Pheasant Hunting

[cymac2408]

Head to South Dakota. Not many Pheasant left in Iowa, unless you just enjoy walking in the great outdoors.

You absolutely need a good dog to have a great hunt or you will be just walking. I have a farm a mile off Lake Rathbun that I have been traveling to for 27 years. My father-in-law left if to my wife 2 years ago. For the first 24 1/2 years never saw one pheasant nor did I ever hear any pheasant calling out. But the last 2 1/2 years I have seen them and heard them constantly. If you are randomly seeing them there is a good chance that there are tons more. A lot of farmers have thinned the coyote and turkey population which are the mortal enemy's of pheasant and quail. Quail population is also up down there as you also hear the Bob White call.

 

[cymac2408]

Head to South Dakota. Not many Pheasant left in Iowa, unless you just enjoy walking in the great outdoors.

You absolutely need a good dog to have a great hunt or you will be just walking. I have a farm a mile off Lake Rathbun that I have been traveling to for 27 years. My father-in-law left if to my wife 2 years ago. For the first 24 1/2 years never saw one pheasant nor did I ever hear any pheasant calling out. But the last 2 1/2 years I have seen them and heard them constantly. If you are randomly seeing them there is a good chance that there are tons more. A lot of farmers have thinned the coyote and turkey population which are the mortal enemy's of pheasant and quail. Quail population is also up down there as you also hear the Bob White call.

 

[Walden4Prez]

Where there is cover, there are pheasants in Iowa. Lots of pheasants. I am taking out my Brittany pup for her first time tomorrow AM. Hardly able to sleep I am so excited.

 

[cyfan92]

My friend's dog is currently in his prime and we want to walk as many miles as possible this fall. Looking for recommendations for some non-insulated upland boots (I already have a good pair of Irish Setters that are insulated). Needs to be waterproof and the lighter the better. Thank you for any input you can give. Willing to spend up for quality.

 

[Entropy]

My friend's dog is currently in his prime and we want to walk as many miles as possible this fall. Looking for recommendations for some non-insulated upland boots (I already have a good pair of Irish Setters that are insulated). Needs to be waterproof and the lighter the better. Thank you for any input you can give. Willing to spend up for quality.

I'm a big fan of Danner boots. I have an older generation of these that I had rebuilt a few years ago (new sole, new Gore-tex liner, refresh the leather) after 5 years of really hard use.

Grouse 8" Brown

You don't become a classic by being good enough. You do it by being better than you had to be. Exactly why we build the Grouse with full grain leather, Cordora® uppers, and our world renowned Danner® Bob® outsoles.

www.danner.com

They aren't that light, but man, they are really supportive and one of my favorite pairs of boots.

 

[cyfan92]

I'm a big fan of Danner boots. I have an older generation of these that I had rebuilt a few years ago (new sole, new Gore-tex liner, refresh the leather) after 5 years of really hard use.

Grouse 8" Brown

You don't become a classic by being good enough. You do it by being better than you had to be. Exactly why we build the Grouse with full grain leather, Cordora® uppers, and our world renowned Danner® Bob® outsoles.

www.danner.com

They aren't that light, but man, they are really supportive and one of my favorite pairs of boots.

When you say aren't that lightweight.. Do you get tired or sore from their weight?

My concern about heavy boots in the early season is I'm already busting through thick crap on public ground while chasing birds that won't sit tight like in the late season. Hoping to have a light enough shoe to keep me going. I'd be lying if I didn't say I should really be walking more right now to get into shape for the fields

 

[Entropy]

When you say aren't that lightweight.. Do you get tired or sore from their weight?

My concern about heavy boots in the early season is I'm already busting through thick crap on public ground while chasing birds that won't sit tight like in the late season. Hoping to have a light enough shoe to keep me going. I'd be lying if I didn't say I should really be walking more right now to get into shape for the fields

They are close to 2 lbs per boot, but they don't bother me much until the end of the day. They do take time to break in. I like them because I can get them rebuilt every so often.

I'd probably look at these for what you want. Lighter weight, waterproof.

Vital 8" Brown

Aggressive yet stealthy Weather changes, terrain varies, and sometimes you find yourself traveling further afield than planned - the Vital is designed for the unknown and the unexpected. Light, fast, aggressive, yet stealthy. Let your feet help you disappear into your environment.

www.danner.com

Better chance they'll be in stock at your local Scheel's, Sportsman's Warehouse, Cabela's, etc.

 

[BCClone]

I have these. Red wing 2280s fiberglass toe also. I mistakenly bought these instead of the 2239s. They asked if waterproof, when replacing my 2239s, and I said yes since I stood in standing water several times with 2239s and never had wet feet, but they aren't apparently considered waterproof. Lightweight and hold up well.

