Thanksgiving Weekend
With family in town I was able to get out every other day.
Sunday
Started out south of Hutchinson. We got a late start and it still seemed cold.
We pushed a tree line towards the end of the CRP area. When we got towards the end the two dogs split up and I followed Tina as she seemed like she was going hotter. She ended up pulling off of the scent and head back towards the tree line. I started to work towards Marge as she had gone on point. I was still a ways away two Roosters took off from the corner and flew into heavy cover off of the property. Worked around to the other side of the willows and was able to put one up out of there. It was a pretty easy shot and I didn’t miss this time. While I was picking up the one I got the dogs put up another one. By the time I could decide if I should drop the one in my hand or shoot while holding it the flushed bird was a ways out and I missed. We spent about 2 hrs on this unit today.
Drove west to by Montevideo to hunt another unit. After pushing one section of CRP towards the road the dogs went on point and I was able to put up a Rooster. He got up pretty close but I wasn’t able to put him down. I looked for him for a fair amount of time but we didn’t find any trace. We did move 8 does on this unit. The unit borders a WMA so I am sure they pushed right off of it. We worked out way around to some more of the CRP cover and got another point after about another 2 minutes of work. This time I was able to get a good hit. He still was able to bury himself in the cover before Tina went after him and caught him.
Friday
Today was a lot of walking. The weather was nice so it wasn’t too bad.
Started out south of Hutchinson. Worked my normal route and didn’t see anything. We were pushed one small set of cattails out towards some thinner cover and we were able to put up a nice Rooster and put him in the game bag. We kept working the area and saw 3 hens but no Roosters.
Took Fergie to a spot west of Hutchinson and worked her on a unit that had not been hunted that day. We put a few hens but no Roosters. It was fun to see her works some fresh scent. She usually has to hunt some spots that have been hit hard by us already that day.
Tried a new spot that is North of Hutchinson that has a lot of good looking cover. Ended up seeing 4 Roosters but they all got up quite a ways away and flew into the middle of a large cattail swamp. If it would have been a smaller area I would have gone after them.
Ended up going back to the first spot and trying to get a bird that was coming into the cover to rest for the night. We moved a few hens but no Roosters.
6 hours of walking but it was worth it and the dogs were tired.
Wednesday
Only had one unit reserved and it was west of Hutchinson, MN
I worked the unit 3 different times in the day and didn’t see any Roosters UNTIL..
We were coming back towards the truck past an area that had been covered at least 5 times already and sure enough while I am day dreaming about fishing a Rooster gets up nice and close to us. By the time I woke up he was flying past my truck.. past the house across the road.. finally in the clear and he was a little ways away and I didn’t bring him down. 4.5 hrs of walking and my best chance is right at the end and I blow it. Just served to remind me to finish out the hunt and to watch my dogs all of the time.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Saturday, November 29, 2008
November 22/23 An easy weekend.
November 22/23 An easy weekend.
I hunted a unit south of Hutchinson. 90 acres of CRP and wetlands.
I was lucky enough to hunt this unit the first weekend after they had taken the corn out of the field next to it.
On Saturday I was able to get my two bird limit in 30 minutes and on Sunday it took me 40 minutes. I kept working the dogs afterwards to get them some more exercise. Felt lucky to have gotten the birds I did because we didn’t see any others in the next hour of work.
On each of the days I missed at least one easy shot. I’m finding that I am doing well on the shots that are coming off of a point but if they are getting up early I am missing. It seems like I am worst at the crossing shots. Not leading or following through.
Friday, November 21, 2008
A Chilly and Wet One
Only hunted Sunday this past weekend. I started out with my two English Setters. We were west of Hutchinson, MN.
