Best time to train a young dog afield? Right now
Want to round out a bird hunting dog? Give him or her on-the-job experience with wild ring-necked pheasants or ruffed grouse sooner, not later.
Want to round out a bird hunting dog? Give him or her on-the-job experience with wild ring-necked pheasants or ruffed grouse sooner, not later.
Hunters looking to spend more time afield this holiday season will find eight properties in central and southern Wisconsin stocked with 1,440 pheasants during the week of Dec. 21.
Finding cagey late-season ringnecks during a year when license sales have blown up.
In this new world of COVID-19, social distancing, and masks, shooting preserves can play an important role in getting new hunters afield in a safe and responsible manner. Whether it is the next generation of junior hunters or older adults who are new to upland bird hunting, chasing pheasants or chukars on a preserve is the perfect way to get…
Many hunters were happy with the number of birds they saw, but it was tough to shoot them in the weather conditions, one conservation officer reported.
The birds didn’t cooperate, though, as the hunting party failed to bag a bird.
Pheasant index exceeds 10-year average in many parts of the state.
The southeast region led the way with a 163 percent increase, followed by the northeast region with a 115 percent increase and east central region with a 55 percent increase.
Fairmont to instead host event Oct. 8-9, 2021.
COVID-19 pandemic impacting DNR’s ability to raise pheasants this year.
“We don’t publicize the date of the release. We keep it pretty close to the vest. They (the public) have no idea where the releases will occur.”
The big cat weighing more than 100 pounds came within 10 feet of the hunter before he shot it.
Challenging and calorie-burning? Sure, but some of the most rewarding ring-necked pheasant hunting begins right now.
Getting farther from the parking areas and hunting weekdays often the keys to success on hard-hunted public areas.
Zach Burnette, of Cass City, admires the rooster he shot on Michigan’s pheasant opener, two days shy of his 14th birthday. (Photo by Bill Parker)Don’t blame Zach Burnette for celebrating a little bit, a couple days shy of his 14th birthday. The 13-year-old Cass City resident was all smiles when I caught up with him at lunch on opening day…
Wisconsin DNR is planning on releasing about 2,000 pheasants on eight state hunting grounds just before Christmas.
The DNR’s annual roadside survey indicates that Minnesota’s pheasant numbers are down 17% from 2018. The index is 11% below the 10-year average and 60% below the long-term average.
Observers recorded five broods and 39 pheasants per 100 miles. Sharptails observed per 100 miles are up 113% statewide from 2018, and partridge are up 58%.
Hunters can still find plentiful birds but may need to consider weather impacts on habitat, DNR says.
The problem with attaining the mark is twofold: There is less grassland in the state due to farmers putting millions of acres of idled land once enrolled in the federal Conservation Reserve Program back into crop production.And drought has impacted many parts of the state the past couple of years.
What will the impact be on northern Iowa’s pheasant population and southern Iowa’s quail? A quick survey of area wildlife biologists settled on one theme: Not Good.
Lawmakers want the DNR to learn if the pheasant program gives a boost to small-game hunting, and the agency is also being told to explore whether the release of pheasants reduces any conflicts between hunters.
While walking hard for late-season, public-land pheasants, try a different route.
It seems that fewer Pennsylvania hunters chasing stocked pheasants because of stamp price.
Thousands of hunters in blaze orange will take to the fields when Iowa’s pheasant season opens Oct. 27. And with the second highest pheasant population in a decade, hunters can afford to be optimistic.
Pheasants will be released for opening day and prior to the Veterans Day and Thanksgiving holiday weekends.