Recent Rooster Reports

[123fish]

Was out Saturday also. After three hours of nothing but hens and not even seeing a rooster I was heading into the ninth and last spot of the day when I noticed the dog all cocked up and looking under a head high cedar tree. Figured it was a cottontail for sure and just like that out popped a rooster. Got him and while she was retrieving him saw another one running down the row between the cedars and eventually made down to the area and got him. Tough hunting but you can go from a zero to a hero in a hurry. Maybe try once more today.

[Northland Sportsman]

I was out on my property on Sat afternoon, got one rooster out of the swamp with good dog work and a nice shot. Also got one grouse, flushed tree others but no shots. It is thick in the woods with all the snow on the trees, those birds disappear fast. Got out yesterday afternoon with a friend on his property. We ended up with only one in the bag buy should have had 3. Flushed 9 hens in the first 10 min. We must have had about 30 birds flushing wild in front of us and the dogs out in cattails. We should have worked the wind better. I missed a fairly easy shot on another one. It was great to see the number of birds even though we didn't get a lot of shooting on them. I still have another trip planned and think that there is still some great hunting to be had!

The wife said she seen about a dozen fly into our unpicked corn field late morning, but I was busy with the honey-do list so she didn't tell me until later. It is great to see the bird numbers.

[Shoot2Kill]

Got one on Saturday - left the house at 4:00 on the wheeler and rode back to a strip of cat tails 1/2 mile behind my house...parked and walked 100 yards to the cat tails and up jumped a big ol bird in the first 10 steps of the slough...drilled him on my second shot. 24 inch tail feathers...nearly 1/2 inch spurs...love those big ones. Pushd the next 50 yards of cat tails with nothing more....back to the wheeler and home by 4:25. Love those short hunts.

Sunday hunted the same place in late afternoon...I usually walk and stop about ever 10 feet in the cat tails this late in the season - seems to work well....I was doing my usual, no birds yet....half way through I was changing gloves - in mid change a rooster jumps up 5 feet behind me and catches me completely off guard with my gloves all jacked up and I couldn't get the bead on him quick enough....that lucky bastard. Hit another chunk of cat tails and jumped another lone rooster and got him. I absolutely love late season hunting in the thick stuff. Watching them jump out of the snowy cat tails is awesome.

Heading to ND for the rest of the week to hunt some birds on a buddies 160 acres that haven't been shot at all year! Can't wait.

[BLACKJACK]

Made it out one last time on Monday, skipped out of work early, hit some cattail sloughs. At first the birds were giving me the slip, getting up at 50-60 yards, but I ran about 20 out the end of a slough, then when I followed up in the direction that that they flew, a smaller ring of cattails, I ended up getting one rooster, and then another 200 yards later, the second rooster. A nice way to end the season with my 11 year old dog, she rousted both of them out of the cattails. Love the sound of those pheasants beating their way out of the cattails and the rush when you realize its a rooster!

I must be getting old, yesterday afternoon I watched 8 pheasants run into my food plot, five of them were roosters, and I didn't even consider going after them.... Too darn cold and windy out!!!

[fivebucks]

Went out with 2 others for the season's last hurrah on Jan 1. It was ccccoold. Actually it wasn't that bad once you got moving but walking into the wind was a bit brisk. We ended the season on a great note, filling out by 12:30. All 3 of us had a bad miss and got ribbed from the others. The 3 dogs, all from the same litter, worked great and we were able to talk about past hunts over the past 20 years while driving to different spots. It was a very fun day and the first time I pheasant hunted in January. Now it's time to fire up the ice auger.

[Northland Sportsman]

I got out again on Mon & Tue afternoon. Mon I was alone, w/ the dog. I went to check my mail after skipping out of work early and about 15 birds flush right acroos from my mailbox, all came out of the pine tree in groups of 2-3. I went & got the gun and dog. We tried to chase the ones that flew on my property and flushed a couple of hens right away. Pushed thru the swamp and got 2 pairs of rossters to flush about 5 minutes apart. Due to house in background and narrow shot opportnuity I missed on the 2 I shot at .

Also flushed 3 grouse but no shots.

On tues afternoon went w/ 2 others. There were not a lot of birds around and the ones that were there were flushing wild. We had a poster get a few shots off w/out connecting. I had a nice rooster get up out of cattails in front of me and hit him w/a good second shot to drop him. He burried himself in some cattails but was dead when the dogs dug him out. Next we hit another swamp after a long hard walk thru the field. My buddy says he isn't even seeing any tracks and I just crossed some. I stop for a minute to respond to him and another nice rooster bust out ten yards behind me. A good shot drops him dead. We walked more swamp and flushed a few more hens, but no other roosters. We had a great year with meat in the freezer and lots of birds still flying. The dogs feet also got beat up in the snow but she can rest now. I can't wait 'til next season!

[CodyDawg]

Finished with a flurry. Got out twice over the long weekend and it was awesome. 4 of us had all kinds of fun on Friday. I passed on 10, yes 10 roosters after I had shot my 2 and we were trying to get the last guy to get his birds. Monday it was a little tougher, but still managed to get our birds. Unbelievable year.