Started out at about 25 degrees and sunny which actually wasn’t too bad. Started out by seeing 4 hens grouped together. We continued to work around the edges of the field in hopes of pinning one there. We ended up pushing towards the drainage ditch. One Rooster got up a little ways out and I hit him but he dropped on the far side of the ditch. By the time we walked around the ditch to get to where it went down we could find him. We worked around the area for quite a while and still no trace. Tina and I worked that side of the ditch while Marge was holding on the other. As we pushed along Tina started to work a hot track. After about 50 yards she locked up. I kicked around and out up a Rooster. I thought I heard him drop into the grass along the ditch. I looked and couldn’t see him. Tina was searching and wasn’t finding any scent. I was starting to get upset and then I heard some splashing, Looking into the ditch I saw just the bird’s feet sticking up from the water. Tina didn’t see it and certainly couldn’t smell it. I ended up going in after him. The water was over my knees and dang cold. After putting the bird into the gamebag we worked along the ditch back towards Marge. As we closed in on Marge Tina started to get birdy again. We had one trapped between the two dogs. It was an easy shot and an easy pick up.
Back at the Trailblazer I put the two dogs away and put on some dry socks and boots ( I usually hunt with spares of everything ) and took Fergie out for a nice workout just to stretch her legs. We put up a hen which was fun even though she can’t see them she still knows that something is / was there.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
A big change one weekend to the next
It was quite a change in one week. Last Sunday it was 65 degrees and dusty, too warm to hunt the dogs for too long. This Sunday it topped out at 25 degrees.
We were hunting just South of Hutchinson, MN. It is a 90 acre parcel. Mostly CRP with a good sized section of cattails. I started the two Setters and we worked along the fence line. When we got to the end of the field I was surprised to see that the corn was still up. It had snowed 2 days earlier and I could see a lot of tracks from the corn into the CRP. 4 or 5 hens were hiding in an area of thick short trees. As we worked around the thick cover we put up a Rooster. I got off two shots and saw him wobble after the second shot. He kept flying strongly towards the cattail section. We started to work towards where he went down. There was so much bird sign that it took a while to get back across the field. When we hit the cattails we worked the edge for a while. Tina went on point so I kicked and stomped in the likely area. No bird. I told her to go on but she held her point. She stuck her nose into the thick clump right in front of her. I heard and saw something moving. As the Rooster started to emerge. Tina almost caught it on the flush. I was able to bring it down on the far side of the cattails. We had to search for a few minutes to find it in the cover.
The dogs kept working the edge of the cattails and came across some wet sections. Unfortunately the water wasn’t frozen over so they got pretty wet and when they came out the water started to freeze on their coats. Marge the 12 year old was starting to get cold so we headed back to the truck. I pit a coat on Marge and wrapped her up in a sleeping bag and put her in her kennel. We took a lunch break and drove around to see how much corn was still up in the area.
After out break Tina and I headed back into the field. We worked for another 90 minuted and put up another half dozen hens but no more Roosters.
The day left me wondering what happened to the days where the temperature was a litter more moderate... maybe December...
http://www.hunt.mn
Minnesota Hunting Resources
We were hunting just South of Hutchinson, MN. It is a 90 acre parcel. Mostly CRP with a good sized section of cattails. I started the two Setters and we worked along the fence line. When we got to the end of the field I was surprised to see that the corn was still up. It had snowed 2 days earlier and I could see a lot of tracks from the corn into the CRP. 4 or 5 hens were hiding in an area of thick short trees. As we worked around the thick cover we put up a Rooster. I got off two shots and saw him wobble after the second shot. He kept flying strongly towards the cattail section. We started to work towards where he went down. There was so much bird sign that it took a while to get back across the field. When we hit the cattails we worked the edge for a while. Tina went on point so I kicked and stomped in the likely area. No bird. I told her to go on but she held her point. She stuck her nose into the thick clump right in front of her. I heard and saw something moving. As the Rooster started to emerge. Tina almost caught it on the flush. I was able to bring it down on the far side of the cattails. We had to search for a few minutes to find it in the cover.
