Self Guided Pheasant Hunts
This self guided pheasant hunt article disappoints many.
During a Missouri land run to review a potential lease with the landowner for waterfowl wetlands development this pheasant popped out and watched us as if we were the attraction. He stayed with us long enough to be capture with a camera we carry for land surveys and contract recording.
Self guided pheasant hunts means most to Association hunters they are enjoying hunting their dogs as they see fit over a multitude of habitat types without the anxiety of if they will have a place to hunt as well as the tranquility of having more pheasant hunting spots than time to hunt. And yes, wild pheasants on private land free of the public lands hunter mentality.
For those with dogs that can hunt from grass pheasant habitat to quail edge and find 4 to 7 coveys in a day with all of the associated action and ability to see their dogs will quickly come to find that kind of hunt to be simply more exciting for the hunter and the dogs than the grass. Contrast that with the fatigue of the tall grass and the future is sealed. There will continue to be the occasional tall grass hunt simply to punctuate the often sought after all daylong covey hunts.
One interesting aspect of this feature is the flushing/retriever dog hunter that transitions on to pointing dogs due to this very dynamic. It happens probably not more than to one hunter a season, but it happens. Almost every season we will find one of the Association hunters with his first pointing dog.
There is other advantage with the retriever/flushing dog hunter as the tall grass has a tendency to keep the dog within closer range where the crop edge does not have this effect.
What all this discussion leads to is that even though MAHA maintains a great amount of tall grass wild pheasant habitat well suited for self guided pheasant hunts, it does not get the pressure some may anticipate it does.
Self guided hunters have a story from every hunt.
At 8 months old this pup never saw a pheasant in training, only pigeons and quail. His first exposure to pheasant was on a wild bird hunt.
The first occasion was while honoring a 13 season experienced brace mate pointing and relocating on a running bird that we did not harvest.
His next rooster was a jump bird that we purposefully shot over him to introduce him to this bird (the only jump bird that will be shot this season). Within 200 yards he went on point. I walked in and flushed a rooster that I was not about to let fly in spite of being on an edge of a pond. That bird did splash down and on the far side of the cattails out of the pup's sight (That one bird soaked the other two in the game bag and why they look so bad in the picture.).
As luck seems to go our way, the bird was flapping one wing marking its location and the pup thrashed through the cattails and swam between 8 and 10 feet to the bird, bringing it back to shore barely making it through the cattails with the bird.
The next point was on a double about 300 yards from the water retrieve. Both were missed as they flew into the late afternoon sun. The pup remained true to his training remaining steady to point, wing shot and on the earlier bird, to the drop, breaking on command.
We then went after the two missed birds and within 200 yards the pup seemed to be tracking out from the grass draw into the clean cut wheat stubble. I did not believe he was tracking a pheasant that was until he went on point. The beeper sounded and I started to make my way to him when the rooster flushed at too long of range for a sure kill shot.
Within 50 yards he went on point, nothing flushed and he started a slow relocate when the rooster flushed about 20 feet away. Under our rules of engagement a relocated/flushed bird counts the same as a pointed/hunter flushed bird and I harvested that one.
In just over an hour that dog went from ignoring pheasant scent to becoming a pheasant hunter.
The next day we hunted the pup alone from his two senior partners (they would beat him to the birds) on the last field of the day and our luck held.
Walking with the wind to our backs the pup locked up on point having hooked around on a short cast to my front. I flushed the rooster, dropped it and the pup was released.
Shortly thereafter the pup goes on point, relocates, hesitates and starts a slow high and low head scenting moving oblique to the wind. About 15 to 20 feet to the pup's front the rooster flushes. The pup freezes, I shoot twice and can readily see the bird glide alive into the grass. I release the pup and he is at where the bird landed, in the grass and gone -- a runner.
Just under a 100 yards away the pup has the rooster having proven himself a wild pheasant tracking dog.
This two day hunt and five birds in the bag and a good many more wild flushes fixed this dog as a pheasant hunter after his having earlier proven to be an effective covey and singles quail pointer. After these past five days he has become a bold pup as shown by his expanded range. His range is nearly double of what it was on his first hunt or during any of the summer's field training. While he has doubled his range he remains well within comfortable eyes on distance and his check back remains strong. The dog is now a pheasant hunter. The last part thanks to MAHA.
Thanks, Jason.
As a do it yourself hunt organization that caters to only those that have the desire and dog power to effectively upland bird hunt, it is the dog action that is the primary focus and the birds are only a means to that end. Being able to hunt the draws and crop edge make for that more enjoyable hunt.
