Pheasant Season Starts Now

Are you a pheasant hunting fanatic — a real rooster junky? A once-in-while rooster chaser who just loves getting out with the dog a few weekends each fall? Or a newcomer to what is, in my opinion, the grandest upland bird hunting pastime of all?

I fall into the first category. But no matter where you sit on the scale, there is one factor you can take care of right now, in late summer and early fall: preparing for the hunt.

It is too easy to think, “Ah, it’s just pheasant hunting.” It’s not. Successful pheasant hunting takes serious preparation if you want to be serious about bringing some splendid roosters, and great eating, home.

Here is how to get ready.

Shoot Shotgun

Using his legs to run like the wind is the number one reason any given rooster survives fall hunting season. The number two reason is, hunters miss. We all do. But we can all miss less, and hit more.

There is something you can do about that: Get out and shoot.

Trapshooting, and skeet, are best. Sporting clays are fun, and they help too.

The more you shoot, the more familiar (or re-familiar) you will be with your shotgun, and the more in-sync you will be with snugging your cheek down onto the stock, keeping it there, and swinging through the target.

Don’t worry about scores. Try my mantra: The work from every round of 25 shots will get me one more pheasant that I otherwise might have missed.

Work Dog

My little doggy gets to stay in good shape year-round. Not all dogs are so lucky. Time is tough to find.

But any exercise now is good exercise, and will increase your dog’s stamina come opening day, and beyond.

So go. Now. Longer walks, and more of them. Hikes. Fetch sessions. Swimming. Gentle bike rides with the dog tethered. You name it. Activity.

Almost any dog can help you get pheasants. They do not need be field trial champions, or perfect in any way. But they do need to be in shape to get the job done.

Bonus: Paws get toughened up in the process.

Inventory Ammo

Forget about scrounging up a few shells the night before the vehicle leaves for opening day. Buy or order your favorite loads now – the ones you feel confident shooting – and stock up to cover the season.

This also means securing shells (perhaps larger shot size) for late-season birds, and planning out non-toxic options (bismuth is my go-to) for hunting federal and other lands where lead shot is prohibited.

Scout Birds

You do not have to rely on luck, or chase memories, to try and find birds to shoot.

Yes, scout. Late summer and early fall are perfect for getting out into pheasant country to look for properties with the best habitat.

What to look for? Native prairies – grasses and, especially, forbs (wildflowers) that support hen nesting and brood-rearing activities.

And you want a mosaic out there: those native prairies should mix with wetlands (which provide cattail edges for birds), brush and thickets (trees don’t do much for pheasants and usually just serve as predator haven), and areas of shorter grass in high country and tall grass in lower country.

While you’re at it, consider getting out early and driving some gravel roads abutting good pheasant country at dawn. Do your own dang roadside count! I can guarantee you, those birds will be in the neighborhood come hunting season.

Boot Up

Successful pheasant hunters put on miles. Miles require comfortable footwear.

Are you set for boots? Or are they a season (or more) beyond ideal?

Do you have options to wear into wet hellholes (a top place for pheasants), and when the weather turns cold and snowy (a top time to hunt birds)?

If you need new boots, get them now and break then in … ideally on those exercise adventures with your dog.

Conclusion

Pheasant hunting success comes down to some magical, ever-changing equation involving habitat, dog work, good shooting, and putting on miles. None of that happens by chance. Start getting ready now for more roostery sags in the old gamebag this fall.