This is the week 8 recap of the 2025 Pheasant Hunting season. We were able to only get out once this week, due to weather. We have had quite a bit of snow with temperatures that are tending into the teens or single digits. Winds have, at times, been pretty strong.
December 5th - Minnesota
We had one day during the week when the weather was close to favorable. When we arrived at the WPA we could see that at least one other group had hunted it since the last snow, although we really didn’t see any sign out in the field. It was cloudy, low-mid 20s with a moderate (10 mph) wind from the SW when we started. Through the day, it warmed up to the upper 20s and the wind shifted to from the NW.
As we entered the field and loaded our guns, Stella went on point. Kevin walked over and she started tracking. We followed her about 100 yards and she went on point again. We moved into position and then Kevin moved in to flush. The bird wasn’t right there and Stella started searching. Within a few feet of her point, a rooster flushed. Kevin fired and then I fired and dropped it. Stella retrieved it and we were on the board.
Out in the prairie, Stella pointed in an area of prairie grass with clumps of heavy weeds. We moved up and a hen flushed. Continuing on, she got birdy a couple of times, we saw some birds at a distance. We ended up in part of the WPA that we have seen birds in before but now it was just prairie grass with drifted snow. We didn’t see any tracks and after a long, tough (for me) walk we ended up at some cattails.
Not long after reaching the cattails, Stella went on point. I had Kevin move into position, then advanced. Stella relocated and within 25 feet we flushed a hen.
Stella continued working the cattails and Kevin got into an area where he was breaking through the ice into water and muck. So he had to find a way around. As he was working his way through heavy cattails, Stella went on point to my right at about 20 meters. I slowly moved towards her, breaking through the ice in spots. When I was about 5 meters from her, a rooster flushed right between us. I dropped it with one shot and marked where it fell. Stella didn’t see where it fell but she started searching. I waited until Kevin was able to get to where I had marked the bird and then we all started looking. After about 30 minutes we gave up.
From there we headed back towards the truck. Stella got birdy, but we didn’t see any more birds. It was a good day, but tiring for me.
Video
No major video problems this week, other than it was a cloudy day with scattered snow flurries. At least I didn’t have any big issues with the camera angles.
Near the end of the first clip I will be putting a bird into Kevin’s vest when he will ask if it is dead. This is because a couple weeks ago he had a bird recover. When he pulled it out of his vest to finish it off, the bird escaped and Stella had to retrieve it again.
Lessons Learned
The birds were either in prairie with heavy weeds or cattails.
Summary
This has been the week 8 recap. We hunted once, saw 4 roosters, shot 2.