The dogs kept working the edge of the cattails and came across some wet sections. Unfortunately the water wasn’t frozen over so they got pretty wet and when they came out the water started to freeze on their coats. Marge the 12 year old was starting to get cold so we headed back to the truck. I pit a coat on Marge and wrapped her up in a sleeping bag and put her in her kennel. We took a lunch break and drove around to see how much corn was still up in the area.
After out break Tina and I headed back into the field. We worked for another 90 minuted and put up another half dozen hens but no more Roosters.
The day left me wondering what happened to the days where the temperature was a litter more moderate... maybe December...
http://www.hunt.mn
Minnesota Hunting Resources
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
A Hot One
The first weekend of November turned out to be a warm one.
We drove out to the Dawson MN area to hunt a couple of new parcels.
We started at a nice 80 acre CRP field. We got our first Rooster in about 30 minutes. The parcel borders a WMA and we were hunting right along the edge. I'm sure it had gotten pushed off by all of the pressure. We finished out the parcel with out seeing any more roosters.
We moved to a small piece that bordered a drainage ditch. Didn't put up anything but the dogs were pretty birdy.
The next spot was a large unit bordering a long drainage and a railroad track. We put up a fair number of hens but no roosters. The corn was still up across the road so I'm sure that had something to do with it.
Decided to stop at the local DQ and get lunch and take a break.
After the break we went back to the first spot again. As the sun was dropping we could see a pretty fair number of pheasants starting to leave the corn field across the road.
We ended up getting our last rooster from the ones that had flown into the grass. I ended up cleaning the birds in the dark and then started the long drive home.
On Sunday is was another warm one. We actually cut our hunt to about 90 minutes. We saw a few hens but no roosters. We were hunting near Hutchinson. Seemed like a waste to drive 2 hrs each way just to hunt for 90 min but the dogs and I were all feeling the heat.
http://www.hunt.mn
Minnesota Hunting Resources.
We drove out to the Dawson MN area to hunt a couple of new parcels.
We started at a nice 80 acre CRP field. We got our first Rooster in about 30 minutes. The parcel borders a WMA and we were hunting right along the edge. I'm sure it had gotten pushed off by all of the pressure. We finished out the parcel with out seeing any more roosters.
We moved to a small piece that bordered a drainage ditch. Didn't put up anything but the dogs were pretty birdy.
The next spot was a large unit bordering a long drainage and a railroad track. We put up a fair number of hens but no roosters. The corn was still up across the road so I'm sure that had something to do with it.
Decided to stop at the local DQ and get lunch and take a break.
After the break we went back to the first spot again. As the sun was dropping we could see a pretty fair number of pheasants starting to leave the corn field across the road.
We ended up getting our last rooster from the ones that had flown into the grass. I ended up cleaning the birds in the dark and then started the long drive home.
On Sunday is was another warm one. We actually cut our hunt to about 90 minutes. We saw a few hens but no roosters. We were hunting near Hutchinson. Seemed like a waste to drive 2 hrs each way just to hunt for 90 min but the dogs and I were all feeling the heat.
http://www.hunt.mn
Minnesota Hunting Resources.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
3 Day Hunt
The plan was to take a Friday off and make a 3 day hunt out of it.
Friday started well and we got 3 birds in a bit over an hour. We even passed on a few chances to fill out as we didn't want to be done right away. We were just west of Hutchinson, MN. We drove 90 min west to the Granite Falls area. We missed a couple of easy ones and ended up with the 3 birds.
Felt ok about not limiting out though as it was misty and light rain to the hunting spots and from the hunt to the hotel but it was decent weather while hunting.
Had good dog work out of all three dogs. Tina is starting to catch on to the ways of pheasants.
Stayed at the Fiesta City motel... Pretty funny.. we had the cabin option. We got all checked in and headed down to the cabin. Walked in and it had not been cleaned at all. Went back to the office. Got switched to a regular room. $57 per night. Not bad for 2 guys and 4 dogs.
