Kansas Pheasant Habitat & The late Season
Live Kansas pheasant pictures showing habitat are rare. They always deserve a look.
Such a pheasant in the field picture during a Kansas winter shows doubly what ground snow accumulation is typically. Usually it is not a hindrance to a Kansas pheasant hunt. This is not true for Iowa pheasant hunting land that may be socked-in by deep walk fatiguing snow.
The pheasants above are feeding on Kansas soybean waste grain field. Soybeans are not as prevalent in the dryer rainfall state of Kansas compared to our Iowa or Missouri private land farms. Kansas' predominate upland bird crop of choice is milo. In spite of the less available pheasant desired grain food source Kansas pheasant hunting surpasses that of our Iowa land.
The text accompany these pictures taken by Association pheasant hunter Mike Sheffer:
These pictures and text tell a lot about the quality of wild Kansas upland bird hunts we provide. They give evidence that quality hunts exists through the end of the season -- our winter weather does not stop the hunter.
Mike's notes continue:
"...smart, old, end of season pheasants that are difficult to hunt...."
That myth has never stopped our hunters. The challenge again reverts to too many places to hunt. The late January season sees the upland bird hunter making a choice between Iowa and Kansas. Both seasons are open and both give good late season hunts.
Text that came with the pictures:
A Second Opinion From Another Late Season Kansas Hunter
The limit picture at right is from the last week of the Kansas season.
The story covers a topic most upland bird hunters avoid. That is of a single day's hunt over two dogs hunted separately.
The first dog hunted the first two stops of the day. Plenty of pheasants were seen, a few shot at. None were pointed.
Come that afternoon the second dog was put down. The first spot hunted yielded 5 roster points for three in the bag. That hunt took but an hour or less.
The next field with the same dog used the remainder of the afternoon. Few pheasants were flushed. Some where pointed. All pointed roosters shot at. Finally the fourth one made it to the bag at last shooting hour.
The only point of this story is that not all dogs are pheasant dogs. Not all pheasant dogs are late season pheasant dogs.
Not all upland bird hunters will agree with this. They do not have to. Just keep this story in mind when things do not go as well as desired. In this case of this Kansas hunting story there were plenty of pheasants. It is just what any one hunter and dog can do with them that is the question.
When and Where To Kansas Pheasant Hunt
This web site is inadequate compared to being in the field. Pheasant habitat pictures are are always tough to show all that there is. Talking about when and where to hunt even tougher. There are always hot spots that simply do not show any distinctive cover when taken by picture. There are always birds through the end of the season. With a little snow on the ground many hunters find where the birds hangout that otherwise would have gone unnoticed.
These Kansas fields are large with many spots of better and weaker cover. Not all dogs are good on all birds. Not all hunters will have bag limit success. The value of these photos is they have been taken by a two long time hunters that hunt pointing dogs. They are independent of any connection to this Association other than being members and self guided upland bird hunters. They are two more hunter perspectives beyond ours where and when quality hunts may be found.
We will get every upland bird hunter a good start with our private land recommendations where to start the hunt. The one price all hunters must pay and pay for through only their own boots on the ground, is the effort to hunt new, to them, spots. And, to hunt different times of the season. Each farm will have a golden nugget, hot spot or sweet spot. However it is described, most farms that we recommend to hunt have one must hunt spot or more. Finding those spots is the hunt. Those spots also move during the season.
The remainder of this habitat section may appear to be repeats of the same protective cover. Each as a variance that is detectable after having seen more of it than this web site has the ability to present. They are as much like the rest of our approach to self guided hunts. We make the basic recourse available with private land and wild birds. We then add flexibility of having a variety of localities to hunt. That flexibility continues with each day having a choice of habitat to hunt. the last of it is the flexibility to hunt any time during the season. After this resource it is a matter of just getting out in the field as much as any hunter can. The habitat pictures are the most that any one upland bird hunter can do to prepare for that field time.