Planning An Upland Bird Hunting Trip
Upland bird hunting decisions is largely when and where to hunt. Some points to consider relative to this Association are listed below.
From our northern region in Iowa to our southern Kansas private land leases there will be a great variety to weather and field conditions.
Upland Bird Hunting and Weather
Rural mud roads exist throughout our Iowa and Missouri lease area and that of northern Kansas. They 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. Our annual accumulation is rarely adversely impacting on any planned hunt. Snow driven by wind is a separate issue.
Drifted snow 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. Watching snow lines/maps may affect where to hunt.
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. Nothing to be done here other than drive slow.
Winter weather conditions while they may attenuate a hunt rarely stop a hunt.
Heat may be an issue for cold weather loving dogs. On most every hunt the hunter will need to carry water for his dogs. October and November frequently have 50 to 70 degree temperature days. From the second week in December onward is our most reliably colder weather. Northern hunters will tells us we do not know what cold is. Southern hunters will express enjoyment over our cooler temperatures.
Wind on the other hand is the most enhancing or attenuating hunt quality weather effect we have. An ideal wind is below 10 MPH making for the best scent cones. We do have windier days. The open plains of Kansas with a 20 MPH wind will destroy scent cones. That same 20 MPH wind in Missouri working along edge cover affects little on the down wind side.
Geography More Than Weather
Other geographic concerns beyond weather are the limited towns. Such amenities as grocery stores, fuel, lodging may be short. All should plan to eat lunch out of their trucks. This limited services orientation extends to self recovery in the event of vehicle breakdowns.
Upland Bird Hunting Weather Extremes
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, M-F, 9-530.
The other extreme shown well by the lack off winter type clothing.
A Plan A and B.
We offer flexibility in when to hunt as well as where. Even after a plan is made we offer further flexibility in that plan can be changed to meet changing conditions.
One example is if traveling from the west to have the Association upland bird hunting maps and lodging reservation information 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. The typically during season weather front moves west to east. Driving tot he west side of any front would likely mean better hunt conditions. Even at that a Missouri hunt is not pout of the question. At the end of the hunt when driving back home a stop to hunt in Missouri may be a good option assuming the front has moved on.
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. The choice to wait out any weather or travel out of it can be made that evening with local TV weather forecasting.
No Plan Required
What 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 dog boots, gauze and tape may be a good idea for fixing sore pads. All dogs will get in a full day's run in each day. A bottle of Skunk Off may be a good idea for those with young 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. 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.
We do have dog hazards. That section is more detailed covering several pages of text and pictures than we can post to this one web page. Have a review of our upland bird hunting dog hazards covering five additional pages.
Upland Bird Hunting and the Hunter
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. In terms of clothing it is as all have read elsewhere, bring multiple layers to adjust to changing conditions. Northern states hunters will bring too many clothes. Southern hunters will complain about our wetness while enjoying the boost it gives to scenting conditions.
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.
The empty bed of the truck shows well the limited logistics required for a good hunt.