘70s, but I also know it is still possible to take limits of roosters if you are willing to walk for them. The guys that told me they have dropped out are the same guys who complained, even in the years when there were plenty of roosters, if it took more than an hour to get their three-bird limit.
Some local areas are better than others, but generally, if you are willing to get out and walk the fields, and concentrate on spots where there is good habitat, you will probably be rewarded with some shooting opportunities and maybe a bird or two. The hunter who expects to park his truck, walk 30 yards across a picked field and come back with a limit of roosters will probably be disappointed.
Pheasant hunting is one of those things that you get better at each time you do it, if you pay attention to what works and why. Here are some things that can help you get some valuable experience in a short period of time.
Avoid slamming truck doors and tailgates, shouting instructions to the people you are hunting with, and yelling at the dogs. Excessive noise will drive late-season pheasants out of the field even before the hunt begins.
Hunt slowly, quietly, and deliberately. A pheasant often will try to sit tight and wait- out an approaching hunter. They have excellent hearing and can easily keep tabs on the movement of a hunter or other predator, but when the movement stops, the bird becomes confused and frightened. Finally, its anxiety overcomes its desire to remain hidden and it tries to escape, so it is a good idea to pause every few steps for several seconds to unnerve hiding birds.
If you are close to the bird when you pause, it will probably flush by bursting straight into the air. The great rush of powerful wings, the sudden movement of the heavy cover, a series of loud, shrill cackles and the unexpected appearance of a large bird leaping into the air at your feet is enough to unnerve any hunter. The bird's close-range departure is even more spectacular after a light snowfall, when the hunter is sometimes dusted with snow as the rooster takes flight.
Hunting with a dog improves your chances of success. A well-trained dog is one of the best conservation tools a pheasant hunter can take into the field. The dog can locate birds you otherwise would never have known were around, can find and retrieve dead birds in heavy cover, as well as cripples that might otherwise have been lost.
And, don't forget to take your son or daughter hunting with you this year. It will be an experience you'll both always remember.
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