This post runs through the 2023 lessons learned, based on our experiences this season. I maintain trip logs for every trip I take and one of the key data points are any lessons learned during the trip. We often discuss them on the way home. We started consciously discuss them in 2022 and it has been very helpful.
I am also including many of what I consider to be my best practices. Things that I do because I believe they make for a more positive experience.
Dog Related
Belly Collar – Willow was trained to “whoa” by Standing Stone Kennels using a belly collar when I sent her away for training. I have been struggling to control Willow when she starts tracking a bird and takes off. By using the belly collar I can reinforce telling her to “whoa”.
Willow Loses Her Mind When She Gets Hot – During the early season I discovered that as Willow gets really hot that she will stop responding to commands. When she gets too hot it is best to put her on a leash and cool her down. I already give the dogs lots of water when it is warm but Willow only has one speed which is “fast” so she can quickly get over heated.
Preparation
Having a Routine – Before the season even started I was doing conditioning exercises with the dogs. On one of the first trips I forgot the GoPro and water. After that, I got into a routine to prepare for each trip. For overnight trips, I use a checklist that I keep on the computer.
Practice Mounting Gun to Shoulder – Every year before the season starts I practice mounting the gun to my shoulder as it builds muscle memory. Most of my misses this year were due to not getting my cheek down in the stock.
Preseason Conditioning – Both for me and the dogs. Earlier this year I had a hip replaced and one of the best things to do for rehab is walking. So all summer long I started walking the dogs every day for a couple of miles or more. The walking not only helped me rehab my hip, it also seemed to help my knees. All that conditioning paid off as I was able to hunt longer and walk farther than previous years. My year end mileage total this year was 166 miles, 16 miles more than any previous year.
Garmin Alpha 200i GPS Collar
Displaying Single Dog – In previous years I have always displayed both dogs on the Garmin Alphi 200i handheld. But I am no longer using both dogs at the same time so having the inactive dog still on the display is distracting. I discovered that I can inactivate a collar so that it is no longer displayed. The only downside is that if you deactivate a collar you lose any track data that had already been collected. So, I need to save the track data before inactivating a collar.
Saving Track Data – I have gotten into the habit of saving my track data plus the track data for each dog that was just running, every time I get back to the truck. I do not lose the data and it makes it easier to do the post trip logging.
Set Way-Points – The handheld has the ability to set way-pointsand navigate back to a way-point. On one trip we dropped a bird but it ran. Stella was in hot pursuit so I set a way-point and then followed her. If she did not find the bird I would have been able to get back to the spot that the bird fell to try again. At home, I use way-points to find locations, such as where we harvested a bird, on the satellite maps.
Store the Handheld in a Case – I learned that the touchscreens on the handhelds is not indestructible. My first Alpa 100 ended up with a damaged touchscreen from bouncing around in the carry bag between hunts. When I got my Alpha 200i I bought a case from Amazon. The antenna sticks out but it easily protects the screen. Pretty cheap insurance.
GoPro
Using the GoPro during hunts has become part of the experience. When I review videos I often see things that I missed when it was happening. Things like why I missed a shot or where a bird was actually sitting. Using the GoPro has also been a real learning experience as described in another post.
Verify Camera Position – Early in the season I struggled with the angle of the camera on my hat. The simple solution was to periodically take off my hat and check it.
Tighten Mounting Screw – After much frustration, I think I finally figured out a solution to the camera angle problem. When I put the camera on my hat I now use a tool to tighten the mounting screw. This seems to have eliminated the problem.
Pay Attention to Beeps – A nice feature of the GoPro is that you can start and stop recording video using voice commands. But it does not always work correctly. (See post of GoPro learning opportunities which contains 2023 lessons learned specific to the GoPro.) To avoid mistakes I have to pay attention to the confirmation beeps, which can be challenging when focusing on hunting.
Location and Conditions
Willow Thickets Need Grass – Willow thickets provide good cover and will hold birds but there needs to be significant grass amongst the willows.
Birds Congregate Downwind – We had several trips when the winds were in excess of 20 mph. We would often find birds on the downwind side of a hill, in heavy cover or a dense willow thicket.
Birds Are Not Always Near the Edges – While pheasants generally can be found near edges, such as fence lines or between different covers, that is not always the case. In heavily hunted areas the birds learn that is where the hunters go and will congregate else where. We had a hunt this year where we did not see a bird near the edges so we hunted through the middle of a big area of canary grass and found birds.
Guns and Ammo
Check Shells – I have been using “Hevi-Metal” shells for several years. They are non-toxic, have good range and are generally effective. But, I have discovered that the manufacturing process is not consistent. Some shells have a bad crimp or bulging case that will cause them to not cycle through my gun. Whenever I get a new box of shells I remove the barrel from my gun and then drop each shell into the chamber. If they do not slide in and out easily I mark them and set them aside. The failure rate varies from 4%-16%. When a pellet bulges (Right shell in picture below) I can often massage the pellet back into place and save the shell. For a bad crimp (Left shell in picture) there is not much I can do about it. I save the “bad” shells to use at a game farm.
Shot Size – For the early season, the first two shots out of the gun will be number 3s. If a third or fourth shot is required they are number 2s. Starting early December I switch to all number 2s. It seems like the birds get tougher to drop later in the season.
Gear
Gloves with Hand Warmer Pockets Work – I tried using a new pair of gloves that have a hand warmer pocket on the back and they seemed to work well. I used the smaller toe warmers and they fit well. My hands were comfortable but not too hot.
Hunting Pants – I wear a pair of “Scheels Premium Upland Pants” that I have used for at least 3 years. They are showing the miles but Scheels no longer stocks them. They are stocking a new version created by someone who has never hunted midwest prairies. We walk through a lot of heavy cover that requires that we lift our legs high. The new versions all have very slim legs that are very restrictive. This seems to be an industry problem. I have tried pants from several manufacturers and they are all too restrictive.
Summary
In this post I covered the 2023 lessons learned and many of the best practices we follow to make our hunts more enjoyable. It is surprising how making a conscious effort to think about what we have learned can have such a positive impact.