 

[cyfan92]

Pretty excited for the season after seeing this a couple weeks ago. North Central Iowa beating out NW Iowa for pheasant numbers is crazy to me..

 

[Cyclones_R_GR8]

I haven't seen a pheasant for a few years. Used to see them all the time.

 

[JD4560]

I've noticed an uptick in population in my area. But there is also a couple guys that raise them and release so that might inflate it a bit.

 

[TexCyted]

This thread is going on three years old now. I want to know how the OP and some of the others have been doing. I killed over 50 birds a year from the early 90s until I moved five years ago. I loved giving fresh birds away to elderly friends, relatives and farmers that could not hunt physically anymore. Now I only get out a few days around Thanksgiving and Christmas. Bird numbers have always been decent in and around my home county. My dog can't go all day like she used to, but we still have a ton of fun. Bird hunting is the only thing I truly miss about living in Iowa.

 

[arobb]

I'm a big fan of Danner boots. I have an older generation of these that I had rebuilt a few years ago (new sole, new Gore-tex liner, refresh the leather) after 5 years of really hard use.

Grouse 8" Brown

You don't become a classic by being good enough. You do it by being better than you had to be. Exactly why we build the Grouse with full grain leather, Cordora® uppers, and our world renowned Danner® Bob® outsoles.

www.danner.com

They aren't that light, but man, they are really supportive and one of my favorite pairs of boots.

I have these same boots. I highly recommend.

 

[BillBrasky4Cy]

Pretty excited for the season after seeing this a couple weeks ago. North Central Iowa beating out NW Iowa for pheasant numbers is crazy to me..

View attachment 89768

NW IA has had some really significant weather events over the last 10 years. It all goes back to Christmas 2009 when NW IA got like 2 feet of snow between Christmas eve and the 26th. A week later temps were sub zero with a lot of wind and the population got froze out. You could literally drive down the road and just see dead pheasants all over the place. After that it seemed like the population would start to climb and then they would have flooding. This is by far the best numbers have looked though.

 

[Arkansas Cyclone]

This thread is going on three years old now. I want to know how the OP and some of the others have been doing. I killed over 50 birds a year from the early 90s until I moved five years ago. I loved giving fresh birds away to elderly friends, relatives and farmers that could not hunt physically anymore. Now I only get out a few days around Thanksgiving and Christmas. Bird numbers have always been decent in and around my home county. My dog can't go all day like she used to, but we still have a ton of fun. Bird hunting is the only thing I truly miss about living in Iowa.

Yeah, count me in with this thought too. I also miss some of the late night fishing for channels and flatheads as well. The rivers here are nothing like rivers in Iowa so those fishing options just aren't the same here.

 

[DeereClone]

Bird population looks good in Northern Iowa, see a ton of them around. We’ve had better weather for a few years and a slight uptick in CRP acres here.

 

[cyfan21]

I'm so jacked to get out and hunt this fall. I didn't get a chance last fall.

 

[Al_4_State]

Pretty excited for the season after seeing this a couple weeks ago. North Central Iowa beating out NW Iowa for pheasant numbers is crazy to me..

View attachment 89768

I grew up in the north central district and a buddy of my grandpa's used to come down from Alaska to pheasant hunt our land in the 90's. There was more CRP in at that time, but that's how good the pheasant hunting was - guys from freaking Alaska were coming here for it.

 

[clonefreek]

Anyone have experience pheasant hunting? Any tips or advice for a first timer (never been hunting in general)?
Any preference on shotgun gauge, action type? What about the choke or size shot you use?

I have a young lab and would like to take him with me, but again, he has no formal hunting training or experience. Any good ways to train him to obey out in the open fields?

Thanks for any help!

I would probably leave the dog at home if it has no training. 12 gauge, look for a remington 870, improved Modified choke. Shot size of 6.

 

[cyfan92]

This thread is going on three years old now. I want to know how the OP and some of the others have been doing. I killed over 50 birds a year from the early 90s until I moved five years ago. I loved giving fresh birds away to elderly friends, relatives and farmers that could not hunt physically anymore. Now I only get out a few days around Thanksgiving and Christmas. Bird numbers have always been decent in and around my home county. My dog can't go all day like she used to, but we still have a ton of fun. Bird hunting is the only thing I truly miss about living in Iowa.

Having a great dog and improving my shooting have drastically improved my hunting results. I can usually shoot my limit through an entire season on good private ground. Public is unhuntable right after the opening weekend. Best thing for Iowa public hunting is a warm opening weekend where crops is still in the fields. That has been the case for a couple years and I've had A LOT of success.