This is the week 6 recap of the 2024 pheasant hunting season. We were able to get out three days this week, including two days in Iowa and one in Minnesota. We did have some success this week.
November 21st - Iowa
While temperatures were good, the wind in Iowa averaged 25 mph, gusting to 30. The field we went to has areas that are relatively sheltered. Unfortunately, another hunter worked the field ahead of us. We thought we might be able to hit areas that he had not been into but it turned out to not work out. We did see 4 hens right away but nothing else.
After giving up on the first field we still had about 90 minutes so we drove to a nearby field. At least in this field Stella was getting birdy. After a lot of walking, she started tracking a rooster that flushed wild. About 10 minutes before the end of shooting hours we were back by the truck when she went onto a solid point. I walked up to flush and a hen popped up behind me.
November 22nd - Iowa
Our second day was dramatically diferent. We started out at about 20 degrees, sunny skies and a perfect wind. The prairie grass was covered with ice crystals and it was very quiet. We started working the field and before long Stella was getting birdy. We tracked multiple hens with multiple close flushes. On one long track, a rooster flushed near Kevin and he dropped it with two shots.
After flushing multiple hens we walked to another adjacent field. Stella was getting birdy on and off. She finally got onto a fresh track that led into canary grass. After a long track she went on point and eventually we flushed a hen. She moved about 10 feet and went onto a solid point. Kevin went into flush and up popped a rooster that I shot. Unfortunately, I just took out a wing and we saw it run. After a while Stella tracked the wounded bird into a thick clump of canary grass. The grass was so thick she could not get to the bird. I pulled the grass back and she dove in, only to come out with a feather. Canary grass is very thick on top but open underneath so the bird was able to escape.
We continued on to a nearby thicket and Stella went on point. There were multiple birds in the thicket and I eventually had a rooster flush that I knocked down and Stella retrieved. By this time we were getting low on water, the GoPro batteries were dead and it was after lunch so we headed back towards the truck.
On the way back, Stella would get birdy, track then lose the track. Kevin wild flushed a rooster that we both shot at and dropped. So, we ended the day with 4 roosters down, although 1 was unrecoverable.
November 24th - Minnesota
Back home, we did a Sunday afternoon hunt on private ground. It was in the low 40s with cloudy skies and a moderate east wind. This location can be tough to hunt due to the excellent cover. Stella tracked a bird into a long thicket. Kevin went into flush while Bill and I tried to flank it. The bird jumped out in front of us, without offering a shot.
We continued down the property line and Stella started tracking. She tracked for a couple hundred yards. Finally, a rooster flushed and Bill took out a wing with his second shot. We saw the bird hit the ground but jump up and start running. We got Stella to the location and she took off running. A hundred yards ahead, we saw another bird flush and then she popped out. I suspect that she was trailing the wounded bird then got distracted by another bird.
She later tracked another rooster into an extremely thick bit of cover. Kevin and I worked our way into it and the bird flushed. Neither one of us could get a shot and Bill did not see it.
Video
The video this week has a couple short clips from our first day in Iowa, multiple clips from the second day in Iowa and then a clip from Minnesota.
Lessons Learned
Lots of lessons this week:
- Hunting in strong winds is hard. The birds are very jumpy.
- Hunting a field right after someone else hunts it is a waste of time.
- Dealing with wounded birds in canary grass is challenging and may take more thought.
- We need to carry extra water unless we absolutely know that we are doing a short loop.
- I need to carry a couple extra GoPro batteries. I already do carry an extra memory card.
Summary
We had a good week as described in this week 6 recap. We saw lots of birds, Stella did a great job and we even harvested a few. This is kind of the sweet spot of the season.