The next point is that in the case of every MAHA hunter regardless of his hunting style, he may have the hunt he wants as that it is he who decides his own do it yourself pheasant hunt. This is not a play on words, just emphasis that our hunts provide only the basic resource of private land and habitat within the right region of the state that has a history of reproduction. After that, making that self guided hunt good is entirely on the hunter.
The pheasant hunter has a choice of how and what habitat type he will hunt.
That choice is driven by the three states we lease land (Kansas, Iowa, Missouri) and their accompanying differences. An illustration may be draw from contrasting our pheasant hunts to that of a guide service that will have far more limited choices and takes the hunter to where the hunt will be most effective. Effective in this case is fast so the guide can be done with that client.
While that pheasant hunting guide service example provides a good contrast illustration it is also not appropriate. It is not appropriate as MAHA exists for the elf guided hunter that has his own dogs and those type of hunters want to hunt their dogs on wild birds and not be directed by another. That is the difference between hunting and collecting, or a hunter and a collector of game.
A parallel exists with trophy deer hunts. Those hunters that seek simply a trophy can gain such within a fence hoofed animal hunt right down to exotics at far less travel expense than by going to Africa. Or, as in this case to a pheasant hunting preserve and hunt pen raised birds. The hunters we seek are those that seek the quality of the hunt and that one hard earned rooster far more valuable than a stack of dead release birds posed in from of the shooting preserve sign.
This one distinction of the type of hunter we work with makes telephone conversations very short or long. Those that call us for day hunts, throw money at us for a guided hunt or seek anything other than what we offer are off the telephone in 30 seconds or less.
Those truly self guided hunters that call us we will spend a good bit of time on the telephone as we will ensure they are headed to the right habitat within the right region of the state that has a history of good production for their bird of choice either wild pheasant or quail, or both. And, their habitat of choice, tall grass, brush draw or crop edge.
Traveling Self Guided Pheasant Hunters
Dear John and the gang at Mid America Hunting:
Well its seems like I just became a member and its already been 4years. Although I haven’t got to go hunting as much as I would like, I can honestly say that the opportunity that Mid America has provided has been worth the money. With a new family it’s hard to get away and really put in the time needed to find good hunting spots and work the dogs!
In fact, some of the pheasant properties I hunted in Iowa and Kansas in college are now being leased by Mid America. What are the odds! People ask me all the time why do I pay to hunt and I'll I can say is "So I don't have hunt for a spot to hunt". The price when all said in done is very reasonable compared to going through an outfitter. Most outfitters charge $150-300/day. It doesn't take long before you have paid for your membership and the hunting is done on wild birds only and you can hunt so much different terrain.
I've had some of my best bird hunting days as a member. My best quail day was 10 coveys, which I probably won't see again. This only proves that the properties have birds and it's all up to you to find them.
I look forward to trying deer and turkey hunting in the upcoming years. I am also patiently waiting for my son to be able to shoot his first pheasants and quail when he is old enough to join the club!
If you really love to hunt and see the last great places to pheasant hunt the wide open spaces of the Midwest then this it. I highly recommend Mid America. I've enclosed a part of my log from one of my hunts this year. The first day is not typical but not unheard of either. I'm just an average hunter that likes to get out with my friends and family and be with my dogs.
[Location deleted] Property xxx Dec 16th 15 degrees and wind-chill below zero
11:30 am limited pheasants, 9 roosters in 2 hours harvested Saw 10 birds all were roosters. Got permission to hunt across the street to get final bird. Broke through the ice and got soaked up to the waste and my auto froze up!
Tried to get accommodation at the [location deleted] that welcomes dogs in but was booked. Only motel in town now!
Had to stay in [location deleted]. Found a Motel under new management that has bird cleaning room and dogs are welcome.
Scouted for next day! No quail sighted
December 17th:
Colder and less wind.
[Location deleted] Property xxx Great ditch in back no birds Dog pointed a possum. Picked him up and he still played dead!
Property xxx Crop field and Draws property surrounded by CRP several pheasant 1 rooster shoot 1 covey of quail-didn't harvest any best time would be late afternoon
property xxx A dogs dream feed lot surrounded by broom fields (Lots of BROOM!) many pheasant 3 roosters shoot missed another kicked up another dozen hens no quail
Property XXX mostly for deer backside has some good grass surrounded by crops missed, 5 pheasant, 1 rooster kicked up 4 hens herd of deer feeding with one 10 point buck in 150 class: could of harvest with shotgun or muzzleloader! (This was the end of the second Shotgun Season too!)
4:30 pm Ran out of time, dogs are tired and my son is hungry and misses mom, plenty of pheasants though. Temps in the morning will be below zero. One dog has a slight limp, leaving one day early but satisfied with another good pheasant hunt with one great day in [location deleted] to boot!
Thanks again for all your hard work.
Best of Luck Hunting, Mark E