Matthewfox_45
Well-Known Member
8 of us hit one of my pheasant spots yesterday morning. Had a limit by 11:30. Now I just need to figure out how to deer hunt it as we saw 3 good bucks.
Pheasant Opener
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CurtisWalker
Well-Known Member
Rough opener for me. Tubbs started off awesome flushed two hens, then flushed a rooster that I shot 30 min in. Unfortunately when he was carrying it back he started limping pretty bad with his back leg. We think he may have tore his CCL will know more Friday after his vet visit. Not looking good though. As of tonight he’s still not using the leg.
But here’s a photo of him from Friday when we were ducking hunting:
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But here’s a photo of him from Friday when we were ducking hunting:
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This is a loose comment or inquiry with a ton of variables…. How many roosters have u guys shot off a “dang good farm” & how big would it be and details? Like a 160 of all native grass is clearly different than a 160 with a single ditch line.
I don’t view roosters like deer as they repopulate so fast, leaving all the hens is key & 1 year old roosters are fine. Am I right or missing some things?
At least by my thinking. But I’m far from a pheasant expert!!! I for sure get to a point where I’m like “I’ve shot enough- I’ll let the rest go”. But that’s the conservationist in me coming out without logic or facts behind it.
Is there a “shot too many”?
So original post, 8 guys, 3 birds in a day on one spot, 24 roosters. Which is awesome and amazing!!!!! Like, could u guys repeat that 5 more times? Which clearly is just under 150 birds with 6 hunts.
Side bar…. My farm is in DEER country - most neighbors have very few pheasants. 3-4 years of coon-extinction (& possum/skunk) - crazy amount of birds. I won’t hunt em cause can’t mess with the deer
. NW lowa - legit habitat now & also pummel the predators ….. gonna be a LOT of birds! Feel like some of these areas I went back in time to like 1995!!
I don’t view roosters like deer as they repopulate so fast, leaving all the hens is key & 1 year old roosters are fine. Am I right or missing some things?
At least by my thinking. But I’m far from a pheasant expert!!! I for sure get to a point where I’m like “I’ve shot enough- I’ll let the rest go”. But that’s the conservationist in me coming out without logic or facts behind it.
Is there a “shot too many”?
So original post, 8 guys, 3 birds in a day on one spot, 24 roosters. Which is awesome and amazing!!!!! Like, could u guys repeat that 5 more times? Which clearly is just under 150 birds with 6 hunts.
Side bar…. My farm is in DEER country - most neighbors have very few pheasants. 3-4 years of coon-extinction (& possum/skunk) - crazy amount of birds. I won’t hunt em cause can’t mess with the deer
. NW lowa - legit habitat now & also pummel the predators ….. gonna be a LOT of birds! Feel like some of these areas I went back in time to like 1995!! 
jkratz5
Well-Known Member
He’ll of a day!!! Congrats
CurtisWalker
Well-Known Member
This is a loose comment or inquiry with a ton of variables…. How many roosters have u guys shot off a “dang good farm” & how big would it be and details? Like a 160 of all native grass is clearly different than a 160 with a single ditch line.
I don’t view roosters like deer as they repopulate so fast, leaving all the hens is key & 1 year old roosters are fine. Am I right or missing some things?
At least by my thinking. But I’m far from a pheasant expert!!! I for sure get to a point where I’m like “I’ve shot enough- I’ll let the rest go”. But that’s the conservationist in me coming out without logic or facts behind it.
Is there a “shot too many”?
So original post, 8 guys, 3 birds in a day on one spot, 24 roosters. Which is awesome and amazing!!!!! Like, could u guys repeat that 5 more times? Which clearly is just under 150 birds with 6 hunts.
Side bar…. My farm is in DEER country - most neighbors have very few pheasants. 3-4 years of coon-extinction (& possum/skunk) - crazy amount of birds. I won’t hunt em cause can’t mess with the deer
You definitely see less and less birds every time unless you get a snow then you gain some birds. They get smarter too though. Running without flushing and jumping way early.
I think I read a stat from the DNR that >90% of roosters shot in Iowa are less than a year old.
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JNRBRONC
Well-Known Member
I was a hard core pheasant hunter before the switch flipped to archery deer. A guy I met in college in the fall of 1983 had to cancel University of Iowa registration finals week to keep F’s off of his transcript as we pheasant hunted EVERY day. I barely survived academically.
There are fair numbers of birds around me, just don’t feel the itch to pick up the shotgun. Would rather grab the bow and climb a tree. Great memories of my pheasant hunting days with GSP’s, Weimaraner’s and a Viszla.
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There are fair numbers of birds around me, just don’t feel the itch to pick up the shotgun. Would rather grab the bow and climb a tree. Great memories of my pheasant hunting days with GSP’s, Weimaraner’s and a Viszla.
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JNRBRONC
Well-Known Member
And I thank those pheasant hunting years for opening my eyes to the future. We hunted tons of CRP ground for a year or two, then started seeing “Hunting Rights Leased” signs on CRP ground we used to hunt. Outfitters.
That fueled my desire to own a property where I could be in control.
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That fueled my desire to own a property where I could be in control.
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Hardwood11
It is going to be a good fall!