Saturday was a nice day weather wise. We were hunting the Granite Falls area. Mostly saw hens until later in the day. Spots that usually produce roosters just held a few hens. Corn was still up around most of the spots though. Even hunted some public land for a change of pace and just saw hens there also. We did end up getting one rooster towards the end of the day. Missed 2 easy shots also.
The dogs did well for the second straight day. I could tell they were tied by the end of the day though.
Sunday dawned with howling winds. The gusts were up to 50 mph. We ate breakfast and bagged the hunt and started the drive home. When we drove by the spot we had planned to hunt it started to rain and the wet snow flakes were not far behind.
Hunt 1000's of acres of private land in MN.
http://hunt.mn/
Friday started well and we got 3 birds in a bit over an hour. We even passed on a few chances to fill out as we didn't want to be done right away. We were just west of Hutchinson, MN. We drove 90 min west to the Granite Falls area. We missed a couple of easy ones and ended up with the 3 birds.
Felt ok about not limiting out though as it was misty and light rain to the hunting spots and from the hunt to the hotel but it was decent weather while hunting.
Had good dog work out of all three dogs. Tina is starting to catch on to the ways of pheasants.
Stayed at the Fiesta City motel... Pretty funny.. we had the cabin option. We got all checked in and headed down to the cabin. Walked in and it had not been cleaned at all. Went back to the office. Got switched to a regular room. $57 per night. Not bad for 2 guys and 4 dogs.
Saturday was a nice day weather wise. We were hunting the Granite Falls area. Mostly saw hens until later in the day. Spots that usually produce roosters just held a few hens. Corn was still up around most of the spots though. Even hunted some public land for a change of pace and just saw hens there also. We did end up getting one rooster towards the end of the day. Missed 2 easy shots also.
The dogs did well for the second straight day. I could tell they were tied by the end of the day though.
Sunday dawned with howling winds. The gusts were up to 50 mph. We ate breakfast and bagged the hunt and started the drive home. When we drove by the spot we had planned to hunt it started to rain and the wet snow flakes were not far behind.
Hunt 1000's of acres of private land in MN.
http://hunt.mn/
Sunday, October 19, 2008
2nd Weekend Pheasant 2008
On Saturday I started out south of Hutchinson, MN and ended up getting one Rooster. I saw 2 others and 2 hens. The corn was still up on the south side of the unit. It was about 50 degrees when I started. I then drove out to by Sacred Heart, MN. I hunted 3 different units there and saw 4 more Roosters and 3 hens. I got a shot off at one of the Roosters but didn't get him. It was about 60 degrees when I quit at 2:30 or so. I was just hunting Tina by herself and she was getting warm and tired so I pulled the plug on hunting the late day hunt and decided to drive home early.
Sunday I was west of Hutchinson and got my two Pheasants within about an hour. 2 nice points and relatively decent shots. I missed one that got up a little farther out. I'm glad I finished up when we did because it was up to 60 degrees already.
So far I've been getting my birds with my 12 gauge Beretta. I usually swap out to my 16 ga Browning Lightning Feather after the first bird but so far I've either gotten my second bird during the first part of the hunt or I haven't been able to connect on a bird after I've switched.
I'm seeing fewer birds this fall but so far the corn is still up around most of the areas I hunt.
Hunt Private Land In MN
http://hunt.mn/
Sunday I was west of Hutchinson and got my two Pheasants within about an hour. 2 nice points and relatively decent shots. I missed one that got up a little farther out. I'm glad I finished up when we did because it was up to 60 degrees already.
So far I've been getting my birds with my 12 gauge Beretta. I usually swap out to my 16 ga Browning Lightning Feather after the first bird but so far I've either gotten my second bird during the first part of the hunt or I haven't been able to connect on a bird after I've switched.
I'm seeing fewer birds this fall but so far the corn is still up around most of the areas I hunt.
Hunt Private Land In MN
http://hunt.mn/
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