Upland Bird Hunt Planning
Upland bird hunt planning is largely where to hunt and what to expect in that region. Some points to consider.
From our northern region in Iowa to our southern Kansas leases there will be a great variety to weather and field conditions.
Rural mud roads exist throughout our Iowa and Missouri lease area and that of northern Kansas and will offer slow go or no go travel with as little as a 1/4 inch of rain. Southern Kansas rural roads have more sand than dirt and are easily traversed during wet weather. Self recovery will be faster than finding a farm tractor to pull out a vehicle.
Snow is rarely a concern by itself. Snow driven by wind will close roads for a day or two on county black tops and longer on rural mud roads. Northern Missouri and our Iowa region will hold snow on the ground longer than our southern Kansas leases.
Weather |
Oct | Nov | Dec | Jan |
| Average High | 69 | 54 | 40 | 37 |
| Average Low | 44 | 33 | 21 | 16 |
| Mean | 57 | 44 | 31 | 27 |
| Average Precipitation | 3.8 | 2.3 | 1.5 | 1.1 |
| Record High | 95 | 84 | 70 | 73 |
| Record Low | 18 | -2 | -27 | -17 |
Ice road conditions are more frequent than snowfalls.
Winter weather conditions while they may attenuate a hunt rarely stop a hunt.
Heat may be an issue for cold weather loving dogs and on most every hunt the hunter will need to carry water for his dogs. October ad November frequently have 50 to 70 degree temperature days.
Other geographic concerns are the limited towns with such amenities as grocery stores. All should plan to eat lunch out of their trucks. This limited services orientation extends to self recovery in the event of vehicle breakdowns.
A little prior planning and looking over weather forecasts immediately before the trip may avoid these kinds of ice covered conditions. Upland bird hunting reservation may always be changed right up to the day of the hunt.
The other extreme shown well by the lack off winter type clothing.
All should come with a plan A and B.
One example is if traveling from the west to have the Association upland bird hunting maps and lodging reservation sheets for the counties in northwest Kansas (plan A), north central Kansas (plan B) and south central Kansas (plan C). In the event that during the hunt the weather takes an undesired shift the hunter may travel a bit further and get back into a better weather region. That would be a better choice than waiting out the weather in the motel room.
An illustration for a plan if traveling from the east.
If the initial plan was a stop to hunt in Missouri shows well on this radar image a better idea would be to keep traveling west into Kansas. At the end of the hunt when driving back home a stop to hunt in Missouri may be a good option.
Most storms in the central mid-west are fairly fast moving typically being on the ridge between the arctic cold front and warm southern inflow. With that in mind it can be pleasant in the morning, stormy that afternoon and pleasant the next morning.
What upland bird hunters need not plan on is often as much a relief as a benefit. Snakes, alligators, porcupine or cactus needles are of no concern.
A set of bird dog boots, gauze and tape may be a good idea for fixing sore pads as all bird dogs will get in a full day's run in each hunting day. A bottle of Skunk Off may be a good idea for those with young bird dogs.
Take from this picture the size of the crop field and the distance of the far side fence line. This is great plains quail habitat where on the great plains agriculture is king and the linear nature of the quail edge runs form many miles. Just the outside edge of a 1/4 section (160 acres) is a 1/2 mile each edge or two miles walking. Add to that the edge miles of waterways, 
creek drainage's and interior fence lines and that one 1/4 section may easily turn into a 2 hour hunt. Each hunter will have more of these type farms to cover than daylight hours available to hunt. This type of terrain allows dogs to run fast as they can for miles upon miles.
Medium thick quail cover. Do not take as example from all the point pictures on this web site that most points are in clear cover. The reality of points is as often as is as not. A point only beeper is mandatory to find most dogs on point.
As far as the hunter himself a selection of shot from 8's for quail and down to 4's for pheasant is probably no surprise. Having a game bag/vest that will carry water for dog and hunter makes for a more pleasant day. Nothing extravagant as all we carry are three 1 litter bottles and usually 2 of those go to the dogs.
Leather boots should also be no surprise to the hunter just as a pair of chaps or heavy pants for protection.
No requirement for excessive gear. One hunter, one dog, one box of 8's one of 4's, small set of layered clothing and carry a lunch for dog and hunter. The single biggest or bulk item to carry is water for the dog and hunter.