This is a loose comment or inquiry with a ton of variables…. How many roosters have u guys shot off a “dang good farm” & how big would it be and details? Like a 160 of all native grass is clearly different than a 160 with a single ditch line.
I don’t view roosters like deer as they repopulate so fast, leaving all the hens is key & 1 year old roosters are fine. Am I right or missing some things?
At least by my thinking. But I’m far from a pheasant expert!!! I for sure get to a point where I’m like “I’ve shot enough- I’ll let the rest go”. But that’s the conservationist in me coming out without logic or facts behind it.
Is there a “shot too many”?
So original post, 8 guys, 3 birds in a day on one spot, 24 roosters. Which is awesome and amazing!!!!! Like, could u guys repeat that 5 more times? Which clearly is just under 150 birds with 6 hunts.
Side bar…. My farm is in DEER country - most neighbors have very few pheasants. 3-4 years of coon-extinction (& possum/skunk) - crazy amount of birds. I won’t hunt em cause can’t mess with the deer
We would shoot 25-35 roosters off a 140 acre farm in Minnesota. It’s pretty good pheasant habitat, designed for pheasants. Native grasses, shelterbelts, cattail sloughs, creek.
The most I’ve seen in a day is around 60 birds.
I’ve turned it more into a deer farm, so I don’t pheasant hunt it as much now. We had a huge buck on it last year, so we hunted the edges …
This year no pheasant hunts yet. My lab will have to wait until after rut unfortunately!!
DMarley83
DMARLEY83
We have a family farm in NW IA. Ballpark around 800 acres. Most of it farmed. There are some dredge ditches, farm groves, and a bit of crp. Less than 40 acres total of crp split up over 6 or 7 chunks.
Bird population is up this year however that is kinda like saying illegal crossings are down this year. Yes up from last year but a far cry from how the population used to be.
We hunt it only once a year. Good break from deer hunting any my kids love it!
To hunt over and over 100% not sustainable imo. Seems the winters are probably the hardest on the birds.
Have a number of birds here at home and like most never have even thought about shooting 1.
Hunting rights up nw Ia seem to be different. I have asked multiple landowners to hunt and almost never get a no....(as long as family isn't already hunting it)
Kinda a throw back. Lot of fun and very great full for the opportunity! Wish there more around to hunt on the regular.
Ps we had a great meal Sunday night. Ate all the birds. No leftovers!!!
Bird population is up this year however that is kinda like saying illegal crossings are down this year. Yes up from last year but a far cry from how the population used to be.
We hunt it only once a year. Good break from deer hunting any my kids love it!
To hunt over and over 100% not sustainable imo. Seems the winters are probably the hardest on the birds.
Have a number of birds here at home and like most never have even thought about shooting 1.
Hunting rights up nw Ia seem to be different. I have asked multiple landowners to hunt and almost never get a no....(as long as family isn't already hunting it)
Kinda a throw back. Lot of fun and very great full for the opportunity! Wish there more around to hunt on the regular.
Ps we had a great meal Sunday night. Ate all the birds. No leftovers!!!
Matthewfox_45
Well-Known Member
Skip, last year we shot 33 on opening day and probably another 15 throughout the season, I know of one other group that has permission, so I don’t know how many they shoot. I looked it up, this is a 160 acre farm that is all CRP. Good CRP too, not just straight switchgrass.This is a loose comment or inquiry with a ton of variables…. How many roosters have u guys shot off a “dang good farm” & how big would it be and details? Like a 160 of all native grass is clearly different than a 160 with a single ditch line.
I don’t view roosters like deer as they repopulate so fast, leaving all the hens is key & 1 year old roosters are fine. Am I right or missing some things?
At least by my thinking. But I’m far from a pheasant expert!!! I for sure get to a point where I’m like “I’ve shot enough- I’ll let the rest go”. But that’s the conservationist in me coming out without logic or facts behind it.
Is there a “shot too many”?
So original post, 8 guys, 3 birds in a day on one spot, 24 roosters. Which is awesome and amazing!!!!! Like, could u guys repeat that 5 more times? Which clearly is just under 150 birds with 6 hunts.
Side bar…. My farm is in DEER country - most neighbors have very few pheasants. 3-4 years of coon-extinction (& possum/skunk) - crazy amount of birds. I won’t hunt em cause can’t mess with the deer
Nrharris
PMA Member
When we were finishing harvest by my house. We saw maybe 30 birds come out of the 35 acres of corn there. It is bordered on 2 sides by a brushy creek and a quarter mile from a very overgrown bike trail and a quarter mile from 80 acres of crp. Another farm we had about 30 birds come out that has some very big and thick waterways and is across the fence from an organic farm that the crops were extremely weedy. Seeing all of the birds made me miss having my gsp that's been gone 12 years.
Hardwood11
It is going to be a good fall!
One of my favorite Saturday events was taking my boys pheasant hunting with our lab. We’d hunt until about 1 pm and then go to the local restaurant /grill for beer, and chili, and watch college football! So fun !!
Pop for them at the time. Might have to do that again now that they are older, and enjoy a beer and swap hunting stories !
Pop for them at the time. Might have to do that again now that they are older, and enjoy a beer and swap hunting stories !
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